Alexander Löhr

Alexander Löhr

Alexander Löhr in October 1939
Born (1885-05-20)20 May 1885
Turnu-Severin, Mehedinți, Kingdom of Romania
Died 26 February 1947(1947-02-26) (aged 61)
Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia
Allegiance  Austria-Hungary (to 1918)
Austria First Austrian Republic (to 1938)
 Nazi Germany
Service/branch Austro-Hungarian Army
Austrian Bundesheer
Austrian Air Force (1927–38)
Luftwaffe (1938–45)
Years of service 1906–45
Rank Generaloberst
Commands held Luftflotte 4
Heeresgruppe E
Battles/wars

Bosnian crisis

World War I

World War II

Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Signature

Alexander Löhr (20 May 1885 – 26 February 1947) was an Austrian Air Force (Österreichische Luftstreitkräfte) commander during the 1930s and, after the "Political Union of Germany and Austria" (Anschluss), he was a German Air Force (Luftwaffe) commander. Löhr served in the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. Löhr was one of three former Austrians who rose to the rank of Generaloberst (Colonel General) within the German Wehrmacht. The other two were Erhard Raus and Lothar Rendulic.

Löhr surrendered to Yugoslav Partisan forces in May 1945 and was imprisoned till February 1947. He was tried and found guilty of war crimes for his role as the commander of the Luftwaffe units involved in the Bombing of Belgrade in 1941. He was executed on 26 February 1947.

Early life

Löhr was born on 20 May 1885 in Turnu-Severin in the Kingdom of Romania. He was the youngest child of Friedrich Johann Löhr and his wife Catherine, née Heimann. His father had served as a 2nd captain on a hospital ship in the Black Sea during the Russo-Turkish War. Here his father had met his mother, a Jewish-Ukrainian nurse. She was the daughter of the Jewish military doctor Mihail Alexandrovich Heimann from Odessa. After the war, they married in 1879 and moved to the Turnu-Severin in Romania. The marriage produced three sons, Friedrich born in 1880, Michael born in 1882, and Alexander in 1885.[1] Due to his mother faith he belonged to the Eastern Orthodox Church. Löhr, just like his brothers, attended the reichsdeutsche (Imperial German) Evangelic Volksschule (primary school) in Turnu-Severin.[2]

The brothers grew up speaking four languages which were German, Russian, French and Romanian. The various nationalities in the multinational state of Austria-Hungary and their particular family situation were the driving factors behind this. His father spoke little Russian and his mother barely German, the consequence was that the family language was French. His father was transferred to Vienna on business, where Löhr completed his elementary schooling. He then pursued a career in the k.u.k. Kriegsmarine (Austro-Hungarian Navy) which was denied to him out of medical reasons.[2] He then attended the Militär-Unterrealschule (a military secondary school) in Kaschau, present-day Košice in Slovakia, in January 1896 where he remained until 1900.[3]

Main building of the Theresian Military Academy

Löhr transferred to the infantry cadet school at Temeswar, present-day Timisoara in Romania, in January 1900. Until 1903 he was prepared for military service under the influence of the subaltern.[3] In 1903 he was posted to Vienna, where he attended Theresianische Militärakademie (Theresian Military Academy) in the Burg Wiener Neustadt until 1906. Löhr, together with his two brothers, traveled to the Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, Greece and Egypt during the summer holidays. While visiting relatives in Odessa, he became witness to the mutiny on the Russian battleship Potemkin in late June 1905.[4] He graduated from the military academy on 18 August 1906, the birthday of Franz Joseph I, with an overall rating of "very good". On the same day Löhr was retired as a Leutnant (second lieutenant) and immediately volunteered for service in the k.u.k. ungarische Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 85 "von Gaudernak" (k.u.k.—Imperial and Royal Hungarian Infantry Regiment. Nr. 85 "von Gaudernak") where he served as a platoon commander.[5]

Early career

Löhr served as Platoon Commander of a Pioneer battalion in the 85th Infantry Regiment of the Austro-Hungarian army in World War I.

By 1921 Löhr had reached the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel (Oberstleutnant). Between 1921 and 1934 he held many staff positions in the military, including Director of the Air Force in the Federal Armies Ministry. In 1934, he was made Commander of the small Austrian Air Force, a position which he held until the Anschluss in 1938.

