Erhard Milch
| Erhard Milch | |
|---|---|
Milch in 1944
|
|
| Born |
30 March 1892 Wilhelmshaven, German Empire |
| Died | 25 January 1972 (aged 79) Düsseldorf, West Germany |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire Weimar Republic) Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch |
 Luftwaffe
|
| Years of service | 1910–22; 1933–45 |
| Rank | Generalfeldmarschall |
| Commands held |
Battle of Britain Norwegian campaign |
| Battles/wars |
World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Relations | Werner Milch (brother) |
| Other work | Held in Landsberg prison after conviction for war crimes |
Erhard Milch (30 March, 1892 – 25 January, 1972) was a German field marshal who oversaw the development of the Luftwaffe as part of the re-armament of Nazi Germany following World War I. During World War II, he was in charge of aircraft production; his ineffective management resulted in the decline of the German air force and its loss of air superiority as the war progressed. He was convicted of war crimes during the Milch Trial held before the U.S. military court in 1947.
Milch was born in Wilhelmshaven, the son of Anton Milch, a pharmacist who served in the Imperial German Navy, and Clara Milch, née Vetter. There is no certainty about Milch´s ancestry.
Milch joined the Nazi Party (number 123885) on 1 April 1929, but his membership was not officially acknowledged until March 1933, because Hitler deemed it desirable to keep the fact hidden for political reasons.
Milch enlisted in the German Army in 1910, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant in the artillery. He later transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial Air Force) and trained as an aerial observer. In the waning days of the war, although not a pilot, he was appointed to command a fighter wing, Jagdgruppe 6, as a captain.
Milch resigned from the military in 1920 to pursue a career in civil aviation. With squadron colleague Gotthard Sachsenberg, Milch formed a small airline in Danzig under the banner of Lloyd Luftdienst, Norddeutscher Lloyd's union of regional German airlines. The airline linked Danzig to the Baltic States. In 1923, Milch became managing director of its successor company. From there, Milch and Sachsenberg went to work for rival Junkers Luftverkehr, where Milch was appointed managing director in 1925. He later became the first managing director of Deutsche Luft Hansa.
...
Wikipedia