Otto Zech

Otto Zech (born October 21, 1886 in Suckowshof , Pomerania ; † May 7, 1965 in Murnau ) was a German officer , most recently Major General of the German Air Force in World War II .

Life

Promotions

• March 14, 1905 character as an ensign
• 18 October 1905 Ensign
• August 18, 1906 Lieutenant ( Appointment )
• 2nd December 1914 first lieutenant
• March 22, 1916 Captain
• January 1, 1935 Major
• January 1, 1938 Lieutenant Colonel
• 1st September 1940 Colonel
• March 1, 1944 Major General (appointment)

Early years and World War I

Zech joined the Infantry Regiment "Graf Bose" (1st Thuringian) No. 31 as a company officer on March 14, 1905 , where he remained until the end of September 1913. He then completed an aviation pilot training from October 1, 1913 to August 1, 1914 . In this function, he was deployed to Field Aviation Department 9 from August 2, 1914 to February 9, 1915 as part of the First World War . From there, Zech was delegated to Army Air Park 6 on February 10, 1915 , where he remained until mid-December 1915. From December 15, 1915 to October 14, 1917 he again served as a pilot in Combat Squadron 4 of the Supreme Army Command . Subsequently, from October 15, 1917 until the end of the war, he was the leader of Army Air Park 1 . Returned to the 31st Infantry Regiment , he returned home with them, where the regiment was demobilized by February 13, 1919. Subsequently, Zech was briefly leader of the volunteer squadron of the 8th Hussar Regiment from January 1 to January 15, 1919 . After the dissolution of his regiment, Zech was from February 14, 1919 to the end of September 1920, a company commander in the Maerker Volunteer State Jäger Corps . On September 30, 1920 Zech retired from active military service as a captain.

Wehrmacht and World War II

On August 28, 1934, Zech was hired as an e-officer in the Luftwaffe, which was being established. There he was used until the end of March 1938 as commander of Fliegergruppe P in Seerappen . From April 1, 1938 until the end of 39, he was in charge of the Stendal air park there . In the meantime promoted to lieutenant colonel, Zech assumed the function of commander of the Luftzeugamt Göttingen from January to November 1939 . Then he was from December 1939 to the end of May 1940 quartermaster at Luftgau command I . Subsequently, Zech was commanding various air force troops from June 1940 to the end of March 1944. So initially in western France (until the end of March 1941), Luftzeugtruppe 17 (April 1941 to June 1941), the field air force group Romania, later Italy and from November 1943 to March 7, 1944 commander of air force group 1 . From March 8, 1944 to the end of November 1944, he acted as commander of Luftgautruppen I in Königsberg and Danzig . On December 1, 1944, Zech was kept for use by the Flieger-Ersatz-Division , but was no longer given its own command. On February 28, 1945 he retired from active military service as major general.

literature

• Karl Friedrich Hildebrandt: The Generals of the Air Force 1935-1945 , Volume 1: Abernetty - v. Gyldenfeldt, Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1990, ISBN 3-7648-2207-4 , pp. 560f.