Inter-war period

In the Bundesheer

Löhr, who had been promoted to Major (Major) on 1 July 1920, was accepted into the newly created Austrian Bundesheer on 1 September 1920.[6]

In the Luftwaffe

On 15 March 1938, Löhr was transferred to the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) where he became commander of the German Air Force in Austria. By then he had been promoted to Lieutenant-General (Generalleutnant). He was commander of Luftflotte (Air Fleet) 4 in the East from May 1939 until June 1942.

World War II

Warsaw burning, September 1939

Luftflotte 4 carried out the bombing of Warsaw, Poland in September 1939 and of Belgrade, Yugoslavia in April 1941. Löhr had developed a plan to bomb Belgrade with incendiary bombs first, so that the fires help the nightly second attack to find the targets.[7][8] This cost thousands of people their lives. According to his first recorded statements upon arrest, Löhr specifically targeted and annihilated the complete cultural heritage of up to eight centuries old national treasure by burning down the Serbian National Library in Belgrade - this being the largest sole destruction of cultural artifacts in World War II.

He was promoted to Colonel General effective 3 May 1941. Löhr commanded the 12th Army from 12 July 1942 through to December 1942.

Commander-in-Chief South East

Löhr succeeded General der Pioniere Walter Kuntze as Commander-in-Chief of the 12th Army on 3 July 1942.[9] He was appointed the Wehrmacht Commander in southeast Europe (German: Wehrmachtsbefehlshaber im Südosten) on 1 August 1942, and from 28 December 1942 this position was re-designated as Commander-in-Chief in southeast Europe (German: Oberbefehlshaber Südost).[10] The forces under his command were also designated as Army Group E, and he was appointed as its commander. As Commander-in-Chief, Löhr controlled all subordinate commands in southeast Europe, including the commanding general in Serbia (Paul Bader), the military commander in the Salonika-Aegean area, the military commander in southern Greece, the commander of Fortress Crete, the naval commander in the Aegean Sea, the German plenipotentiary general in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), the commanding general of German troops in the NDH, and the military attaché in Sofia, Bulgaria.[11]

As Commander-in-Chief of Army Group E, Löhr oversaw the successful Dodecanese Campaign. He surrendered on 9 May 1945 to Yugoslav Partisans at Topolšica, Slovenia, Yugoslavia.

Imprisonment, trial, and death

Löhr was imprisoned by Yugoslavia from 15 May 1945 to 26 February 1947. He was found guilty of war crimes for his role as the commander of the Luftwaffe units involved in the Bombing of Belgrade in 1941. He was executed by firing squad on 26 February 1947 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Also sentenced to death and executed by hanging were the SS-Brigadeführer August Schmidhuber, and the generals Johann Fortner, Fritz Neidholdt, Josef Kübler, Adalbert Lontschar and Oberst Günther Tribukait.[12]

Bischof, Plasser and Stelzl-Marx state that Löhr's role in the bombing of Belgrade is "hotly contested". Some sources argue that he was not in a position to oppose Hitler. Others state that because he had been partly responsible for the firebombing of Warsaw in 1939, he was well aware of the likely results of such an attack on Belgrade, and could have resigned. It has been observed that his resignation would not have stopped the firebombing, but also that he displayed no civil courage later in the war, particularly when it came to the deportation of Jews.[13]

Portrayal in right wing publications

In 2004 an abstract of his biography was published in the book Helden der Wehrmacht. Unsterbliche deutsche Soldaten ("Heroes of the Wehrmacht: Immortal German soldiers") by Gerhard Frey and Hajo Herrmann, produced by right-wing publishing company FZ Verlag. This abstract whitewashes his role in the war crimes and depicts him as victim of the Allied "so-called victor's justice".[14] This book was classified as a far-right wing publication by Claudia Fröhlich and Horst-Alfred Heinrich.[15]

