''Luftwaffe'' personnel structure

Luftwaffe personnel structure comprised two broad categories, Wehrmachtangehörge or members of the armed forces, and Wehrmachtgefolge or auxiliaries of the armed forces.

The Wehrmachtangehörige consisted of Soldaten or military personnel in a limited sense (officers and enlisted), and Beamten or military officials, either belonging to the general category of Wehrmachtbeamte, or one of four Sondergruppen (special groups of officials): Engineers, Navigators, Aircraft Pilots or Flying Safety. In 1944 supply officers and judge-advocates were transferred from the Officials category, to the Soldiers category as officers of the Truppensonderdienst. As a war-time measure, Sonderführers were introduced, filling positions normally held by trained officers or non-commissioned officers without having the required military training. Beamte auf Kriegsdauer (war-time officials) were filling positions normally held by trained officials, without having the required civil service training.

The Wehrmachtgefolge consisted in peace-time of civilian salaried employees and workers of the Luftwaffe. During the war several new classes of full or par time duty personnel were added to the Wehrmachtgefolge, such as: Luftschutzwarndienst, the male personnel of the air raid warning service; Sicherheits- und Hilfsdienst, the barracked security and assistance service of the civil defense; Luftwaffenhelferinnen, the female Luftwaffe auxiliaries; Luftwaffenhelfer, underage male youth serving anti-aircraft batteries between school or work; Flakwehrmänner, male workers in reserved occupations serving anti-aircraft batteries during air-raids. The Wehrmachtgefolge also contained units from paramilitary organizations, as far as they were subordinated to the Lufwaffe during the war, such as: Reichsarbeitsdienst, National Socialist Motor Corps, and Organisation Todt.

Overview

Personnel structure of the Luftwaffe [1]
Status
Wehrmachtangehörige
Wehrmachtgefolge
Military line Military non-line Officials Luftwaffe auxiliaries
Regular and reserve Unrestricted line officers:
  • General staff officers
  • Troop officers
 Restricted line officers:
  • Ordnance officers
  • Engineering officers
 Enlisted 		Special career officers:
  • Medical Officers
  • Directors of music
 Special troop officers:
  • Supply officers
  • Judge-advocates
 		Military officials:
  • Air Engineer Corps
  • Air Navigator Corps
  • Aircraft Pilot Corps
  • Flying Safety Service
  • Wehrmachtbeamte
 		Civilian employees of the Luftwaffe
War time reinforcement
Sonderführer
Beamte auf Kriegsdauer
Detachments from paramilitary formations in the service of the Luftwaffe:

Military personnel

Soldaten, or military personnel in a limited sense, consisted of officers, noncommissioned officers and airmen, belonging to the flying troops, fallschirmjäger, air defense artillery, air signal troops, construction units, and medical units, as well the Luftwaffe ground combat units, such as the Division "Hermann Goering" and the Luftwaffe field divisions. They also included the special career officers such as medical officers and directors of music, and the special troop officers such as supply officers and judge advocates.[1]

Officers

The commissioned officers of the Luftwaffe could either be non-restricted or restricted line officers, or non-line officers. Non-restricted officers were Truppenoffiziere, troop officers, and Generalstabsoffiziere, general staff officers. Resttricted line officers were ordnance officers and engineering officers. Non-line officers were of two kinds, special career officers, Offiziere der Sonderlaufbahnen, contained medical officers and directors of music, while Truppensonderdienst, the special troop officers, were created in 1944 by the transfer of supply offices and judge advocates from the military officials class.[2][3][4]

Corps Meaning
Generalstabsoffiziere General Staff Officers
Truppenoffiziere Troop Officers
Sanitätsoffiziere Medical Officers
Ingenieuroffiziere des Flugwesens Air Force Engineer Officers
Offiziere im waffentechnischem Dienst Ordnance Officers
Musikinspizienten und Musikmeister Inspectors and Directors of Music
Verwaltungsdienst (TSD)Supply Officers
Wehrmachtrichter (TSD)Judge Advocates
[5]

The Air force engineer officers were to replace the Air engineers of the military officials class, but only a very limited number of such officers were trained before the end of the war.[6] No such officer had reached higher rank than First Lieutenant at the end of the war. The highest rank of the Ordnance officer corps was Colonel.

Enlisted

Each branch of the Luftwaffe had a number of Dienstlaufbahngruppen (career groups) for non-commissioned officers and airmen, further subdivided into Dienstlaufbahnen (service careers).[7]

Flying Troops

The Flying Troops had three career croups, Air Crew, Aircraft Engineering, and General Service.

Airplane Pílot, Aircraft Observer, Auxiliary Observer, Bombardier, Air Signaller (Aerial Gunner), Flight Engineer (Aerial Gunner), Aerial Gunner, and Paratrooper.[8]

Aircraft Engineering Technician, Airframe Mechanic, Airplane Engine Mechanic, Airplane Electrical Mechanic, Airplane Precision Mechanic, Airplane Bomb Armorer, Airplane Weapons Armorer, Aerial Photography Technician, Airplane Signals Mechanic, and Parachute Rigger and Survival Equipmentman.[8]

Ground Communications, Motor Transportation, Supply Clerk, Ammunition Technician, Hauptfeldwebel (First Sergeant), HQ Sergeant, Supply Technician (Automotive), Supply Technician (Aircraft), Supply Technician (Weapons/Gas Protection, Supply Technician (General), Clothing Clerk, Accountant, Subsistence NCO, Administrative Clerk, Small Boat Crew, Air Traffic Control, Musician, Medical Technician, and Military Official Candidate.[8]

Air Defense Artillery

The Air Defense Artillery had two careers groups, Artillery, and General Service.

