Helmuth Förster

Helmuth Förster
Born	19 April 1889 Groß Strehlitz, Silesia Province, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire (now Strzelce Opolskie, Opole Voivodeship, Poland)
Died	7 April 1965 (aged 75) Lenggries, Bavaria, West Germany (now Federal Republic of Germany)
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1919)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Deutsches Heer (1907–18) Reichswehr (1918–19) Luftwaffe (1934–45)
Years of service	1907–19 1934–45
Rank	General der Flieger
Commands held	I. Fliegerkorps
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Operation Weserübung Invasion of Norway Invasion of Yugoslavia Operation Barbarossa Battle of Kiev (1941)
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 the German-occupied territory of Serbia from 20 April to 9 June 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
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• 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

1. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 154.
2. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, p. 705.

Bibliography

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

External links

• World War 2 Awards.com
• Lexikon der Wehrmacht