Decorations

Wehrmachtbericht references

Date Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording Direct English translation
Saturday, 12 April 1941 Die Luftwaffe war mit Verbänden des General der Flieger Löhr im Südostraum gestern besonders erfolgreich.[20] Luftwaffe forces under the command of General der Flieger Löhr were especially successful in the south-eastern area of operations yesterday.
Wednesday, 23 April 1941 Verbänden des General der Flieger Löhr haben an den großen Erfolgen be der Bekämpfung der feindlichen Schiffahrt in den griechischen Gewässern besonderen Anteil.[21] Forces under the command of General der Flieger Löhr contributed substantially to the great success against the enemy shipping in the Greek waters.
Friday, 8 August 1941 (extra) Die sowjetische 6. und 12. Armee sowie Teile der sowjetischen 18. Armee, im ganzen etwa 25 Schützen-, Gebirgs- und Panzerdivisionen, wurden, wie soeben von der Heeresgruppe des Generalfeldmarschalls von Rundstedt gemeldet wird, im Zusammenwirken mit der Luftflotte des Generalobersten Löhr vernichtet.[22] The Soviet 6th and 12 Army as well as parts of the Soviet 18th Army, in total roughly 25 infantry, mountain and tank divisions, were, as just reported by the Army Group under the command of Field Marshal von Rundstedt, destroyed in cooperation with the Air Fleet of Colonel General Löhr.
Saturday, 11 October 1941 (extra) Die Schlacht am Asowschen Meer ist abgeschlossen. Im Zusammenwirken mit der Luftflotte des Generaloberst Löhr hat die Armee des Generals der Infanterie von Manstein, die rumänische Armee des Korpsgenerals Dumitrescu und die Panzerarmee des Generaloberst von Kleist die Masse der 9. und 18. sowjetischen Armee geschlagen und vernichtet.[23] The battle at the Sea of Azov has finished. The Army of General der Infantery von Manstein, the Romanian Army of Corps General Dumitrescu and the Panzer-Army of von Kleist in combination with the Air Fleet of Generaloberst Löhr, defeated and annihilated the bulk of the Soviet 9th and 18th Army.
Sunday, 12 October 1941 Wie die gestrige Sondermeldung bekanntgab, ist die Schlacht am Asowschen Meer abgeschlossen. Im Zusammenwirken mit der Luftflotte des Generaloberst Löhr hat die Armee des Generals der Infanterie von Manstein, die rumänische Armee des Korpsgenerals Dumitrescu und die Panzerarmee des Generaloberst von Kleist die Masse der 9. und 18. sowjetischen Armee geschlagen und vernichtet.[23] As reported in yesterdays special report, the battle at the Sea of Azov has finished. The Army of General der Infantery von Manstein, the Romanian Army of Corps General Dumitrescu and the Panzer-Army of von Kleist in combination with the Air Fleet of Generaloberst Löhr, defeated and annihilated the bulk of the Soviet 9th and 18th Army.
Tuesday, 19 May 1942 (extra) An diesem gewaltigen Erfolg haben starke Luftwaffenverbände unter der Führung der Generalobersten Löhr und Freiherr von Richthofen hervorragenden Anteil.[24] Strong Luftwaffe forces under the leadership of Generoberst Löhr and Freiherr von Richthofen had contributed outstandingly in this success.
Wednesday, 20 May 1942 Wie durch Sondermeldung bekanntgegeben, haben deutsche und rumänische Truppen unter dem Oberbefehl des Generalobersten von Manstein, unterstützt von starken Luftwaffenverbänden unter Führung der Generalobersten Löhr und Freiherr von Richthofen, in der Verfolgung des geschlagenen Feindes die Meerenge von Kertsch in ganzer Breite erreicht und die letzten stark befestigten Brückenköpfe beiderseits der Stadt nach erbittertem Widerstand genommen.[25] As announced by special message, German and Romanian troops under the command of General von Manstein, supported by strong air forces under the command of Generoberst Löhr, and Freiherr von Richthofen, in pursuit of the defeated enemy, reached the Strait of Kerch in full-width and took the remaining strong fortified bridgeheads after fierce resistance on both sides of the city.
Saturday, 30 May 1942 Die Luftwaffenverbände des Generalobersten Löhr und des Generals der Flieger Pflugbeil unterstützten in schonungslosem Einsatz die Kämpfe des Heeres in der Abwehr wie im Angriff und schlugen die feindliche Luftwaffe aus dem Felde.[26] The Luftwaffe forces under the leadership of Generoberst Löhr and General der Flieger Pflugbeil supported in ruthless commitment the defensive as well as offensive combat of the Army and forced the enemy air force from the battle area.
26 June 1944 Auf dem Balkan haben unter dem Oberbefehl des Generalobersten Löhr stehende Truppen eines Gebirgskorps in dreiwöchigen schweren Kämpfen in den Bergen Südalbaniens kommunistische Bandengruppen zerschlagen.[27] In the Balkans, mountain corps troops under the command of Colonel General Löhr have smashed in fierce fighting communist gang groups in southern Albanian mountains.
19 January 1945 (extra) Unter der sicheren Führung des Generalfeldmarschalls Freiherr von Weichs und des Generalobersten Löhr haben Truppen aller Waffengattungen des Heeres und der Waffen-SS in vorbildlicher Kampfgemeinschaft mit Verbänden der Luftwaffe und Kriegsmarine erst bei tropischer Hitze und dann in Schneestürmen der kroatischen Berge, die besonderen Schwierigkeiten dieses Gebirgs- und Bandenkrieges gemeistert und sämtliche gegen Flanken und Rücken ihrer Bewegungen gerichteten feindlichen Angriffe erfolgreich abgewehrt.[28] Under the secure leadership of Field Marshal von Weichs and Colonel General Löhr, troops of all branches of the Army and the Waffen-SS in an exemplary combat alliance with forces of the Air Force and Navy, at first in tropical heat and then into snow storms of the Croatian mountains, have overcome the particular difficulties of this mountain- and partisan-war, and successfully defended all hostile attacks against their flanks and rear movements.
9 May 1945 Meldungen über die Lage bei den Heeresgruppen Löhr, Rendulic und Schörner liegen beim Oberkommando der Wehrmacht zur Stunde noch nicht vor.[29] Reports regarding the situation of the army groups Löhr, Rendulic and Schörner are unavailable to the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht to this hour.

