[Larry deZeng]

Jim -

[Note: Horst Boog’s Die deutsche Luftwaffenführung 1935-1945: Führungsprobleme, Spitzengliederung, Generalstabsausbildung has very comprehensive coverage of this subject - see index p.708].

By decree of the the Fuhrer and Reichs Chancellery on 20Apr1935, the "Corps of Engineers of the Luftwaffe" was created. It was further deemed on 18 Oct 1935 that the members of this newly formed corps were not soldiers but "members of the Luftwaffe" with a status very similar to that of Officials.
This was an Officer only career field. Nielsen (p.50) states that they had the status of uniformed “government civil servants.”
Requirements for entry into the Corps of Engineers changed several times, yet the basic requirement was a University (equiv to a Masters Degree?) or College (Basic four year, Bachelors Degree) degree in engineering. University graduates were brought in at the rank of Fl. Hauptingenieur and College degree qualified for the rank of Fl. Ingenieur. Of particular interest, once assigned a rank members of the Ingenieurkorps were non-promotable.

Ingenieuroffiziere der Fliegertruppe (Engineer Officers of the Flying Branch)
On 11 May 1940, an order signed by Hitler and Göring established a career field for aeronautical engineers (Ingenieuroffizierlaufbahn) to be trained by the Luftwaffe (see Luftwaffen-Verordnungsblatt of 27.5.1940, p.285, no. 24, para. 577). After receiving the same training as regular Luftwaffe cadets (Fliegertruppe), they were enrolled in a 4-year program (3 years theoretical and 1 year practical) at the Luftkriegsakademie (LKA). Graduates held regular Luftwaffe rank with the suffix (Ing.) and wore the color rosa (pink) for their Waffenfarbe (service branch color) and served as technical officers with the flying units (especially bomber units), as teachers and technical directors with the Erprobungsstellen (test and development centers), as technical officers in various commands and with the RLM and Generalluftzeugmeister in Berlin.

Duties of a Flieger-Hauptingenieur:
Gruppen-Techn.Offz. bei Fl.Verbänden und FWK (Feldwerftkommandos); Werftleiter; Prüfleiter, Zugführer bei Werfteinheiten; Sachbearbeiter bei Ln-Komp.; Wartungs-Ing.; Ausbildungs-Ing.; Schiessplatz-Ing.; Bauaufsichts-Ing.; Hilfs-Sachbearbeiter in E’Stellen (Erprobungsstellen).

L.