Alibert Kesselring Nazi German field marshal Date of Birth: 20.11.1885 Country: Germany

Biography of Albert Kesselring

Albert Kesselring was a German fascist field marshal and military commander, and a general field marshal from July 19, 1940. He received his education at a military academy and joined the military service in 1904 in the artillery. He participated in World War I on the Western Front and completed General Staff officer courses during the war. After the demobilization of the army, he continued to serve in the reichswehr as a captain.

In early 1933, Kesselring was officially dismissed from the army and transferred to the Aviation Commissariat, where he was involved in the secret reconstruction of the German Air Force. On October 1, 1933, he was transferred to the Luftwaffe as a colonel and became the head of the Administrative Department of the Imperial Ministry of Aviation. In 1935, Kesselring was given command over all non-technical services of the Luftwaffe.

After the death of General Walther Wever, Kesselring took command of the Command Management of the Imperial Ministry of Aviation, which was transformed into the General Staff of the Supreme Command of the Luftwaffe (OKL) on August 15, 1936. He participated in the preparation of the "Condor Legion" which took part in the Spanish Civil War. On July 1, 1937, he was replaced by General Gustav von Stumpf and took command of the 3rd Aviation District in Dresden.

On February 4, 1938, Kesselring became the head of the 1st Command of "The East" in Berlin. On February 1, 1939, the command was transformed into the 1st Air Fleet, which was also called the "Commander of the Luftwaffe in the East." He led the fleet during the campaign against Poland in 1939, supporting the actions of Army Group North. During the campaign against France from January 10, 1940, he commanded the 2nd Air Fleet, which supported the actions of Army Group B under the command of General Fedor von Bock. He conducted barbaric bombings of cities and practically leveled Rotterdam.

During the "Battle of Britain," when the 3rd Air Fleet suffered a defeat, Kesselring was given the responsibility for the further course of the battle on August 19, 1940. He was also given units of single-engine fighters from the 3rd Fleet. In May 1941, the fleet was transferred to the Soviet-German border, where it supported the offensive of Army Group Center. From December 1, 1941, Kesselring commanded the "Aviation Command Southwest" and directed the actions of the Luftwaffe in the Mediterranean and Italy. He was responsible for planning Luftwaffe operations in North Africa and considered the capture of the English base - the island of Malta - necessary for the successful conduct of operations in North Africa.

After the arrest of Benito Mussolini, Kesselring successfully conducted an operation to occupy Italy and force Rome to surrender. On November 15, 1943, his command was expanded and transformed into the Southwest Command and Army Group C, which included the 10th and 14th Armies. Kesselring held both positions, and all German armed forces in the Italian theater of operations were subordinated to him. He implemented a harsh occupation policy and, after a patrol of SS troops was blown up by partisans in March 1944, he ordered the relocation of 335 hostages.

On July 19, 1944, Kesselring was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds. On October 23, 1944, he was involved in a car accident, and from October 24, 1944, to January 13, 1945, he was temporarily replaced by General Georg von Fittinghoff-Scheel. From March 10, 1945, he became the Commander-in-Chief in the West, and from March 25 to May 2, 1945, he was the Commander-in-Chief of German forces in the South. On April 22, almost all German forces not on the Soviet-German front were placed under Kesselring's command. He surrendered to the Americans and was held in Dachau.

On May 6, 1947, Kesselring stood before the British Military Tribunal on charges of executing hostages. He was sentenced to death, but in October 1947, the sentence was commuted to 20 years at the request of Winston Churchill. He was released on October 23, 1952. After his release, he actively participated in the activities of revanchist organizations, war veterans unions, and others. He authored his autobiography "Soldier's Notes" in 1954.