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4th Air Corps (Germany)
IV. FliegerkorpsFor more details see Luftwaffe Organization (4th Air Corps) was formed 11 October 1939 in Düsseldorf from the 4. Flieger-Division. The Corps was disbanded on 16 September 1944 and its ''Stab'' formed the ''Kommandierenden General der Deutschen Luftwaffe in Dänemark'' (commanding general of the German Luftwaffe in Denmark). Commanding officers *Generaloberst Alfred Keller, 11 October 1939 – 19 August 1940 *General der Flieger Kurt Pflugbeil, 20 August 1940 – 24 August 1943 *General der Flieger Rudolf Meister, 4 September 1943 – 16 September 1944 Chiefs of staff *Oberst Alexander Holle, 11 October 1939 – 19 December 1939 *Oberst Josef Kammhuber, 19 December 1939 – 27 December 1939 *Oberst Alexander Holle, 27 December 1939 – 31 January 1940 *Oberst Hans-Detlef Herhudt von Rohden, 20 February 1941 – 30 September 1941 *Oberst Torsten Christ, ? – 23 February 1943 *Oberst Anselm Brasser, 23 February 1943 – 30 November 1943 *Oberst Walter Storp, 1 Dec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luftwaffe
The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial German Navy, Imperial Navy, had been disbanded in May 1920 in accordance with the terms of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, which banned Germany from having any air force. During the interwar period, German pilots were trained secretly in violation of the treaty at Lipetsk (air base), Lipetsk Air Base in the Soviet Union. With the rise of the Nazi Party and the repudiation of the Versailles Treaty, the Luftwaffe's existence was publicly acknowledged and officially established on 26 February 1935, just over two weeks before open defiance of the Versailles Treaty through German rearmament and conscription would be announced on 16 March. The Condor Legion, a Luftwaffe detachment sent to aid Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alfred Keller
Biography Alfred Keller (19 September 1882 – 11 February 1974) was a general in the German Luftwaffe during the Second World War. Born in Bochum, Province of Westphalia, his career in the Imperial German Armed Forces began in 1897, when he became a cadet in a military school, he retired after the Second World War as one of the most decorated Generals of the former Luftwaffe. After his graduation, in 1902, Keller served in the 17º Battalion Infantry in Thorn as Fähnrich. While serving in Thorn, Keller became attracted to heavier-than-air aircraft, and made his first flight in the school at Metz, becoming an observer in 1912. In the following year, Keller concluded his training as a pilot in the school of Niederneuendorf, gaining his pilot’s wings. When the First World War begun in August 1914, Hauptmann Alfred Keller was serving in a Western Front bomber unit Kagohl 5, Kampfstaffel (Kasta) 27, with which he would fly his first combat missions. Keller participated in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luftwaffe Organization
The Luftwaffe () was the aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Navy, had been disbanded in May 1920 in accordance with the terms of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, which banned Germany from having any air force. During the interwar period, German pilots were trained secretly in violation of the treaty at Lipetsk Air Base in the Soviet Union. With the rise of the Nazi Party and the repudiation of the Versailles Treaty, the Luftwaffe's existence was publicly acknowledged and officially established on 26 February 1935, just over two weeks before open defiance of the Versailles Treaty through German rearmament and conscription would be announced on 16 March. The Condor Legion, a Luftwaffe detachment sent to aid Nationalist forces in the Spanish Civil War, provided the force with a valuable testing ground for new tactics and aircraft. Partially as a resul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city in Germany, with a 2022 population of 629,047. The Düssel, from which the city and the borough of Düsseltal take their name, divides into four separate branches within the city, each with its own mouth into the Rhine (Lower Rhine). Most of Düsseldorf lies on the right bank of the Rhine, and the city has grown together with Neuss, Ratingen, Meerbusch, Erkrath and Monheim am Rhein. Düsseldorf is the central city of the metropolitan region Rhine-Ruhr, the List of EU metropolitan regions by GDP#2021 ranking of top four German metropolitan regions, second biggest metropolitan region by GDP in the European Union, that stretches from Bonn via Cologne and Düsseldorf to the Ruhr (from Duisburg via Essen to Dortmund). The ''-dorf'' suffix mea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
4th Air Division (Germany)
4. Flieger DivisionFor an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organisation (4th Air Division) was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed on 1 August 1938 in Munich from the Höheren Fliegerkommandeur 5. The Division was redesignated 21. Flieger-Division on 1 November 1938 and relocated to Braunschweig and again renamed to 4. Flieger Division on 1 February 1939. The unit was relocated to Düsseldorf on 1 October 1939 and redesignated IV. Fliegerkorps on 11 October 1939 and reformed again in June 1943 in Smolensk. Commanders * Generalmajor Hellmuth Bieneck, 1 August 1938 – 31 January 1939 * General der Flieger Alfred Keller, 1 February 1939 – 11 October 1939 * Generalmajor Josef Punzert, June 1943 – 30 June 1943 * Generalleutnant Hermann Plocher, 1 July 1943 – 25 August 1943 * Oberst Franz Reuß, 25 August 1943 – 5 April 1945 * Generalmajor Klaus Uebe __NOTOC__ Klaus Ueb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stab (Luftwaffe Designation)
The German language term ''Stab'' (literal translation: "General staff, staff") was used during World War II to designate a headquarters unit of the Nazi Germany, German ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). There were ''Stab'' units at the level of a ''Gruppe (military), Gruppe'' or ''Geschwader'' – units that were equivalent to wing (air force unit), wings and group (air force), groups in the air forces of the English-speaking world. ''Stab'' units directly controlled aircraft as well as controlling those belonging to subordinate units. These command units used the mandated blue or green "staff aircraft" colour for the third character (the individual aircraft's letter) of their alphanumeric ''Geschwaderkennung'' wing code, to distinguish their aircraft from the rest of air units in the same unit. These units were divided in the following form, for the fourth and last character normally used to distinguish individual ''Staffel (Luftwaffe), Staffeln'' (squadrons) from the letter "H" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kurt Pflugbeil
