(Photo courtesy of Gareth Collins)

General der Flieger Josef Kammhuber
Born: 19 Aug 1896 in Burgkirchen, Upper Bavaria (Oberbayern)
Died: 25 Jan 1986 in Munich (München)
Promotions:
Gefreiter (21 May 1915); Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier (05 Sep 1915); Fähnrich (26 Oct 1916); Leutnant (10 Sep 1917); Hauptmann (01 Feb 1931); Major (01 Oct 1934); Oberstleutnant (01 Oct 1936); Oberst (01 Jan 1939); Generalmajor (17 Oct 1940); Generalleutnant (01 Oct 1941); General der Flieger (01 Jan 1943); Generalleutnant (Bundeswehr) (06 Jun 1956); General (Viersterne-General) (Bundeswehr) (09 May 1961)
Career:
Entered the Army as a War Volunteer in the 3rd Bavarian Pioneer-Battalion (19 Aug 1914-31 Aug 1915)
With the Replacement-Battalion of the 20th Bavarian Infantry-Regiment (05 Sep 1915-06 Feb 1916)
With the Replacement-Battalion of the 3rd Bavarian Infantry-Regiment (07 Feb 1916-02 Apr 1916)
With the Replacement-Battalion of the 20th Bavarian Infantry-Regiment (03 Apr 1916-17 Jan 1917)
Platoon and Company Leader in the 30th Bavarian Infantry-Regiment (18 Jan 1917-03 Aug 1918)
With the Replacement-Battalion of the 20th Bavarian Infantry-Regiment(04 Aug 1918-23 Nov 1918)
Leader of the German-Austrian Bodensee-Flotilla, Group Lindau (24 Nov 1918-01 Feb 1919)
Company-Leader in the 20th Bavarian Infantry-Regiment (01 Feb 1919-11 Feb 1919)
Platoon-Leader in the 20th Bavarian Infantry-Regiment (12 Feb 1919-02 May 1919)
With the Bodensee-Freikorps (03 May 1919-14 Jun 1919)
With the Processing-Office of the 20th Bavarian Infantry-Regiment (15 Jun 1919-17 Sep 1919)
Adjutant of the Processing-Office of the 20th Bavarian Infantry-Regiment (18 Sep 1919-15 Oct 1919)
Platoon-Leader in the 42nd Reichswehr-Rifle-Regiment (16 Oct 1919-01 Jan 1921)
Platoon-Leader, Mountain-Leader and Ski-Instructor in the High-Mountain-Battalion of the 19th Infantry-Regiment (02 Jan 1921-30 Sep 1921)
Training-Officer in the Training-Battalion of the 19th Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1921-30 Sep 1924)
Adjutant of the I. Battalion of the 19th Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1924-30 Sep 1926)
Detached to the 1st Artillery-Regiment (01 Jul 1926-05 Sep 1926)
Subsidiary-Leadership-Training with the Staff of the 2nd Division (01 Oct 1926-30 Sep 1928)
Detached to the 7th Signals-Battalion (01 Jun 1927-31 Jul 1927)
Detached to the 1st Motor-Transport-Battalion (01 Aug 1927-07 Sep 1927)
Detached to the 5th Signals-Battalion (01 Jul 1928-31 Jul 1928)
Detached to the 1st Motor-Transport-Battalion (01 Aug 1928-25 Sep 1928)
Detached to the Commander Berlin, Subsidiary-Leadership-Training in the Troop Office, RWM (01 Oct 1928-30 Sep 1929)
Detached to the 5th Pioneer-Battalion (01 Jun 1929-31 Jul 1929)
Detached to the 14th Mounted-Regiment (05 Aug 1929-30 Sep 1929)
Detached to the RWM (01 Oct 1929-30 Apr 1930)
Detached to Secret Flying-Training in the USSR (01 May 1930-30 Sep 1930)
Advisor in the Operations-Department (T 1), RWM (01 Oct 1930-31 Aug 1933)
Detached to Secret-Training in the USSR (14 Jun 1931-31 Jul 1931)
Transferred to Luftwaffe Service as Group-Leader in the Organisation-Department LA II, RWM (01 Sep 1933-25 Sep 1935)
