(Photo courtesy of Gareth Collins)
Generalleutnant Willibald Spang
Born: 25 Mar 1887 in Bad Mergentheim
Died: 28 Sep 1978 in Hamburg
Promotions:
Fähnrich (25 Feb 1907); Leutnant (18 Nov 1907); Oberleutnant (08 Nov 1914); Hauptmann (18 Dec 1915); Hauptmann a.D. (01 Apr 1933); Hauptmann (E) (01 Oct 1933); Major (01 Oct 1934); Oberstleutnant (01 Aug 1935); Oberst (01 Aug 1937); Generalmajor (01 Dec 1939); Generalleutnant (01 Jan 1942)
Career:
Entered the Army as an Fahnenjunker and Battery-Officer in the 49th Field-Artillery-Regiment (09 Jul 1906-30 Sep 1910)
Detached to the Field-Artillery-Firing-School Jüterbog (01 Oct 1910-31 Jan 1911)
Battalion-Adjutant and Court-Officer of the I. Battalion of the 49th Field-Artillery-Regiment (01 Feb 1911-30 Apr 1913)
Pilot-Training at the Herzog-Karl-Flying-School Gotha (01 May 1913-30 Sep 1913)
Pilot, Bureau and Mobilisation Officer with the 3rd Flying-Battalion, Flying-Station Freiburg (01 Oct 1913-01 Aug 1914)
Pilot with the 20th Field-Flying-Battalion (02 Aug 1914-10 Jul 1915)
Pilot with the 5th Field-Flying-Battalion of Army High Command 6 (11 Jul 1915-12 Feb 1916)
Squadron-Leader in Combat-Wing 3 of the Supreme Army Command (13 Feb 1916-31 Mar 1916)
Leader of Flying-Battalion A 225 (01 Apr 1916-12 Jan 1917)
Leader of Flying-Battalion A 230 (13 Jan 1917-09 Oct 1917)
Taken ill, in Hospital (09 Oct 1917-25 Feb 1918)
Company-Leader with the 4th Flying-Replacement-Battalion, Posen (26 Feb 1918-20 Mar 1918)
Company-Leader with the 13th Flying-Replacement-Battalion, Bromberg (21 Mar 1918-30 Sep 1918)
Hauptmann with the Staff of the Commander of Flying in Home-Area 7 (01 Oct 1918-10 Feb 1919)
Pilot with the Border-Protection-Flying-Battalion with the Troops of General Haas (11 Feb 1919-30 Jun 1919)
Placed to the Disposal of the 49th Field-Artillery-Regiment (01 Jul 1919-17 Feb 1920)
Retired (17 Feb 1920)
Employed by the Luftwaffe (Supplemental-Officer from 01 Oct 1933 and Active-Officer from 01 Mar 1936) as Advisor in the Reichs-Commissionary of Aviation (01 Apr 1933-05 May 1933)
Advisor and Staff-Chief in the RLM (05 May 1933-28 Feb 1936)
Detached to the Flying-School Neuruppin (10 Aug 1934-02 Sep 1934)
Detached to Flying-Group Greifswald for Briefing (01 Mar 1936-16 Mar 1936)
Detached to Flying-Group Giebelstadt for Briefing (17 Mar 1936-31 Mar 1936)
Commander of III. Group of Bomber-Wing 155 and Air-Base-Commandant Schwäbisch Hall (01 Apr 1936-28 Feb 1937)
Commodore of Bomber-Wing 255 (01 Mar 1937-31 Jan 1939)
Inspector for Blind-Flying and Navigation in the RLM, In 12 (01 Feb 1939-28 Sep 1939)
Officer with Special Duties of the RLM and C-in-C Luftwaffe (29 Sep 1939-18 Oct 1939)
Chief of the Reichs Weather Service (19 Oct 1939-31 Dec 1942)
At the same time, Close-Combat-Leader of the IV. Flying-Corps (05 Apr 1941-08 Jan 1943)
Commander of the 7th Luftwaffe-Field-Division (09 Jan 1943-14 Feb 1943)
Commander of the 15th Luftwaffe-Field-Division (15 Feb 1943-06 Nov 1943)
Führer-Reserve OKL (07 Nov 1943-31 Dec 1944)
Detached to the Chief of Military Motor Transport Affairs, OKW (01 Jan 1945-31 Jan 1945)
Führer-Reserve OKL (01 Feb 1945-31 Mar 1945)
Placed to Disposal of Flying-Replacement-Battalion III (01 Apr 1945-08 May 1945)
In Captivity (08 May 1945-18 Mar 1946)
Released (18 Mar 1946)

Decorations & Awards:
- Deutsches Kreuz in Gold: am 10.01.1944 als Generalleutnant und Kommandeur der 15. Luftwaffen-Feld-Division
- 1914 EK I
- 1914 EK II
- Kgl. Preuss. Flugzeugführer-Abzeichen
- Ritterkreuz I. Klasse des Kgl. Württembg. Friedrichs-Ordens mit Schwertern: 31.08.1917
- Ritterkreuz I. Klasse des Kgl. Sächs. Albrechts-Ordens mit Schwertern: 04.01.1918
- Flugzeugführer-Abzeichen: 04.09.1934
- Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. und III. Klasse: 02.10.1936
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung II. Klasse: 01.04.1938
- Gemeinsames Flugzeugführer- und Beobachter-Abzeichen
- Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 13.03.1938: 16.12.1938
- Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 01.10.1938 mit Spange “Prager Burg”: 17.09.1939
- Spange zum EK I: 26.05.1943
- Spange zum EK II: 27.11.1939
- Kriegsverdienstkreuz II. Klasse mit Schwertern
- Kriegsverdienstkreuz I. Klasse mit Schwertern: 01.09.1941


Back to ABR Homepage