Robert Ritter von Greim
| Robert Ritter von Greim | |
|---|---|
Robert Ritter von Greim in 1940
|
|
| Born | 22 June 1892 Bayreuth, German Empire |
| Died | 24 May 1945 (aged 52) Salzburg, Allied-occupied Austria |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany
|
| Years of service | 1911–18 1934–45 |
| Rank | Generalfeldmarschall |
| Commands held | Luftwaffe |
| Battles/wars |
Second World War (POW) 
|
| Awards |
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords Pour le Mérite Military Order of Max Joseph |
Robert Ritter von Greim (born Robert Greim; 22 June 1892 – 24 May 1945) was a German Field Marshal and pilot. In the last days of World War II, Hitler appointed Greim as commander of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) in place of Göring, whom he had dismissed for treason. When Germany surrendered, Greim was taken prisoner by the American forces; he committed suicide in prison on 24 May 1945.
Born Robert Greim on 22 June 1892 in Bayreuth, in the Kingdom of Bavaria, a state of the German Empire, the son of a police captain, Greim was an army cadet from 1906 to 1911. He joined the Bavarian Army on 14 July 1911, some years before the First World War. After completion of officer training, he was posted to Bavaria's 8th Field Artillery Regiment on 29 October 1912 and commissioned as a Lieutenant (Leutnant) a year later, on 25 October 1913. After war broke out in August 1914, he commanded a battery in fighting at the Battle of Lorraine and around Nancy, Epinal, Saint-Mihiel, and Camp des Romains in France. He became a battalion adjutant on 19 March 1915, and on 10 August 1915 he transferred to the German Air Service (Fliegertruppe).
On 10 October 1915, while flying two-seaters in FFA 3b as an artillery spotting observer, Greim claimed his first aerial victory: a Farman. He also served with FAA 204 over the Somme. After undergoing pilot training, Greim joined FA 46b on 22 February 1917. He transferred to Jagdstaffel 34 in April 1917. He scored a kill on 25 May 1917, and on the same day he received the Iron Cross First Class. On 19 June, he rose to command Jasta 34. Greim became an ace on 16 August 1917, when he shot down a Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter. By 16 October, his victory tally totaled 7. There was a lull in his successes until February 1918. On the 11th, he had an unconfirmed victory and on the 18th he notched up aerial victory number 8.
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