Helmuth Wilberg (1 June 1880 – 20 November 1941) was a German officer of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

ancestry and a ''Luftwaffe''

General of the Air Force General of the Air Force (GAF) is a five-star general officer rank and is the highest possible rank in the United States Air Force. General of the Air Force ranks immediately above a general and is equivalent to General of the Army in the Unit ...

during the

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 opposi ...

Military career

Wilberg joined the 80. Fusilier

Regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

"von Gersdorff" (''Kurhessisches'') on 18 April 1899. He was promoted to ''

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

'' (

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

) on 27 January 1900. Starting in 1906, he worked as an instructor at the cadet schools at

Naumburg Naumburg () is a town in (and the administrative capital of) the district Burgenlandkreis, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Central Germany. It has a population of around 33,000. The Naumburg Cathedral became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018. ...

and Lichterfelde. On 18 October 1909 he was promoted to '' Oberleutnant'' (senior lieutenant). In 1911, he wrote the paper, "Aerial Reconnaissance in ''Kaisermanöver'' 1911: Its value and influence on leadership compared with the cavalry reconnaissance". In 1913, he enlisted in the ''

Luftstreitkräfte The ''Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte'' (, German Air Force)—known before October 1916 as (Flyer Troops)—was the air arm of the Imperial German Army. In English-language sources it is usually referred to as the Imperial German Air Service, alth ...

'' (Imperial German Air Force), and was one of Germany's first military pilots. When war broke out he was a ''

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 ...

'' ( captain) and commanding officer of 11. ''Feldfliegerabteilung'' (Field Aviation

Battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

). He later served as ''Kommandeur der Flieger'' (commander of aviation, ''Kofl'') of Fourth Army. After the war, he was transferred to the ''

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshape ...

''. He served there until 1927, when he transferred to the Ministry of Defense; he also served with the ''

Truppenamt The ''Truppenamt'' or was the cover organisation for the German General Staff from 1919 through until 1935 when the General Staff of the German Army (''Heer'') was re-created. This subterfuge was deemed necessary in order for Germany to be seen ...

'', and finally as head of '' Luftschutzreferats''. He later joined the 18th Infantry Regiment as a battalion commander, with the rank of ''

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 Swedi ...

'' ( lieutenant colonel). From 1929 to 1932, he commanded the Breslau vicinity, being appointed '' Generalmajor'' (

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

). He headed the ''

'' air staff for eight years in the 1920s.

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...

, in command of 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 ...

'', considered making Wilberg Chief of Staff. However, it was revealed Wilberg had a

mother. Not wishing his talent to go to waste, Göring had him reclassified as being "Aryan" and Wilberg remained in the air staff, helping draw up its principal doctrine, "The Conduct of the Aerial War", and its "Regulation 16" under Walther Wever.Hooton (2010), pp.20–21 In subsequent years, he worked secretly on rebuilding the ''

'', which he joined in 1934. Wilberg was initially a department head in the ''Reichsluftfahrtministerium'' (Ministry of Aviation, ''RLM''). In 1935, he took over the construction of the air war school in Werder an der Havel, and later the Higher Air Force School in Berlin. Wilberg significantly influenced German air war doctrine. In 1937, he created "Special Staff W", responsible for collecting and analyzing the tactical lessons learned by the ''Legion Kondor'' during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

. In March 1938, he was promoted ''

General der Flieger ''General der Flieger'' ( en, General of the aviators) was a General of the branch rank of the Luftwaffe (air force) in Nazi Germany. Until the end of World War II in 1945, this particular general officer rank was on three-star level ( OF-8), e ...

''. In the mobilization prior of the 1939

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

, Wilberg was reactivated and used as head of aviation training command. On 20 November 1941, he was killed in a plane crash near Dresden, on his way to the funeral of Ernst Udet.

Awards

*Royal Order of the Crown IV. Class''Rangliste des Deutschen Reichsheeres'', Mittler & Sohn Verlag, Berlin, S.111 *

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 es ...

(1914) II. and I. Class *

Knight's Cross 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 ...

of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords * Bavarian Military Merit medal IV. Class with Swords *

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label= Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schweri ...

Military Merit Cross II. Class *Mecklenburg Cross for distinction in war II. Class *Prussian pilot's reminder badge *Austrian Military Merit Cross III. Class with war decoration *Gallipoli Star Ottoman War Medal *Knight's Cross IV. Class II. Stage of the Bulgarian Military Order for bravery *Wehrmacht Long Service Award IV. to I. Class

References

Notes Bibliography * Corum, James (1997) ''The Luftwaffe: Creating the Operational Air War, 1918–1940.'' Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas * Hooton, E. R. (2010) ''The Luftwaffe: A Study in Air Power, 1933–1945''. London: Classic Publications * Rigg, Bryan Mark (2002) ''Hitler's Jewish Soldiers'' (Modern War Studies series) Lawrence, Kansas: University of Kansas Press

External links

Helmut Wilberg
at ''Fliegergrab.de'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilberg, Helmuth 1880 births 1941 deaths Military personnel from Berlin German people of Jewish descent Generals of Aviators Luftstreitkräfte personnel Luftwaffe World War II generals Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Germany Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1941 Prussian Army personnel Luftwaffe pilots