Hermann Plocher

Hermann Plocher (born January 5, 1901 in Stuttgart , † December 8, 1980 in Murrhardt ) was a German major general in the Air Force of the Federal Republic of Germany .

Life

During the First World War, on January 1, 1918, Plocher joined the infantry regiment "Grand Duke Friedrich von Baden" (8th Württembergisches) No. 126 as a flag junior . After the end of the war, he joined the volunteer brigade "Haas" and was transferred to the Reichswehr Rifle Regiment 25, subsequently the 13th (Württemberg) Infantry Regiment , on October 1, 1919 . On December 1, 1922, Plocher became a lieutenant , and on August 1, 1927, a first lieutenant . On April 30, 1928, he was retired from active service in order to take part in the secret German aviation training in the Soviet Union .

On May 1, 1930, Plocher was reactivated in the 13th (Württemberg) Infantry Regiment. On April 1, 1934, he became a captain and, from July 1, 1934, a course participant for general staff service at the newly formed military academy. On July 1, 1935, he was transferred to the newly founded Air Force, where he was promoted to major in the General Staff on October 1, 1936 . From October 1, 1937, Plocher was chief of the general staff of the " Legion Condor " in Spain and on March 1, 1938, a lieutenant colonel . For his work he was awarded the Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords and the Medalla de la Campaña Española .

On February 1, 1939, he became Chief of the Second Division in the Air Force General Staff, after the start of World War II, from January 5, 1940, Chief of the General Staff of the V Fliegerkorps under General der Flieger Ulrich Grauert . Plocher took part in the western campaign, received both classes of the Iron Cross and on August 1, 1940 became a colonel . The V Fliegerkorps took part in the attack on the Soviet Union from June 22, 1941 under Luftflotte 4 in the area of ​​Army Group South , led by General der Flieger Robert Ritter von Greim . After relocation to the central section of the Eastern Front in December 1941, the corps was expanded to the Luftwaffenkommando Ost on April 1, 1942, whose Chief of Staff Plocher remained until January 31, 1943. On April 20, 1942 he received the German Cross in Gold.

With his promotion to major general on March 1, 1943, Plocher became commander of the 19th Air Force Field Division in Belgium. On July 1, 1943, he took over the leadership of the newly formed 4th Fliegerdivision of Luftflotte 6 in the east, for which he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on December 9, 1943 . As the successor to Major General Koller, Plocher was promoted to Chief of the General Staff of Air Fleet 3 under General Field Marshal Hugo Sperrle in the western area on August 26, 1943 and promoted to Lieutenant General on July 1, 1944. With effect from October 1, 1944, Plocher took over as commander of the 6th Paratrooper Division on the Western Front, which was being reorganized and which he led until the end of the war. On May 8, 1945, Plocher received the oak leaves for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (867th award). With the surrender he was taken prisoner by the Western Allies, from which he was released in 1947.

After several years as a military historian in the Operational History (German) Section of the Historical Division of the US Army / Luftwaffe Study Group, where Plocher was the main author of the multi-volume study The Use of the German Air Force on the Eastern Front 1941–1945 and subsequent civilian activities March 1957 as major general in the Federal Air Force, where he became deputy inspector and chief of the air force's command staff. Further management positions followed up to his retirement on December 31, 1961.

Plocher died on December 8, 1980.

literature

• Karl-Friedrich Hildebrand: The Generals of the German Air Force 1935-1945. Osnabrück 1990.
• Rudolf Absolon: Ranking list of the generals of the German Air Force. Friedberg 1984.