Werner Milch (15 November 1903 – 17 November 1984) was a German lawyer. Milch was born in

Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsha ...

, the son of Anton Milch, a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

pharmacist who served in the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy) was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for ...

, and Clara, née Vetter. During

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 ...

, he served in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

and was a recipient of the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. While it was order of precedence, lower in preceden ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. After the war, he acted as co-counsel, alongside , for his brother, ex-field marshal

Erhard Milch Erhard Milch (30 March 1892 – 25 January 1972) was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' of the ''Luftwaffe'' who oversaw its founding and development during the rearmament of Germany and most of World War II. Milch served as State Secretary in ...

, in the

Milch Trial ''The United States of America vs. Erhard Milch'', commonly known as the Milch Trial, was the second of the twelve " subsequent Nuremberg trials" for war crimes and crimes against humanity after the end of World War II between 1946 and 1947. The ...

World War II awards

German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repeated acts of bravery or military leade ...

in Gold on 15 April 1944 as ''

Hauptmann () is an officer rank in the armies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is usually translated as ''captain''. Background While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has, and originally had, the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literall ...

'' in the Stab II./Fallschirm-Artillerie-Regiment 2 *

on 9 January 1945 as ''Hauptmann'' and commander of Fallschirm-Granatwerfer-Lehr- und Ausbildungs-BattalionFellgiebel 2000, p. 255.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Milch, Werner 1903 births 1984 deaths People from Wilhelmshaven People from the Province of Hanover German people of Jewish descent Fallschirmjäger of World War II Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 20th-century German lawyers Reichswehr personnel Military personnel from Lower Saxony