Promotions

18 August 1906: Leutnant (Second Lieutenant)
1 November 1911: Oberleutnant (First Lieutenant)
1 March 1915: Hauptmann (Captain)
1 July 1920: Major (Major)
1 January 1921: Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel)
20 July 1928: Oberst (Colonel)
25 September 1934: Generalmajor (Brigadier General)
24 March 1938: Generalleutnant (Major General)
25 March 1939: General der Flieger (General of the Flyers; ranked between lieutenant general and colonel general)
3 May 1941: Generaloberst (Colonel General)

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Pitsch 2004, p. 53.
  2. 1 2 Pitsch 2004, p. 54.
  3. 1 2 Pitsch 2004, p. 55.
  4. ↑ Pitsch 2004, p. 56.
  5. ↑ Pitsch 2004, p. 57.
  6. ↑ Pitsch 2004, p. 112.
  7. ↑ Manoschek 1995, p. 18.
  8. ↑ Vogel 2001, pp. 303–308.
  9. ↑ Pitsch 2009, p. 4.
  10. ↑ Tomasevich 1975, p. 235.
  11. ↑ Tomasevich 2001, pp. 70–71.
  12. ↑ Pitsch 2009, p. 277.
  13. ↑ Bischof, Plasser & Stelzl-Marx 2009, p. 34.
  14. ↑ Helden der Wehrmacht 2004, pp. 116–117.
  15. ↑ Fröhlich and Heinrich 2004, p. 134.
  16. 1 2 Thomas 1998, p. 33.
  17. 1 2 Scherzer 2007, p. 512.
  18. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 294.
  19. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 95.
  20. ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, p. 479.
  21. ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, p. 501.
  22. ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, pp. 640, 641.
  23. 1 2 Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, p. 694.
  24. ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, p. 134.
  25. ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, pp. 134, 135.
  26. ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, p. 144.
  27. ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 139.
  28. ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, pp. 408, 409.
  29. ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 569.

