The 1st Flak Division () was a Flak division of the German

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 Ge ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Its primary and most noteworthy function throughout the war was the defense of the air space of the city of

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

History

The staff of the 1st Flak Division was created in

( Luftgau III) on 1 July 1938 under the name "Air Defense Command Berlin" (). On 1 August 1939, the name was specified into "1st Air Defense Command Berlin" (). The initial head of the Air Defense Command staff was a Major General named Braun, who was in August 1938 replaced by Gerhard Hoffmann.At the outbreak of war on 1 September 1939, 1st Air Defense Command consisted of elements of Flak Regiment 12, Flak Regiment 22, Flak Regiment 32, Flak Regiment 52 and Flak Regiment General Göring, spread across the various boroughs of Berlin. The overall HQ was in

Berlin-Dahlem Dahlem ( or ) is a locality of the Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough in southwestern Berlin. Until Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was a part of the former borough of Zehlendorf. It is located between the mansion settlements of Grunewald and ...

, the staffs of Flak Regiment 12, Flak Regiment 22 and Flak Regiment General Göring were positioned at Berlin-Lankwitz,

Brandenburg an der Havel Brandenburg an der Havel (; ) is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, which served as the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg until it was replaced by Berlin in 1417. With a population of 72,040 (as of 2020), it is located on the banks of the ...

and

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...

, respectively. On 1 September 1941, the Air Defense Command Berlin was renamed "1st Flak Division" (). On the same day, commander Prellberg was replaced by Ludwig Schilffarth. Schilffarth was in turn replaced by Max Schaller on 20 January 1943, who was succeeded by Erich Kressmann on 18 February 1944 and by Kurt von Ludwig on 5 November 1944. Between 1940 and 1945, the 1st Flak Division was the principal defender against the Allied bombing raids against Berlin. The flak defenses of the city were powerful; by 24 January 1944, Berlin was defended by 440 heavy anti-aircraft guns and 400 light anti-aircraft guns, which were supported by 245

searchlights A searchlight (or spotlight) is an apparatus that combines an extremely bright source (traditionally a carbon arc lamp) with a mirrored parabolic reflector to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular dire ...

. Additionally, the city was guarded by flak towers, making it one of just three cities equipped with these dedicated anti-aircraft buildings (next to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

and

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

). On 2 February 1945, in the face of the rapidly approaching

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

, the 1st Flak Division was partially repurposed for ground-level combat and, by orders of

Wilhelm Keitel Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel (; 22 September 188216 October 1946) was a German field marshal who held office as chief of the (OKW), the high command of Nazi Germany's armed forces, during World War II. He signed a number of criminal ...

, placed under the direct control of the leadership staff of Wehrkreis III, tasked with the defense of the region. In April 1945, the 1st Flak Division was placed under the supervision of the II Flak Corps. The final commander of the 1st Flak Division was Otto Sydow, who held that command post from 15 November 1944 until 2 May 1945, the day of the surrender that ended the

Battle of Berlin The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula–Od ...

. Sydow received the

Knight's Cross Knight's Cross (German language ''Ritterkreuz'') refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that often denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield. Most frequently the term Knight's Cross is used to refer to the Knight's Cro ...

during his tenure as division commander on 28 February 1945. The 1st Flak Division was involved in the power struggle that went on behind the scenes during the Battle of Berlin; attempts by

Helmuth Weidling Helmuth Otto Ludwig Weidling (2 November 1891 – 17 November 1955) was a German three-star general during the Second World War. He was the last commander of the Berlin Defence Area during the Battle of Berlin, led the defence of the city agai ...

(army commander of Berlin defenders) to subordinate the Luftwaffe's 1st Flak Division as well as Waffen-SS units to his own command were met with resistance in the last days of April 1945.

Joseph Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and philologist who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief Propaganda in Nazi Germany, propagandist for the Nazi Party, and ...

further complicated matters by the creation of yet another defense council to take command of Berlin's defenses.

References

{{Flak divisions of the Wehrmacht Flak divisions Military units and formations established in 1938 Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Battle of Berlin Berlin in World War II