General Major Georg Weiner was a German

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

during World War I, being credited with nine aerial victories. He would continue in Germany's military service, rising to the rank of ''Generalmajor'' during World War II.

Early life

Georg Weiner was born in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

, Germany, on 22 August 1895. He joined the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

early in World War I, on 22 August 1914.

World War I

Promotions and appointments

22 November 1914: Enlisted as a ''

Gefreiter Gefreiter (, abbr. Gefr.; plural ''Gefreite'') is a German, Swiss and Austrian military rank that has existed since the 16th century. It is usually the second rank or grade to which an enlisted soldier, airman or sailor could be promoted.Duden; D ...

'' 14 January 1915: Promoted to ''

Unteroffizier () is a junior non-commissioned officer rank used by the . It is also the collective name for all non-commissioned officers in Austria and Germany. It was formerly a rank in the Imperial Russian Army. Austria , also , is the collective name t ...

'' and ''

Fahnenjunker ''Fahnenjunker'' (short Fhj or FJ, en, officer cadet; ) is a military rank of the Bundeswehr and of some former German armed forces. In earlier German armed forces it was also the collective name for many officer aspirant ranks. It was establi ...

'' 16 April 1915: Appointed as '' Fahnrich'' 25 June 1915: Commissioned as ''

Leutnant () is the lowest Junior officer rank in the armed forces the German (language), German-speaking of Germany (Bundeswehr), Austrian Armed Forces, and military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") fro ...

Duty assignments

22 November 1914: Began service in the ranks of the 103rd Infantry Regiment 1 January 1915: Promoted to lead an infantry platoon and company 2 August 1915: Assigned to staff duty as an Ordnance Officer with 244th Reserve Infantry Regiment 20 March 1916: Detached for pilot training with 5th Flying Replacement Battalion and at the Military Flying School at

Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bombi ...

2 September 1916: Assigned to pilot's duty with ''

Jagdstaffel 38 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 38, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 38, was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. The unit would score 17 aerial victories duri ...

'' 4 November 1916: Advanced training with 7th Flying Replacement Battalion,

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

21 November 1916: Assigned to '' Jagdstaffel 20'' as a pilot 24 June 1917: Hospitalized with wound in the Naval Hospital in

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...

15 July 1917: Posted to training and inspection duties 17 August 1917: Transferred to pilot's duty with ''Kest 3'' 5 September 1918: Appointed as ''

Staffelführer ''Staffelführer'' was one of the first paramilitary ranks used by the German ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) in the early years of that group's existence. The later SS rank of ''Staffelführer'' traces its origins to the First World War, where the tit ...

'' to command ''

Jagdstaffel 3 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 3 was a fighter squadron of the '' Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. It was founded on 10 August 1916 at ''Flieger Ersatz Abteilung'' 5 in Braunschweig, Germany, as one of th ...

''''Above the Lines'', p. 30.

List of aerial victories

Between the World Wars

Promotions and appointments

1 April 1925: Promoted to ''

oberleutnant () is the highest lieutenant officer rank in the German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. Austria Germany In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Trans ...

'' 1 February 1930: Promoted to ''

hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literally ...

'' 1 April 1935: Promoted to ''

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

'' 1 March 1937: Promoted to ''

oberstleutnant () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedis ...

'' 1 June 1939: Promoted to ''

oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish ...

Duty assignments

29 November 1918: Demobilization duties with 6th Flying Replacement Battalion, ''

Jagdstaffel 5 History Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 5, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 5, was created on January 21, 1916, and mobilized on 21 August 1916, as one of the first fighter units of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Arm ...

'' 1 June 1919: Pilot with

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

's Artillery Flying Squadron

Großenhain Großenhain (also written as Grossenhain; hsb, Wulki Hojn) is a Große Kreisstadt (German for major district town) in the district of Meissen, Saxony, Germany. It was originally known as Hayne. The current name simply means "big Hayne" History ...

