| Alexander Löhr | |
|---|---|
Alexander Löhr in October 1939 |
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| Born | 20 May 1885 Turnu-Severin, Romania |
| Died | 26 February 1947 (aged 61) Belgrade |
| Allegiance | Austria-Hungary (to 1918) First Austrian Republic (to 1938) Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch | Heer Luftwaffe (1938-1945) |
| Years of service | 1906-1945 |
| Rank | Generaloberst |
| Commands held | Luftflotte 4 Heeresgruppe E |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves |
Alexander Löhr (20 May 1885 – 26 February 1947) was an Austrian Air Force (Österreichische Luftstreitkräfte) commander during the 1930s and, after the "Political Union of Germany and Austria" (Anschluss), he was a German Air Force (Luftwaffe) commander. Löhr served in the Luftwaffe during the Second World War.
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Löhr was born in Turnu-Severin in the Kingdom of Romania.
Löhr served as Platoon Commander of a Pioneer battalion in the 85th Infantry Regiment of the Austro-Hungarian army in World War I.
By 1921 Löhr had reached the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel (Oberstleutnant). Between 1921 and 1934 he held many staff positions in the military, including Director of the Air Force in the Federal Armies Ministry. In 1934, he was made Commander of the small Austrian Air Force, a position which he held until the Anschluss in 1938.
On 15 March 1938, Löhr was transferred to the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) where he became commander of the German Air Force in Austria. By then he had been promoted to Lieutenant-General (Generalleutnant). He was commander of Luftflotte (Air Fleet) 4 in the East from May 1939 until June 1942. Luftflotte 4 carried out the bombing of Warsaw, Poland in September 1939 and of Belgrade, Yugoslavia in April 1941. He was promoted to Colonel General effective 3 May 1941. Löhr commanded the 12th Army from July 12, 1942 through to December 1942.
From 1 January to 23 August 1943, Löhr was Commander-in-Chief of the South East. He was also the Commander-in-Chief of Army Group E from 1 January up to the end of the war. As Commander-in-Chief of Army Group E, Löhr oversaw the successful Dodecanese Campaign. He surrendered on 9 May 1945 to Slovenian Partizans (part of Yugoslav People's Liberation War) at Topolšica, Slovenia.
Löhr was imprisoned by the Yugoslavs from 15 May 1945 to 26 February 1947. He was found guilty of war crimes, and executed on 26 February 1947. Specifically, Lohr was executed by firing squad in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, for his role as the commander of the Luftwaffe units involved in the Bombing of Belgrade in 1941.
| Date | English translation | |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 12 April 1941 | Luftwaffe forces under the command of Avaiators' General Löhr were especially successful in the south-eastern area of operations yesterday. | |
| Wednesday, 23 April 1941 | Forces under the command of Avaiators' General Löhr contributed substantially to the great success against the enemy shipping in the Greek waters. | |
| Friday, 8 August 1941 (extra) | The Soviet 6th and 12 Army as well as parts of the Soviet 18th Army, in total roughly 25 infantry, mountain and tank divisions, were, as just reported by the Army Group under the command of Field Marshal von Rundstedt, destroyed in cooperation with the Air Fleet of Colonel General Löhr. | |
| Saturday, 11 October 1941 (extra) | The battle at the Sea of Azov has finished. The Army of Infantry General von Manstein, the Romanian Army of Corps General Dumitrescu and the Panzer-Army of von Kleist in combination with the Air Fleet of Colonel General Löhr, defeated and annihilated the bulk of the Soviet 9th and 18th Army. | |
| Sunday, 12 October 1941 | As reported in yesterdays special report, the battle at the Sea of Azov has finished. The Army of General der Infantery von Manstein, the Romanian Army of Corps General Dumitrescu and the Panzer-Army of von Kleist in combination with the Air Fleet of Colonel General Löhr, defeated and annihilated the bulk of the Soviet 9th and 18th Army. | |
| Tuesday, 19 May 1942 (extra) | Strong Luftwaffe forces under the leadership of Colonel General Löhr and Freiherr von Richthofen had contributed outstandingly in this success. | |
| Wednesday, 20 May 1942 | As announced by special message, German and Romanian troops under the command of General von Manstein, supported by strong air forces under the command of Colonel General Löhr, and Freiherr von Richthofen, in pursuit of the defeated enemy, reached the Strait of Kerch in full-width and took the remaining strong fortified bridgeheads after fierce resistance on both sides of the city. | |
| Saturday, 30 May 1942 | The Luftwaffe forces under the leadership of Colonel General Löhr and General der Flieger Pflugbeil supported in ruthless commitment the defensive as well as offensive combat of the Army and forced the enemy air force from the battle area. | |
| 26 June 1944 | In the Balkans-standing forces of a mountain Corps in three weeks of heavy fighting in the mountains of southern Albania under the command of Colonel General Löhr have crushed a Communist Guerilla group [2] | |
| 19 January 1945 (extra) | Under the safe guidance of field marshal Von Weichs and the Colonel General Löhr, forces of all arms of the army and the Waffen-SS in best practice which with associations of the air force and Navy only in tropical heat and then in snowstorms of the Croatian mountains, have mastered the specific difficulties of this mountain and gang war and successfully repelled all enemy attacks against the flanks and back their movements.[3] | |
| 9 May 1945 | Reports regarding the situation of the army groups Löhr, Rendulic and Schörner are unavailable to the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht at this hour. |
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Alexander_L%C3%B6hr Alexander Löhr] at Wikimedia Commons
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by none |
Commander of Luftwaffenkommando Österreich July 1, 1938 – March 18, 1939 |
Succeeded by redesignated Luftflotte 4 |
| Preceded by none |
Commander of Luftflotte 4 March 18, 1939 – July 20, 1942 |
Succeeded by Generalfeldmarschall Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen |
| Preceded by General der Pioniere Walter Kuntze |
Commander of 12. Armee August 8, 1942 – December, 1942 |
Succeeded by General der Panzertruppen Walther Wenck |
| Preceded by none |
Commander of Heeresgruppe E December 31, 1942 – May 8, 1945 |
Succeeded by none |
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