At the same time, Detached to Course at Schleißheim (29 Jul 1935-10 Aug 1935)
At the same time, Detached to Participate at the South-America-Aviation of Airship ‘Graf Zeppelin’ (12 Aug 1935-05 Sep 1935)
Placed to the Disposal of Regiment ‘General Göring’ as Tactical Advisor (26 Sep 1935-14 Feb 1936)
Detached to Flying-Group Döberitz (15 Feb 1936-14 Mar 1936)
Detached to Flying-Group Damm (15 Mar 1936-31 Mar 1936)
Commander of Flying-Group I/134 and at the same time Air-Base-Commandant Dortmund (01 Apr 1936-28 Feb 1937)
Chief Of Operations (Ia) in the Staff of Air-District-Command II, Berlin (01 Mar 1937-31 Oct 1937) Department-Chief in the RLM (01 Nov 1937-31 Jan 1938)
Chief of the Organisation-Staff in the RLM (01 Feb 1938-31 Jan 1939)
At the same time, Detached to Flying-Group I/235, Bad Aibling (25 Jul 1938-06 Aug 1938)
Officer with Special Duties of the RLM and Luftwaffe High CommandC-in-C Luftwaffe (01 Feb 1939-13 Dec 1913)
At the same time, Detached to Pilot-School Neuruppin (01 Feb 1939-13 Dec 1938)
At the same time, Detached to Blind-Flying-School Wesendorf (25 Jun 1939-13 Aug 1939)
At the same time, Detached to Luftwaffe School and Experiment Regiment, Köthen (14 Aug 1939-16 Sep 1939)
Acting-Chief Of The General Staff of Air-Fleet 2 (14 Dec 1939-18 Dec 1939)
Chief Of The General Staff of V. Flying-Corps (19 Dec 1939-12 Jan 1940)
Officer with Special Duties of the RLM and C-in-C Luftwaffe (12 Jan 1940-20 Mar 1940)
Commodore of Bomber-Wing 51 (21 Mar 1940-03 Jun 1940)
In French Captivity (03 Jun 1940-30 Jun 1940)
Released and Officer with Special Duties of the RLM and C-in-C Luftwaffe (01 Jul 1940-12 Jul 1940)
Commodore of Bomber-Wing 1 (12 Jul 1940-17 Jul 1940)
Commander of the 1st Night-Fighter-Division (17 Jul 1940-08 Aug 1941)
Commanding General of the XII. Flying-Corps (09 Aug 1941-15 Sep 1943)
Commanding General of Night Fighters (15 Sep 1943-19 Nov 1943)
Delegated with the Leadership of Air-Fleet 5 (20 Nov 1943-22 Dec 1943)
Commander-in-Chief of Air-Fleet 5 (23 Dec 1943-10 Oct 1944)
Führer-Reserve OKL (10 Oct 1944-02 Feb 1945)
Special-Agent for the Combat of Four-Engine Enemy-Aircraft (02 Feb 1945-08 May 1945)
At the same time, General-Plenipotentiary of Luftwaffe for Jet-Aircraft (17 Mar 1945-08 May 1945)
In US Captivity (08 May 1945-10 Apr 1948)
Entered the Bundeswehr (Luftwaffe) as Director of the Luftwaffe Department in the Federal Defence Ministry (06 Jun 1956-31 May 1947)
Inspector Of Luftwaffe, Federal Defence Ministry (01 Jun 1957-30 Sep 1962)
Retired (30 Sep 1962)

Decorations & Awards:
- Ritterkreuz: am 09.07.1941 als Generalmajor und Kommandeur der 1. Nachtjagd-Division
- 1914 EK I
- 1914 EK II
- Kgl. Bayer. Militär-Verdienstorden IV. Klasse mit Schwertern
- Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. bis I. Klasse
- Gemeinsames Flugzeugführer und Beobachter-Abzeichen in Gold mit Brillanten
- Spange zum EK I
- Spange zum EK II
- Frontflugspange für Kampf- und Sturzkampfflieger
- Grossoffizierkreuz des Verdienstordens de Republik Italien: 10.03.1958
- Komturkreuz “Legion of Merit”: 02.08.1961
- Grosses Verdienstkreuz mit Stern und Schulterband des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland: 21.08.1962


Back to ABR Homepage