1 October 1919: Seconded to Airbase Großenhain 8 May 1920: Assigned to ground duty as technical officer with Light Motor Vehicle Column 4 1 October 1920: Platoon leader with

Motor Transport Motor transport (MT) refers to the operation and maintenance of a military vehicle fleet (especially trucks), and sometimes to the servicemembers to operate and maintain them. Traditionally, motor transport organizations are responsible for a unit ...

Battalions 1 April 1925: Began weapon technology studies at the Technical Studies College Dresden, which led to his Diploma in Engineering, awarded 21 March 1932 1 April 1932: Assigned as advisor in the Army Weapons Office 1 April 1933: Posted to staff duty with various motor transport battalions 1 April 1935: Transferred into the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

as Battery Chief of the ''Flak Bataillon Lubeck'' 15 March 1936: Director of the Luftwaffe's Test Site in

Rechlin Rechlin is a municipality in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, around 100 km (60 mi) northwest of Berlin. The town's airport has a long history and was the Luftwaffe's main testing ground for new aircraft designs in Nazi Germany. ...

1 December 1936: Staff duty with Fighter Group I/137 at

Bernburg Bernburg (Saale) is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, capital of the Salzlandkreis district. The former residence of the Anhalt-Bernburg princes is known for its Renaissance architecture, Renaissance castle. Geography The town centre is situated ...

1 March 1937: Appointed to command Fighter Group I/137

World War II

Promotions and appointments

1 October 1943: Promoted to ''

Generalmajor is the Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and Royal Danish Air Force. As a two-star ...

Duty assignments

1 June 1939: Assigned to command the 71st Flying Training Regiment 27 May 1940: Tasked as Airport Area Commandant, Jessau/

Insterburg Chernyakhovsk (russian: Черняхо́вск) – known prior to 1946 by its German name of (Old Prussian: Instrāpils, lt, Įsrutis; pl, Wystruć) – is a town in the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia, where it is the administrative center of C ...

1941: Served as Air Region Column Leader for the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

1942: Served as Air Region Column Leader for Italy and North Africa 1 July 1943: Assigned as Director of the travel staff with the ''Luftwaffe'' personnel office 1 April 1944: Transferred to reserves of the '' OKL'' 1 July 1944: Assigned to special duties with Air Region Command VI 28 February 1945: Retired from military service

Post World War II

''Generalmajor'' Georg Weiner was detained by the victorious Russians in the aftermath of the War, and imprisoned in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

on 5 October 1945. He was not released until 26 September 1949. He died on 24 January 1957 in

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, t ...

, Germany.

Honors and awards

1914

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia est ...

first and second class Pilot's Badge ''

Ritterkreuz 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 Cr ...

'' second class Albrechts Order with Swords ''Ritterkreuz'' service medal second class with swords Black

Wound Badge The Wound Badge (german: Verwundetenabzeichen) was a German military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was first awarded to soldiers of the German Army who were wounded during World War I. Between th ...

Aviator's Commemorative Badge Honor Cross for Combatants

Wehrmacht Long Service Award The Wehrmacht Long Service Award () was a military service decoration of Nazi Germany issued for satisfactory completion of a number of years in military service. History On 16 March, 1936, Adolf Hitler ordered the institution of a service awar ...

fourth to the first class Africa Sleeve Band

References

* ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918''.

Norman Franks Norman Leslie Robert Franks (born 1940) is an English militaria writer who specialises in aviation topics. He focuses on the pilots and squadrons of World Wars I and II. Biography He published his first book in 1976. He was an Organisation a ...

, Frank W. Bailey, Russell Guest. Grub Street, 1993. , . * ''Fokker D VII Aces of World War 1, Part 2: Aircraft of the Aces 63: Osprey Aircraft of the Aces''. Norman Franks, Greg VanWyngarden. Osprey Publishing, 2004. , .

Endnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weiner, Georg 1895 births 1957 deaths Luftwaffe World War II generals German World War I flying aces Luftstreitkräfte personnel Military personnel from Dresden People from the Kingdom of Saxony Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Reichswehr personnel Major generals of the Luftwaffe