Generalleutnant Kurt-Bertram von Döring (18 February 1889 in Ribbekardt – 9 July 1960 in Medingen) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

World War II

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of O ...

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 ...

. He began his career as a

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 ...

in World War I, became a flying soldier of fortune during the 1920s and early 1930s, and then joined the resurgent German air service and served through World War II.

Early life

Born 18 February 1889 at Ribbekardt, Döring joined the Dragoon Regiment Nr. 17 on 14 March 1907. In mid 1913 he transferred to the Air Service, and in May 1914 joined ''Festung Flieger-Abteilung'' in

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 ...

.Franks 1993, p. 99.

World War I

In late 1914 he was assigned to ''Flieger-Abteilung 38'', and was commissioned on 1 February 1915. Döring then served with ''Sonderstaffel Nr. 2'' in 1916. An able administrative Officer and leader, as well as being considered a steady and reliable pilot, meant after service with ''Flieger-Abteilung (Artillerie) 227'' Döring took command of ''

Jagdstaffel 4 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 4, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 4, 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 192 confirmed victories; ...

'' on 8 April 1917, before he had claimed an air victory. However, he scored his first victory a few days later, on 14 April 1917; he continued to collect wins through 4 October, when he scored his eleventh and last. On 14 December 1917, he was awarded the

Royal House Order of Hohenzollern The House Order of Hohenzollern (german: Hausorden von Hohenzollern or ') was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various ...

to accompany his

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 Class.Franks 1993, pp. 99–100. Döring also gained the trust of Jagdgeschwader 1 commander Rittmeister

Manfred von Richthofen Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (; 2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of ...

, who assigned command of ''Jagdgeschwader 1'' to Döring when Richthofen was away from the front. Promoted to ''Rittmeister'' on 28 November 1917, Döring remained in command of ''Jagdstaffel 4'' until 19 January 1918, after which he took over ''Jagdgruppe Nr. 4''. In August he took over '' Jagdstaffel 66'', and then a few days later ''

Jagdstaffel 1 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 1 (commonly abbreviated as Jasta 1) was a fighter squadron of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. Jasta 1 was founded on 22 August 1916, using single seat fighters drawn ...

''.

Between the world wars

He rejoined the Dragoons on 1 December 1918. He became an advisor with the

Argentinian Air Force "Argentine Wings" , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 August (anniversary) 1 May (Baptism of fire during the Falklands War) , equipment = 139 aircraft , equipment_label = , battles = * Operation Independence * Operation Soberanía * Falkla ...

from 1923–1927 and the

Peruvian Air Force The Peruvian Air Force ( es, link=no, Fuerza Aérea del Perú, FAP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with defending the nation and its interests through the use of air power. Additional missions include assistance in safeguardin ...

until 1929. From 1930 to 1932, he was a member of the German aviation mission to China. Döring rejoined the Luftwaffe on 1 July 1934, as a major. He commanded the flying School at

Celle Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about 71,000. Celle is the southern gateway to the Lü ...

in 1936, and became a ''

Gruppenkommandeur ''Gruppenkommandeur'' is a Luftwaffe position (not rank), that is the equivalent of a commander of a group or wing in other air forces. A ''Gruppenkommandeur'' usually has the rank of Major or ''Oberstleutnant'' (Lieutenant Colonel), and commands ...

'' of

JG 2 Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2) "Richthofen" was a German fighter wing during World War II. JG 2 operated the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 single-seat, single-engine interceptor aircraft. Named after the famed World War I flying ...

. He commanded the Horst Wessel Squadron in April 1936.

World War II and after

iFrom 15 December 1939 to 1 December 1940 he was a major general commanding ''

Jagdfliegerführer 2 ''Jagdfliegerführer'' 2A Jagdfliegerführer, or Jafü, was the commander of the Fighter forces of a ''Luftflotte''. For more details see Luftwaffe Organization (Chief of Fighter Aviation, Air Fleet 2) was part of Luftflotte 2 (Air Fleet 2), one o ...

''. From August 1941 through January 1942, he was a Jagd Division commander with the rank of lieutenant general (Generalleutnant), his seniority dating from 1 November 1941. Tombstone Kurt-Bertram von Döring

Döring died on 9 July 1960 at Medingen, administrative district of Uelzen, Lower-Saxony, Germany.

Awards

(1914) 2nd and 1st Class *

House Order of Hohenzollern The House Order of Hohenzollern (german: Hausorden von Hohenzollern or ') was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various ...

(26 November 1917) *

Clasp to the Iron Cross The Clasp to the Iron Cross (Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz) was a white metal medal clasp displayed on the uniforms of German Wehrmacht personnel who had been awarded the Iron Cross in World War I, and who again qualified for the decoration in World W ...

(1939) 2nd and 1st Class *

German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (german: Der Kriegsorden Deutsches Kreuz), 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 repe ...

in Gold on 30 December 1942 as ''

'' in the 1. Jagd-DivisionPatzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 90.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * Franks, Norman R. L.; et al. (1993). ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914 – 1918'' Grub Street. , . * {{DEFAULTSORT:Doring, Kurt-Bertram 1889 births 1960 deaths German World War I flying aces Lieutenant generals of the Luftwaffe Luftstreitkräfte personnel Luftwaffe World War II generals People from Gryfice County People from the Province of Pomerania Peruvian military personnel Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class