Gustav Kastner-Kirdorf

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Gustav Kastner-Kirdorf (born February 2, 1881 in Trumpfsee-Warnitz , † May 4, 1945 in Berchtesgaden ) was a German officer , most recently General of the Air Force Aviators in World War II . He had the double name Kastner-Kirdorf since his marriage to Adele Kirdorf, the daughter of the influential mining industrialist Adolph Kirdorf .

Life

Promotions

Early years

In 1899 he became a member of the Hevellia Berlin fraternity . On February 5, 1904, Kirdorf joined the infantry regiment "von Lützow" (1st Rheinisches) No. 25 as a flag junior . He was there until March 21, 1914, initially as a company officer, later adjutant of the 1st battalion and finally regimental adjutant. From March 22 to August 3, 1914, he was a company officer in the infantry regiment "Graf Barfuß" (4th Westphalian) No. 17 . Here he completed an aircraft pilot training course in July 1914.

First World War

With the outbreak of the First World War , Kirdorf acted from August 4 to September 10, 1914 as General Staff Officer and leader of the Air Detachment of the Deputy XIV Army Corps . He was then from September 11 to November 19, 1914 pilot and observer in the field pilot department 39. Subsequently, on November 20, 1914, Kirdorf was assigned to the carrier pigeon department O, to whose leader he rose on February 10, 1915. He held this position until April 13, 1915 and was then leader of Feldflieger -teilung 62 until August 2, 1915. On this day, Kirdorf rose to the command of Kampfgeschwader 2. On August 2, 1916, he gave up this command and transferred to the staff of the commander of the aviators of the 1st Army the following day . As early as December 17, 1916 he rose to head of department at the staff of the commanding general of the air force ( Kogenluft ). Kirdorf held this position after the end of the war until January 15, 1919. After a short vacation, he became the Air Base Commander of Neuruppin on January 23, 1919 and retired from military service on June 8, 1919.

Reichswehr

On August 1, 1927, Kirdorf was employed by the Reichswehr as a civilian worker and in this capacity completed a secret pilot training course in the Soviet Union until the end of September 1930 . After his return to Germany, he was appointed head of the advertising department of the German Air Sports Association on October 1, 1930 , whose function he held until the end of March 1934.

Luftwaffe and World War II

On April 1, 1934, Kirdorf was employed as an L-officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel for the Air Force, which was under construction, and until the end of June 1938 he was head of flight readiness in the Reich Aviation Ministry (RLM). His military reactivation took place in this course on October 1, 1937. Furthermore, Kirdorf acted during this time from July 1, 1934 to the end of June 1938 as air base commander of Berlin-Staaken . From July 1 to October 1, 1938, he was the commander of the pilot schools and the pilot replacement departments 2, later 3, before he was appointed higher pilot training commander III on October 2, 1938. Kirdorf held this position until the end of 1938 and returned to the RLM in Berlin in January 1939. There he took over the post of chief of the Air Force Personnel Office on February 1, 1939, which he held until March 23, 1943. Subsequently he was an officer for special use until mid-April 1943. On April 15, 1943 he was then appointed head of the Office for Enforcement and Mercy Matters of the Air Force. He held this position until the end of the war. On May 4, 1945, Kirdorf committed suicide .

Awards

literature

  • Dermot Bradley (ed.), Karl Friedrich Hildebrand: The Generals of the German Air Force 1935-1945. The military careers of the generals, as well as the doctors, veterinarians, intendants, judges and ministerial officials with the rank of general. Volume 2: Habermehl – ​​Nuber. Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1991, ISBN 3-7648-1701-1 , pp. 153-154.
  • Helge Dvorak: Biographical Lexicon of the German Burschenschaft. Volume I: Politicians, Part 7: Supplement A – K, Winter, Heidelberg 2013, ISBN 978-3-8253-6050-4 . Pp. 527-528.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Willy Nolte (Ed.): Burschenschafter Stammrolle. List of members of the German Burschenschaft according to the status of the summer semester 1934. Berlin 1934, p. 235.
personal data
SURNAME Kastner-Kirdorf, Gustav
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German officer, most recently General der Flieger in World War II
DATE OF BIRTH February 2, 1881
PLACE OF BIRTH Trumpfsee-Warnitz
DATE OF DEATH May 4, 1945
Place of death Berchtesgaden