Luftwaffe Personnel Sentenced to Death 1940-1944
 

Through surfing the Web, I came across a table of Wehrmacht members sentenced to death, 1940-1944. The table is is in three columns: Army, Navy and Air Force. For the Luftwaffe, the yearly totals are the following:

1940 39
1941 64
1942 228
1943 369
1944 233

The list was complied by Dr. Messerschmidt, a noted German war historian.. Doesn't say whether all these death sentences were carried out, but I suspect many of them were executed. I know of one well-known execution of a Luftwafe officer. That was the firing squad for Oblt. von Einsiedel, a member of an active LW reconnaissance squadron. on May 22,1942 at Morlaix, France. He was sentenced for cowardice. I also know that at least one U-boat Captain was executed.
So what were the charges that would lead to a death sentence? Cowardice in action as seen above, desertion, sabotage come to mind. Any one know where I can find more information>?

Re: Luftwaffe Personnel Sentenced to Death 1940-1944
 

RW 60 Bundesarchiv Freiburg,
Junker

Re: Luftwaffe Personnel Sentenced to Death 1940-1944
 

Is RW 60 online?

Re: Luftwaffe Personnel Sentenced to Death 1940-1944
 

No and you have to obtain permission to view them.
Junker

Re: Luftwaffe Personnel Sentenced to Death 1940-1944
 

One thing you can get online is a set of figures for the Kriegsmarine from January to November 1944, These are in a table on page 265 of file RM 7/101.

The table sets out deaths from various causes (but not enemy action apparently) for soldiers and civilians and one column is for »Gerichtsurteil« (court verdict). Monthly figures for that go as high as 36.

Re: Luftwaffe Personnel Sentenced to Death 1940-1944
 

Hi Kaki

Fascinating! I do hope that more names (and details) are revealed. I assume that the totals listed included ground personnel?

Incidentally, the Oblt von Einsiedel listed does not appear in Kracker, so who was he?

OK, just found him on Larry's site Luftwaffe Officers: Johann-Georg 3(F)/Aufkl.123. Confusingly his biog states MiA over North Sea 22/5/42; and also executed by firing squad 22/5/42 for cowardice

Cheers
Brian

Re: Luftwaffe Personnel Sentenced to Death 1940-1944
 

According to the Volksbund, Georg von Einsiedel died in Paris and is buried in the Champigny-St.André war cemetery: Block 14, Row 28, Grave 1624.

Re: Luftwaffe Personnel Sentenced to Death 1940-1944
 

How is he related to the more infamous von Einsiedel of JG3?

Re: Luftwaffe Personnel Sentenced to Death 1940-1944
 

I think there was one Luftwaffe General that was executed for black market activities

Re: Luftwaffe Personnel Sentenced to Death 1940-1944
 

See last 4 entries:


WABER, Bernhard Anton. (DOB: 20.05.84 in Kremsier/Mähren). (DKS). 18.08.07 entered the Austrian
Armee (Inf.) as a Lt. 01.11.12 promo to Oblt. WWI served with Infanterie. 01.07.15 promo to Hptm.
Postwar, remained in the Austrian army, eventually assigned to the Bundesministerium. 01.07.20 promo to
Maj. 01.06.24 promo to Obstlt. 01.02.30 promo to Oberst. 22.06.36 promo to Gen.Maj. 17.03.38 entry into
the Luftwaffe (had been in the Austrian Army as Kdr. 4. Div.) with a rank of Gen.Maj. and appt Offizier z.b.V.
im RLM (pending assignment). 22.06.36 promo to Gen.Maj. 30.11.36 retired from the Austrian Army
supposedly due to association with Nazi Party. 01.06.38 recalled to service with the Luftwaffe and
concurrently dispatched on an information gathering tour to Lw.-Gruppenkdo. 3, KG 355, Aufklärungsgruppen
15 and 25, St.G. 165, JG 135, Luftgau-Kdos. VII, XIII u. XII, Grosse KFS Lechfeld, LKS Furstenfeldbruck,
Wehrersatz-Inspektion München, Luftflotte 3 and 4 and again to Luftgau-Kdo. XIII. 19.03.39 appt Kdr. of the
Abwicklungs u. Übergabestelle Prag (winding up and transfer center, Prague). 01.05.39 appt
Kommandierender Gen.u. Bef. im Luftgau VIII. 01.06.39 RDA changed to 01.11.38. 01.09.40 promo to
Gen.Lt. 23.10.41 appt Kommandierender Gen.u.Bef. im Feldluftgau Kiew. 01.03.42 promo to Gen.d.Fl.
10.09.42 appt Kommandierender Gen.u. Bef. im Feldluftgau Charkow. 15.03.43 trf to the territorial authority
of Lw. Kdo. Südost. 19.07.43 appt Komm.Gen.u.Befh. Feldluftgaukommando XXX (to 29.08.44). 26.07.43
awarded DKS. 29.08.44 Gen.d.Flieger, appt Komm.Gen.d.dt.Lw. Nordbalkan (to c. 01.11.44). 01.11.44
arrested and ordered court-martialed. 13.11.44 sentenced to death by order of a special court of the
Reichsmarschall due to “severe mismanagement in his headquarters and staff and rampant defeatism throughout
his Luftgau area.” Postwar historical accounts state that Waber was also engaged in blackmarketing and the
misappropriation of government property. 02.01.45 released from service in the Luftwaffe. †06.02.45 in
Spandau (hanged). Buried in Berlin-Spandau (Friedhof "In den Kisseln").

