| Helmuth Förster | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 April 1889 |
| Died | 7 April 1965 (aged 75) |
| Place of birth | Groß Strehlitz, Silesia Province, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire (now Strzelce Opolskie, Opole Voivodeship, Poland) |
| Place of death | Lenggries, Bavaria, West Germany (now Federal Republic of Germany) |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1919) Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch |
Deutsches Heer (1907 - 1918) Reichswehr (1918–1919) Luftwaffe (1934–1945) |
| Years of service |
1907–1919 1934–1945 |
| Rank | General der Flieger |
| Commands held | I. Fliegerkorps |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Helmuth Förster (19 April 1889 – 7 April 1965) was a highly decorated General der Flieger in the Luftwaffe during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He served as military governor of occupied Serbia from Apr 20 to Jun 9, 1941. Helmuth Förster was captured by Allied troops in May 1945 and was released in 1947.
Awards and decorations[]
- Iron Cross (1914)
- 2nd Class
- 1st Class
- Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords
- Cross of Honor
- Iron Cross (1939)
- 2nd Class
- 1st Class
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 22 February 1942 as General der Flieger and commander of I. Flieger-Korps [1]
- Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 21 October 1941
Reference in the Wehrmachtbericht[]
| Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
|---|---|---|
| 21 October 1941 (extra) | In schwerem, von den Fliegerverbänden der Generale der Flieger Freiherr von Richthofen und Förster unermüdlich unterstützen Ringen, haben die in der Heeresgruppe des Generalfeldmarschalls Ritter von Leeb zusammengefaßten Verbände des Heeres und der Waffen-SS seit dem Bericht des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht vom 6. August 1941 über 300.000 Gefangene eingebracht, 1.581 Panzerkampfwagen und 4.063 Geschütze erbeutet oder vernichtet.[2] | In heavy struggle, tirelessly supported from flying units of the General der Flieger Freiherr von Richthofen and Förster, the Army and the Waffen-SS units, which have been combined in the army group of Field Marshal Ritter von Leeb, took over 300,000 prisoners, captured or destroyed 1581 tanks and 4063 guns, since the armed forces report of 6 August 1941. |
References[]
- Citations
- Bibliography
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
- Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, 1. September 1939 bis 31. Dezember 1941 (in German). Munich: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3.
External links[]
The original article can be found at Helmuth Förster and the edit history here.