Walther Wever (general)
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| Walther Wever | |
|---|---|
| 11 November 1887 – 3 June 1936 | |
| Place of birth | Meinerzhagen |
| Allegiance |  German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch | Luftwaffe |
| Rank | Generalleutnant |
| Commands held | Chief of the Luftwaffe General Staff |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Walther Wever ( 11 November 1887 in Meinerzhagen- 3 June 1936) was a pre-war Luftwaffe Commander.
On 1 September 1933 he became the Commander of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium, and later became Chief of Staff of the Luftwaffe, a post he held up until his death. Wever was a supporter of the Strategic bomber and recognised its importance as early as 1934. He supported the aviation companies like Junkers and Dornier, in their respective projects to produce the Ju 89 and Dornier Do 19 Ural Bomber.
However after his death, his successors Ernst Udet and Hans Jeschonnek favoured smaller aircraft as they did not expend as much material and manpower. They were proponents of the dive-bomber (Junkers Ju 87) and the doctrine of close support and destruction of the opposing airforces on the 'battle-ground' rather than through attacking enemy industry. As a result, high-speed medium-bombers like Heinkel He 111, Dornier Do 17, Junkers Ju 88 were developed, with much initial success.
On 6 June 1936 Wever flew from Berlin to Dresden, to give a lecture at the Luftkriegsakademie. On his return journey the Heinkel He 70 that he was flying had not been properly examined during preflighted checks, and the aileron gust locks were not removed. The aircraft was airborne when the wing dipped, the Heinkel stalled, and exploded in flames killing Wever and his engineer.
After Wever's death, a bomber unit, Kampfgeschwader 4 General Wever was named after him. His son, also named, Walther Wever was a fighter pilot, who was killed in action in April 1945.
[edit] References
- Corum, J.F. (1999). "Staerken und Schwaechen der Luftwaffe" in Mueller, R. & Volkmann, H.E. (Ed.) Die Wehrmacht: Mythos und Realitaet. Muenchen: Oldenbourg Verlag.
- Bombers of the Luftwaffe; Joachim Dressel and Manfred Griehl;DAG Publications;1994; ISBN 1-85409-140-9
| Preceded by none |
Chief of the Luftwaffe General Staff March 1, 1935-June 3, 1936 |
Succeeded by Generalleutnant Albert Kesselring |
