Martin Fiebig | |
|---|---|
_Martin_Fiebig%2c_commandant_du_10e_corps_a%25C3%25A9rien_(X.Flieger_Korps).jpg) Fiebig on board a plane, 1943 | |
| Born | 7 May 1891 Rösnitz,German Empire |
| Died | 23 October 1947(1947-10-23) (aged 56) Belgrade,Yugoslavia |
| Allegiance |  German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Service | Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1910–45 |
| Rank | General der Flieger |
| Commands | KG 4 VIII Fliegerkorps |
| Battles / wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Martin Fiebig (7 May 1891 – 23 October 1947) was a GermanLuftwaffe general who commanded several aircorps and equivalent-sized formations duringWorld War II. He was a recipient of theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.
After World War II had ended, Fiebig was extradited to Yugoslavia, where he was tried and convicted of war crimes, specifically for his role in thebombing of Belgrade in April 1941. Fiebig was sentenced to death and executed in 1947.
Martin Fiebig was born on 7 May 1891 inRösnitz,Upper Silesia. He served inWorld War I, and was promoted toOberleutnant on 18 June 1915. From August 1914 to 1915, he served in the 18th Infantry Regiment. Sometime during 1915, he was transferred from the infantry to become a pilot. From 1915 to 1 August 1918, he was a pilot and squadron leader in the 3rd Bomber Wing.[citation needed]
In May 1925,[1] Fiebig, now aHauptmann (captain),[2] led a team of seven expert German World War I pilots (known asGruppe Fiebig) to theSoviet Union, where they were employed as special air force advisers and instructors at various training schools in the Moscow area. Fiebig was seconded to the command staff of theZhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy.
Despite his formal role, his input into the training of Soviet pilots was quite limited; for example, he had no control over the practical exercises undertaken by the students. His position did enable him to draw conclusions about Soviet air training, doctrine and strategy. He observed that Soviet air training was too focused on the quantity of pilots produced, and that there were significant deficiencies in theoretical instruction.
Moreover, his observations about the deficiencies of Soviet air training were echoed by the deputy director of the Academy. Further, Fiebig concluded that Soviet air doctrine was confused, largely due to the limited experience of the Soviet Union in air operations during World War I. He also recognised that Soviet air strategy was reactive, in sharp contrast to that of other European powers, especially Germany.[3]
According to authorSamuel Mitcham, in the late 1920s, Fiebig was trained in close air support techniques at the clandestine German air training school in the Soviet Union.[4]
At the outbreak of war, Fiebig was anOberst (colonel) commanding the4th Bomber Wing (German:Kampfgeschwader 4, KG4) which flewHeinkel He 111 medium bombers, which first saw operational service during theinvasion of Poland. On 10 May 1940, in the early stages of theBattle of the Netherlands, he was shot down and captured by the Dutch during the initial attack on Rotterdam-Waalhaven airfield. He had led the attack by IIGruppe of KG 4 and his was one of the first planes shot down. He was released following the German victory and conquest of the Netherlands.[5]
Fiebig then commanded KG4 during theBattle of Belgium, theBattle of France, and theBattle of Britain.[6] On 8 May 1940, he was awarded theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross.[7] In April 1941, he led KG4 during the German-ledAxisinvasion of Yugoslavia including thebombing of Belgrade.[6]
During theBattle of Stalingrad, Fiebig was commanding of the VIII Air Corps (German:Fliegerkorps VIII) in the Stalingrad sector. When the 250,000-strong6th Army was encircled in that city in November 1942, Fiebig was tasked with supplying it from the air, despite protesting to the commander of the 6th Army,GeneraloberstFriedrich Paulus that such an operation was not feasible. Fiebig appealed to the commander of the Luftwaffe 4th Air Fleet (German:Luftflotte 4, LF4),GeneraloberstWolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, who was responsible for all Luftwaffe operations in the southern Soviet Union. Richthofen agreed with Fiebig's assessment, and urged senior generals to order a breakout by the 6th Army. His pleas toGeneraloberstMaximilian von Weichs atArmy Group B, and even to the commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe,ReichsmarshallHermann Göring were rebuffed, and despite his good relationship withAdolf Hitler, no-one would allow him to express his opposition to theFührer himself.[8] On 23 December 1942, Fiebig was awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.[7]
Ultimately, Fiebig's assessment regarding Stalingrad was proven correct; the necessary tonnages could not be flown in by the available transport aircraft, and the 6th Army ran out of ammunition and food in early February 1943, after which it surrendered.[8]
In January 1943, Richthofen realised that elements of the German17th Army were in danger of being encircled on theTaman Peninsula on theBlack Sea, and tasked Fiebig with establishing an ad hoc airlift command to protect and supply the 17th Army while it was evacuated back to theCrimea. In a very short time Fiebig had assembled Air Transport Mission Crimea (German:Lufttransporteinsatz Krim), and had established a network of airfields for it to operate from.
Drawing one squadron from each of VIII Fliegerkorps' wings, he established new reconnaissance, bomber, fighter and transport wings and groups. These new formations immediately began operating, evacuating at least 50,000 soldiers over the next month, and supplying the remaining troops with an average of 500 tons of fuel and ammunition each day, protected by its own fighters. Fiebig's establishment and operation of Air Transport Mission Crimea has been used as an example of the flexibility demonstrated by the Luftwaffe during World War II.[9]
In late 1943, Fiebig was commanding Luftwaffe Command South-East (German:Luftwaffenkommando Südost), headquartered inSalonika inAxis-occupied Greece. In addition toFlak units, his command included the Luftwaffe Mission in Bulgaria.[10]
From 1 September 1944 to 31 January 1945 Fiebig was in the reserve at the Air Force High Command. From 1 February to 12 April 1945 he again acted as Commanding General of the 2nd Air Corps, and then from 12 April to 8 May as commander of the Northeast Air Force Command.
On 8 May 1945 Fiebig was initially captured by the British, but was transferred to Yugoslavia on 6 February 1946, where he was found guilty in a war crime trial on 10 September and sentenced to death. The judgment was enforced on 23 October 1947.[11]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by none | Commander ofKampfgeschwader 4 1 September 1939 – 10 May 1940 | Succeeded by OberstHans-Joachim Rath |
| Preceded by none | Commander of1st Air Division (1942-1945) 12 April 1942 – 6 June 1942 | Succeeded by GeneralAlfred Schlemm |
| Preceded by GeneralfeldmarschallWolfram Freiherr von Richthofen | Commander of8th Air Corps 1 July 1942 – 21 May 1943 | Succeeded by General der FliegerHans Seidemann |
| Preceded by GeneralleutnantAlexander Holle | Commander of10th Air Corps 22 May 1943 – 1 September 1944 | Succeeded by disbanded |
| Preceded by GeneralOtto Hoffmann von Waldau | Commander ofLuftwaffenkommando Südost 22 May 1943 – 1 September 1944 | Succeeded by GeneralStefan Fröhlich |
| Preceded by GeneralStefan Fröhlich | Commander of2nd Air Corps 1 February 1945 – 12 April 1945 | Succeeded by Luftwaffenkommando Nordost |
| Preceded by | Commander ofLuftwaffenkommando Nordost 12 April 1945 – 8 May 1945 | Succeeded by none |
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| National | |
| People | |