__NOTOC__ Kurt Leopold Pflugbeil (9 May 1890 – 31 May 1955) was a German general (General der Flieger) in the Luftwaffe during World War II who commanded 4th Air Corps and Luftflotte 1. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. Pflugbeil commanded the 4th Air Corps during the Second Battle of Kharkov, Battle of Stalingrad and Siege of Sevastopol. He surrendered to the Red Army in the Courland Pocket in 1945. In 1950 he was sentenced to 25 years in a labour camp. Pflugbeil was released in 1954. Awards and decorations * Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class (14 September 1914) & 1st Class (7 October 1916)Thomas 1998, p. 151. * Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (7 October 1939) & 1st Class (15 June 1940) * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves ** Knight's Cross on 5 October 1941 as ''Generalleutnant'' and commander of IV. Fliegerkorps ** 562nd Oak Leaves on 27 August 1944 as ''General der Flieger () was a General ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rudolf Meister
Rudolf Meister (1 August 1897 – 11 September 1958) was a German general (General der Flieger) in the Luftwaffe during World War II who commanded the 4th Air Corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Meister surrendered to the American troops in May 1945 and was interned until 1948. In 1950, Meister was one of the authors of the Himmerod memorandum which addressed the issue of rearmament (''Wiederbewaffnung'') of the Federal Republic of Germany after World War II. Awards and decorations * German Cross in Gold on 30 October 1941 as ''Oberst im Generalstab'' (in the General Staff) of VIII. Fliegerkorps * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 5 September 1944 as ''Generalleutnant () is the German-language variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO ...'' and comm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alexander Holle
__NOTOC__ Alexander Holle (27 February 1898 – 16 July 1978) was a German general (Generalleutnant) in the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the German involvement in the Spanish Civil War German involvement in the Spanish Civil War commenced with the outbreak of war in July 1936, with Adolf Hitler immediately sending in air and armored units to assist General Francisco Franco and his Nationalist forces. In opposition, the So ..., and World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. From 8 May 1945 to February 1948, Holle was a prisoner of war. After his release he married on 12 May 1948 and had a daughter. On 16 July 1978, he died in Munich and was buried with a military honor guard. Awards and decorations * German Cross in Gold on 11 May 1942 as ''Oberst'' with Kampfgeschwader 26 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 30 December 1942 as ''Oberst'' and as Fliegerführer Nord and ''Geschwaderkommodore'' of Kampfgeschwader 26.Scher ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Josef Kammhuber
Josef Kammhuber (August 19, 1896 – January 25, 1986) was a career officer who served in the Imperial German Army, the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany and the post-World War II German Air Force. During World War II, he was the first general of night fighters in the Luftwaffe. Kammhuber created the night fighter defense system, the so-called Kammhuber Line, but the detailed knowledge of the system provided to the Royal Air Force by British military intelligence allowed them to render it ineffective. Personal battles between him and Erhard Milch, director of the Reich Air Ministry, led to his dismissal in 1943. After the war, he joined the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of West Germany serving as the first Inspector of the Air Force. Career Josef Kammhuber was born in Tüßling, Bavaria, the son of a farmer. At the outbreak of World War I Kammhuber was 18 and joined a Bavarian engineer battalion. He participated in the Battle of Verdun in 1916 and was promoted to Second Lieutenant in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Torsten Christ
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded for a wide range of reasons and across all ranks, from a senior commander for skilled leadership of his troops in battle to a low-ranking soldier for a single act of extreme gallantry. A total of 7,321 awards were made between its first presentation on 30 September 1939 and its last bestowal on 17 June 1945. This number is based on the analysis and acceptance of the order commission of the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR). Presentations were made to members of the three military branches of the Wehrmacht—the Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (Navy) and Luftwaffe (Air Force)—as well as the Waffen-SS, the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD—Reich Labour Service) and the Volkssturm (German national militia). There were also 43 recipients in the military forces of allies of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walter Storp
Walter Storp (2 February 1910 – 9 August 1981) was a German bomber pilot and commander of several bomber wings during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Storp reached the rank of Generalmajor and ended the war as commander of the 5th Air Division in Norway. Storp was born on 2 February 1910 in Schnecken, East Prussia, the son of a forester. After he received his ''Abitur'' (diploma) in 1928 he joined the military service and served in the navy.Schumann 2007, pp. 185, 187. Holding the rank of ''Oberleutnant'' he served in the ''Bordfliegerstaffel'' 1./106 (on board flyers squadron) until February 1936. From May to September he was a pilot aboard the heavy cruiser ''Admiral Scheer'', participating in the ship's first cruise of the Spanish Civil War in August 1936.Kaiser 2010, p. 71. Storp was assigned to the Reich Ministry of Aviation on 1 October 1938 and at the same time became the chief pilot of general Hans Jeschonnek. S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