Re: Luftwaffe Personnel Sentenced to Death 1940-1944
 

There was a He111 of KG 4 which was shot by own flak taking off from Grossenbrode on a flight to desert on 4th May 1945 . The aircraft coming down in or by the Binnensee . I believe there were 7 people including a female onboard , 4 were killed or died of injuries and 3 were tried and shot . Post war a Major Hesse was sentenced to prison for authorising the death sentences .
I have the names of the crew/passengers but at present cannot find my notes on this .

Re: Luftwaffe Personnel Sentenced to Death 1940-1944
 

Waber's wiki bio has him being shot by a firing squad. His execution really angered many in the Luftwaffe do to goring's corrupt actions.

Re: Luftwaffe Personnel Sentenced to Death 1940-1944
 

Gen.Lt. HERMANN BECKER was executed the same day as General WABER on Feb 6 1945. His Personalakte with several documents related to his court case can be seen on the Bundesarchiv website.
Another one was Oberst ERWIN GEHRTZ, on February 10, 1943 he was executed in Plötzensee Prison.
Some other Luftwaffe death sentences are recorded in the Bundesarchiv file RL 1/4

Re: Luftwaffe Personnel Sentenced to Death 1940-1944
 

GEHRTS, Erwin. (DOB: 18.04.90 in Hamburg). WWI served as a Lt. (n.d.) employed as the Chief editor of the Tägliche Rundschau (to 1932). 1935 encountered elements of the resistance group Red Chapel. 01.09.39 Oberst, Chef Ic (5. Abt. – Sonstiges Personal)/Gen.St.d.Lw. (to 1942). 09.10.42 arrested and charged with passing military information. †10.02.43 executed at Plotzensee.

Re: Luftwaffe Personnel Sentenced to Death 1940-1944
 

Hi,
Here's a thread that goes off the beaten track.
Don't forget to add it to the list: At 06:00 on May 7 1945, all officers and soldiers were present on the Leck airfield to attend the execution of Lt. Hermann Gern of I./JG 11, sentenced to death by the divisional field court for having planned desertion. This 29-year-old pilot had belonged 9./ZG 26, in which he had been wounded and claimed a B-17 in February 1944.
This execution is obviously very shocking when you consider that it would have been possible to delay it by a day or two and he would have survived. I hope that Oberst Karl-Gottfried Nordmann will have often thought about it later. Several others similarly “deserted” at the same time, but probably with more agility, such as Albert Palm (JG 4) who managed to reach Landstuhl from Leck. And no one ever blamed him - on the contrary, many admired this incredible flight.

I'd also like to come back to the adjective used by Vince to describe Heinrich Graf von Einsiedel: “infamous”. Here too, I'm shocked that one could still write that after so many decades. I was lucky enough to spend many long hours with this highly educated man in his home in München. And as chance would have it, I've just reread his book recently. Really, he doesn't deserve the adjective “infamous”. I think he understood before many others what Germany's fate would be, and rather than keeping a low profile like most of his fellow captives, he tried, in his own way, to influence his country's fate.
Erik

Re: Luftwaffe Personnel Sentenced to Death 1940-1944
 

Hi Erik,

Nice to hear from you again. Regarding my use of the term 'infamous', it isn't meant as a judgement of this individual's personal heroism or other attributes, rather his well known activities as a member of the NFD, membership in which, as you know, was a very controversial subject back then, and even today. I personally agree with von Einsiedel's comments regarding the opinions of his famous ancestor, von Bismarck, regarding the wisdom of waging war against Russia, something which surely is of timely importance in this day and age, don't you agree?