Werner Panitzki | |
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| Born | (1911-05-27)27 May 1911 |
| Died | 2 June 2000(2000-06-02) (aged 89) |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany Germany |
| Branch | Luftwaffe German Air Force |
| Service years | World War II Cold War |
| Rank | Generalleutnant |
| Commands |
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GeneralleutnantWerner Panitzki (27 May 1911 – 2 June 2000) was aGerman Air Force general. He wasInspector of the Air Force, the senior air force appointment, from 1962 to 1966.
On 25 August 1966,Federal Minister of DefenceKai-Uwe von Hassel dismissed Panitzki, at his own request, because Panitzki in an interview had characterized the procurement of theLockheed F-104 Starfighter fighter aircraft as a "purely political decision".
A pilot in theLuftwaffe during World War II Panitzki served inKampfgeschwader 51 until a plane crash during theBalkans Campaign that caused injuries that resulted in his dismissal as a pilot and reassignment as a staff officer.[1]
Takenprisoner as the end of the war, Panitzki was released in 1947 and became a businessman inKiel.
In 1952 Panitzki joinedAmt Blank the predecessor of theFederal Ministry of Defense which oversaw the early West German Rearmament process.
In 1955 Panitzki joined the newly formedBundeswehr with the rank ofColonel. Soon after he was promoted toBrigadier General and in 1957 made the deputy to theInspector of the Air ForceGeneralJosef Kammhuber. During this time he also briefly served as the first Chief of Staff of the Command Staff of the Air Force from June 1st to July 14th 1957.
After his promotion tomajor general he was appointed as commander ofLuftwaffendivision Nord. In October 1962 Panitzki was promoted toLieutinant General and made the secondInspector of the Air Force.
His tenure as inspector coincided with the high loss of life among German pilots due to accidents while flying theLockheed F-104 Starfighter which earned the craft the nickname Witwenmacher ("widowmaker").[2] He also advocated for the expansion of the German built and usedBeja Airport located in Portugal which he did not think had been fully utilized.[3]
On 25 August 1966 Panitzki was dismissed, at his own request, byFederal Minister of DefenceKai-Uwe von Hassel because of comments made by him during an interview about the procurement of the F-104 Starfighter where he said the purchase was a “purely political decision”.
After his retirement, Panitzki was awarded theKnight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1967 for his services.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)| Military offices | ||
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| Preceded by GeneralJosef Kammhuber | Inspector of the Air Force 1 October 1962 – 25 August 1966 | Succeeded by GeneralleutnantJohannes Steinhoff |
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