Wilhelm Baur or Wilhelm Baur de Betaz (17 February 1883 in

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...

– 26 May 1964 in Lindenfels) 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 **Ger ...

Lieutenant General ('' Generalleutnant'') of the

Heer Heer may refer to: People * Jeet Heer, Canadian author and journalist * Jeffrey Heer (born 1979), American computer scientist and entrepreneur * Kamal Heer (born 1973), Punjabi singer and musician * Oswald Heer (1809–1883), Swiss botanist and ...

during

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Biography

Wilhelm Baur was born in

(February 17, 1883), in Alsace-Lorraine, which was then part of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. He joined the army at twenty years old. He served in the 61st Artillery Regiment, from 1903 until 1914. Baur was detached to the Military Technical Academy in 1909, before being detached to the War-Academy from 1912 to 1914. During the First World War, Baur served as a company-grade officer. He was awarded the

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 ...

. At the beginning of the Second World War, Wilhelm Baur was appointed Chief of Staff of the Higher Flying-Training-Commander. In March 1940, he took command of the Special-Purpose-Combat-Group in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. In September 1940, he was appointed commander of the air district of Greifswald, then commander of the air district of Döberitz. Baur was promoted to the rank of major general (Generalmajor) in July 1941. In May 1942, Baur worked at the headquarters of the armies, with General Walther von Unruh. He was appointed Chief of the Defence Economy Staff, in Norway. Baur was promoted General Lieutenant (Generalleutnant) in August 1943. In September 1944, Wilhelm Baur was eventually placed in Führer-Reserve until the end of the war.

Staff positions

* Group-Director in the War-Scientific-Department, RLM (1 May 1937-07 Sep 1939) * Chief of Staff of the Higher Flying-Training-Commander 4 (08 Sep 1939-28 Mar 1940) * Commander of the Special-Purpose-Combat-Group (Norway) (29 Mar 1940-20 Sep 1940) * Airport-Area-Commandant, Greifswald (21 Sep 1940-06 Feb 1941) * Airport-Area-Commandant, Döberitz (07 Feb 1941-4 May 1942) * Representative of the Luftwaffe in OKW, Special-Staff of General von Unruh (5 May 1942-31 Oct 1942) * Chief of the Defence Economy Staff Norway (01 Nov 1942-30 Jun 1943) * Field-Economics-Commander Norway (01 Jul 1943-30 Apr 1944) * Higher Field-Economics-Officer with the Wehrmacht-Commander Norway (1 May 1944-18 Sep 1944)

Promotions

* Fähnrich (18 Oct 1903); * Leutnant (24 Apr 1904); * Oberleutnant (24 Jul 1912); * Hauptmann (8 Nov 1914); * Charakter als Major (8 Apr 1920); * Oberstleutnant (1 Mar 1935); * Oberst (1 Aug 1937); * Generalmajor (1 Jul 1941); * Generalleutnant (1 Aug 1943)

Decorations

* Knight's Cross of the Royal Prussian House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords *

(1914), 1st and 2nd classes * Royal Prussian Plane Spotters badge *

Honour Cross for Combatants The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (german: Das Ehrenkreuz des Weltkrieges 1914/1918), commonly, but incorrectly, known as the Hindenburg Cross or the German WWI Service Cross was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, Presiden ...

* Wehrmacht Long Service Award, 4th to 2nd class * Clasp to the Iron Cross * German Cross in Silver {{DEFAULTSORT:Baur, Wilhelm 1883 births 1964 deaths German Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from Metz People from Alsace-Lorraine Lieutenant generals of the Luftwaffe Prussian Army personnel Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Luftstreitkräfte personnel Recipients of the German Cross Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Luftwaffe World War II generals