(Photo courtesy of Mike Heuer & Gareth Collins)
General der Flieger Gustav Kastner-Kirdorf
Born: 02 Feb 1881 in Trumpfsee-Warnitz, District Angermünde
Died: 04 May 1945 in Berchtesgaden (Suicide)
Promotions:
Fahnenjunker-Gefreiter (19 Feb 1904); Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier (30 May 1904); Fähnrich (15 Sep 1904); Leutnant (15 Nov 1904); Oberleutnant (19 Nov 1912); Hauptmann (28 Nov 1914); Charakter als Major (20 Oct 1919); Oberstleutnant (01 Apr 1934); Oberst (01 Oct 1935); Generalmajor (01 Jun 1938); Generalleutnant (01 Jan 1940); General der Flieger (01 Jul 1941)
Career:
Entered the Army as Fähnrich and Company-Officer in the 25th Infantry-Regiment (05 Feb 1904-21 Mar 1914)
Adjutant of the I. Battalion of the 25th Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1907-30 Sep 1911)
Regiments-Adjutant of the 25th Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1912-21 Mar 1914)
Company-Officer in the 17th Infantry-Regiment (22 Mar 1914-03 Aug 1914)
Pilot-Training at the Flying-School Habsheim (01 Jul 1914-31 Jul 1914)
General-Staff-Officer and Leader Of Flying-Detachment of the Replacement XIV. Army-Corps (04 Aug 1914-10 Sep 1914)
Pilot and Observer with the 39th Field-Flying-Battalion (11 Sep 1914-19 Nov 1914)
Officer with Special Duties with the Messenger-Pigeon-Battalion O (20 Nov 1914-09 Feb 1915)
Leader of the Messenger-Pigeon-Battalion O (10 Feb 1915-13 Apr 1915)
Leader of the 62nd Field-Flying-Battalion (13 Apr 1915-02 Aug 1915)
Commander of Battle-Wing 2 (02 Aug 1915-02 Aug 1916)
With the Staff of the Commander Of Flying of the 1st Army (03 Aug 1916-16 Dec 1916)
Department-Chief with the Staff of the Commanding General of the Air Force (17 Dec 1916-15 Jan 1919)
Granted Leave (16 Jan 1919-22 Jan 1919)
Air-Base-Commandant Neuruppin (23 Jan 1919-08 Jun 1919)
Retired (08 Jun 1919)
Civilian-Employee of the Army and attended Secret Flying-Training in the USSR (01 Aug 1927-30 Sep 1930)
Leader of the Advertisement-Department of the German Air-Sport-Formation, RWM (01 Oct 1930-31 Mar 1934)
Reactivated as Supplemental-Officer (Active-Officer from 01 Oct 1937)
Leader of Flight-Standby of the RLM (01 Apr 1934-30 Jun 1938)
At the same time, Air-Base-Commandant Berlin-Staaken (01 Jul 1934-30 Jun 1938)
Commander of Flying-Schools and of the 2nd then 3rd Flying-Replacement-Battalions (01 Jul 1938-01 Oct 1938)
Higher Flying Training Commander III (02 Oct 1938-31 Dec 1938)
Detached to the RLM (01 Jan 1939-31 Jan 1939)
Chief of the Luftwaffe-Personnel-Office, RLM (01 Feb 1939-23 Feb 1943)
Officer with Special Duties of the RLM and C-in-C Luftwaffe (23 Feb 1943-14 Apr 1943)
Chief of the Office for Execution and Clemency Affairs of the Luftwaffe (15 Apr 1943-04 May 1945)
Committed Suicide (04 May 1945)

Decorations & Awards:
- Deutsches Kreuz in Silber: am 26.07.1943 als General der Flieger und Chef des Luftwaffen-Personalamts / RLM
- 1914 EK I
- 1914 EK II
- Kgl. Preuss. Flugzeugführer-Abzeichen
- Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer 1914/1918
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. bis II. Klasse
- Gemeinsames Flugzeugführer- und Beobachter-Abzeichen in Gold mit Brillanten
- Kriegsverdienstkreuz II. Klasse mit Schwertern
- Kriegsverdienstkreuz II. Klasse mit Schwertern
- Grossoffizierkreuz des Kgl. Rumän. Ordens des Sterns mit Schwertern: 23.12.1941


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