Bibliography

  • Bischof, Günter; Plasser, Fritz; Stelzl-Marx, Barbara (2009). New perspectives on Austrians and World War II. New Brunswick: Transaction. ISBN 978-1-4128-0883-5. 
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. 
  • Fröhlich, Claudia; Heinrich, Horst-Alfred (2004). Geschichtspolitik: Wer Sind Ihre Akteure, Wer Ihre Rezipienten? [Politics of History: Who are their Actors, who their Recipients?] (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Franz Steiner Verlag. ISBN 978-3-515-08246-4. 
  • Ganglmair, Siegwald (2011). "Generaloberst Alexander Löhr". In Ueberschär, Gerd R. Hitlers militärische Elite [Hitlers Military Elite] (in German). Primus Verlag. pp. 394–401. ISBN 978-3-89678-727-9. 
  • Manoschek, Walter (1995). "Serbien ist judenfrei". Militärische Besatzungspolitik und Judenvernichtung in Serbien 1941/42. Band 38 von Beiträge zur Militär- und Kriegsgeschichte. (in German). Oldenbourg, München. ISBN 3-486-56137-5. 
  • Pitsch, Erwin (2003). Alexander Löhr / Der Luftflottenchef [Alexander Löhr / The Air Fleet Chief] (in German). Salzburg, Austria: Österreichischer Miliz-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-901185-22-9. 
  • Pitsch, Erwin (2004). Alexander Löhr. Band 1: Der Generalmajor und Schöpfer der Österreichischen Luftstreitkräfte [Alexander Löhr. Volume 1: The Major General and Creator of the Austrian Air Force] (in German). Salzburg, Austria: Österreichischer Miliz-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-901185-21-2. 
  • Pitsch, Erwin (2009). Alexander Löhr. Band 3: Heerführer auf dem Balkan [Alexander Löhr. Volume 3: Army Commander in the Balkans] (in German). Salzburg, Austria: Österreichischer Miliz-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-901185-23-6. 
  • Schaulen, Fritjof (2003). Eichenlaubträger 1940 – 1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe I Abraham – Huppertz [Oak Leaves Bearers 1940 – 1945 Contemporary History in Color I Abraham – Huppertz] (in German). Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 978-3-932381-20-1. 
  • 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 [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. 
  • Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9. 
  • Tomasevich, Jozo (1975). War and Revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941–1945: The Chetniks. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-0857-9. 
  • Tomasevich, Jozo (2001). War and Revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941–1945: Occupation and Collaboration. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-3615-2. 
  • Vogel, Detlef (1995). "German Intervention in the Balkans". The Mediterranean, South-East Europe, and North Africa, 1939-1941 : from Italy's Declaration of Non-belligerence to the Entry of the United States into the War. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. pp. 449–556. ISBN 978-0-19-822884-4. 
  • Vogel, Detlef (2001). "Operation "Strafgericht". Die rücksichtslose Bombardierung Belgrads durch die deutsche Luftwaffe am 6. April 1941". In Ueberschär, Gerd; Wette, Wolfram. Kriegsverbrechen im 20. Jahrhundert (in German). Darmstadt: Primus. ISBN 3-89678-417-X. 
  • Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, 1. September 1939 bis 31. Dezember 1941 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 1, 1 September 1939 to 31 December 1941] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2. 
  • Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, 1. Januar 1942 bis 31. Dezember 1943 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 2, 1 January 1942 to 31 December 1943] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2. 
  • Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 3, 1 January 1944 to 9 May 1945] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2. 
  • Frey, Gerhard; Herrmann, Hajo: Helden der Wehrmacht - Unsterbliche deutsche Soldaten (in German). München, Germany: FZ-Verlag GmbH, 2004. ISBN 3-924309-53-1.

External links

Military offices
Preceded by
none		 Commander of Luftwaffenkommando Österreich
1 July 1938 – 18 March 1939 		Succeeded by
redesignated Luftflotte 4
Preceded by
none		 Commander of Luftflotte 4
18 March 1939 – 20 July 1942 		Succeeded by
Generalfeldmarschall Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen
Preceded by
General der Pioniere Walter Kuntze		 Commander of 12. Armee
3 July 1942 – December 1942 		Succeeded by
General der Panzertruppen Walther Wenck
Preceded by
none		 Commander of Heeresgruppe E
31 December 1942 – 8 May 1945 		Succeeded by
none
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