Josef Kamhuber German aviation general. Date of Birth: 19.08.1896 Country: Germany

Biography of Josef Kammhuber

Josef Kammhuber was a German Luftwaffe general. He was born into a farming family and at the age of 18, in 1914, he volunteered for the army. Kammhuber served in the 2nd Bavarian Pioneer Battalion and later in infantry units from 1915. In 1917, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant for his combat merits and was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class. After demobilization, he remained in the Reichswehr.

In 1926, Kammhuber attended the General Staff officer course in Stettin and Berlin. In 1930, he was sent to the Soviet Union, where he completed secret flight training at the aviation school in Lipetsk. From 1933, he served in the Ministry of Aviation as the head of the organizational management department. In 1937, he became the chief of the operational department of the 2nd Aviation District Staff. In November 1937, he served in the command administration of the Imperial Ministry of Aviation before becoming the head of a department in the General Staff.

On March 21, 1940, Kammhuber was appointed commander of KG51, a bomber unit. He was shot down over Paris in his Ju-88A and taken prisoner. He was released after the surrender of France and soon appointed as the commander of the 1st Night Fighter Division. On July 9, 1941, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. In 1941, the 12th Aviation Corps was formed based on his division, and Kammhuber was appointed as the Inspector General of Night Fighter Aviation. He organized a unified system of night air defense, known as the "Kammhuber Line," which included radar stations, searchlights, anti-aircraft artillery, and night fighters.

On September 15, 1943, Kammhuber was relieved of his command of the corps, and on November 15, he was removed from his position as Inspector General. On November 27, he was appointed commander of the 5th Air Fleet in Norway and Northern Finland.

In June 1945, Kammhuber was arrested. He was released in 1948 after undergoing denazification. He then served in the German Air Force and authored several works on the German air defense forces' opposition to Allied aviation.