Kurt Pflugbeil

Kurt Pflugbeil
Born	9 May 1890 Hütten
Died	31 May 1955 (aged 65) Weede
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Deutsches Heer (1910–18) Reichswehr (1918–33) Heer (1933–34) Luftwaffe (1934–45)
Years of service	1910–45
Rank	General der Flieger
Commands held	IV. Fliegerkorps Luftflotte 1
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Annexation of the Sudetenland Battle of France Battle of Britain Invasion of Yugoslavia Operation Barbarossa Siege of Sevastopol (1941-1942) Battle of Stalingrad Battle of Kursk Courland Pocket
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Relations	Johann Pflugbeil (brother)

Kurt Leopold Pflugbeil (9 May 1890 – 31 May 1955) was a highly decorated General der Flieger in the Wehrmacht during World War II, and one of only 882 recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Pflugbeil saw action on the Eastern Front, where he managed 4th Air Corps during the Second Battle of Kharkov, Battle of Stalingrad and Siege of Sevastopol. Pflugbeil was taken prisoner by the Red Army in the Courland Pocket in 1945. In 1950 he was sentenced to 25 years hard labour, but was released early in 1954 due to ill health.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (14 September 1914)^[1]
  • 1st Class (7 October 1916)^[1]
• Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords (17 April 1918)
• Knight's Cross of the Military Order of St. Henry (27 July 1915)
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Sudetenland Medal
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (7 October 1939)^[1]
  • 1st Class (15 June 1940)^[1]
• Eastern Front Medal
• Order of Michael the Brave
  • 3rd Class (19 September 1941)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 5 October 1941 as Generalleutnant and commander of IV. Fliegerkorps^[2]
  • 562nd Oak Leaves on 27 August 1944 as General der Flieger and commander of Luftflotte 1^[3]
• Mentioned 4 times in the Wehrmachtbericht (31 October 1941, 30 May 1942, 11 April 1944 and 1 January 1945)
• Ärmelband Kurland

Wehrmachtbericht references

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
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.[4]	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.

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1998, p. 151.
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 275.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 74.
4. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, p. 144.

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.
• Hayward, Joal S. A. The German use of air power at Kharkov, May 1942. Air Power History, Summer 1997, Volume 44, Number 2.
• 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.
• 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.

External links

• Lexkion der Wehrmacht
• Kurt Pflugbeil @ Axis Biographical Research at the Wayback Machine (archived October 28, 2009)