Anti-aircraft Artillery Personnel, Motor Transportation Personnel, Communications.[9]

The same as the general service of the Flying Troops, with the addition of Supply Technician (Communications), and Supply Technician (Searchlight), and without Supply Technician (Aircraft).[9]

Air Signal Troops

The Air Signal Troops had two career groups, Signals, and General Service.

General, Flight Radio Operator, Aircraft Radio, Radio Technical Sergeant, Telephone Technical Sergeant, Supply Technician (Communications), Armorer.[10]

The same as the general service of the Flying Troops, without Supply Technician (Aircraft).[10]

Other branches

In addition to the three major branches, flying troops, air defense artillery, and air signal troops, the Luftwaffe had several other branches. In existence at the beginning of the war was the medical troops (Sanitätstruppen), and the Reichsluftaufsicht or the National Flying Safety Service, which was staffed both by military personnel and a special group of Beamten (see below). During the war special Luftwaffe construction units (Luftwaffen-Bauverbände) were added. A special ground-combat unit General Göring existed since 1935, and airborne Fallschirmjäger units since 1938; during the war both expanded into army corps, with the same complement of ground-combat branches that existed in the army. In addition, the Luftwaffe in 1942 formed a number field divisions of excess personnel, that, however, after about a year was absorbed by the German Army. There were even veterinary units; the enlisted men belonging to the Lufwaffe, and the veterinary officers to the army.[11]

Sonderführer

In the Luftwaffe war time tables of organization, certain positions could be filled with personnel not possessing the required military training, if properly trained personnel were not available. Such Sonderführer (Specialist Leaders), should have a civilian education or training qualifying them for the technical side of the position to be filled, and preferably some sort of leadership experience or training. Specialist Leaders did not held military rank as such, but had titles that denoted the equivalent rank level of the positions held. If they were not needed as Specialist Leaders any more, they would to revert to their basic military rank. Specialist Leaders with the equivalent rank level of non-commissioned officers were abolished in 1942; the incumbents transferred to the non-commissioned corps if qualified.[1][12]

Military officials

Luftwaffe military officials 1944
Groups Personnel strength
Wehrmachtbeamte [lower-alpha 1] ~1,000,000
Air Engineers 2,500
Air Navigators 200
Aircraft Pilots ..
Flying Safety ..
  1. ↑ Including Beamte auf Kriegsdauer.
Source:[14][15]

Military officials were civil servants that served in the Luftwaffe in technical, administrative, legal, and other positions. They were not civilian employees, as they were uniformed, often serving with advanced units on air bases in enemy territory. Yet the personnel structure of the military officials were not military - with officers, non-commissioned officers, and airmen - but the same as the ordinary civil service, with four different career levels. Although they wore insignia denoting their equivalent rank, they did not have military ranks, but civil service grades, and were not paid after the military pay scales, but according to their civil service grade.[16][2] Most officials were Wehrmachtbeamte, but there were also four special groups of military officials: the air engineers, the air navigators, the aircraft pilots, and the flying safety officials.[17][18]

Career levels
Career level [lower-alpha 1] Civilian education required [19]Candidate period [19] Equivalent ranks as permanent officials in the Luftwaffe [20]
einfacher Dienst
(lower service)		 Volksschule six months Feldwebel - Oberfeldwebel
mittlerer Dienst
(middle service) 		Master craftsman, or
Vocational school 		one year Stabsfeldwebel - Oberleutnant
gehobener Dienst
(upper service) 		High school diploma, or
a degree in engineering from a technical school 		two years or more Oberleutnant - Oberstleutnant
höherer Dienst
(higher service) 		University degree .. Hauptmann - Generalleutnant
  1. ↑ See: Beamter for the professional tracks of the modern German civil service.

Most of the military officials of the Luftwaffe were non-commissioned officers having completed their 12 year's service obligation. After being given a civilian education at an administrative or technical military school (Wehrmachtfachschule), they entered the ranks of the military officials as military candidates (Militärnwärter). Abschlussprüfung I (first level exam) gave access to the middle career, while a second level exam opened up the upper career.[21] The upper career was also open to young men with Abitur having completed the two your compulsory military service. The higher service was recruited through direct-entry candidates with a university degree, most of which also were reserve officers.

Air Engineer Corps

Becoming a member of the Ingenieurkorps der Luftwaffe required completion of the two year compulsory military service, being commissioned as a reserve officer, and having a Diplomingenieur-degree in aircraft construction, as well having passed the state exam for Flugbaumeisters (aircraft designers). Diploma Engineers with three years employment as civilian engineer of the Luftwaffe were also accepted.[22][23]

Air Navigator Corps

The Nautikerkorps der Luftwaffe was founded in 1938, for air surveying and non-combat navigation duties; all members were military officials of the upper career recruited as Militäranwärter. New appointments in the corps ended in 1941. Suitable and willing navigators where then transferred to the officer corps of the flying troops.[24] Of the 295 officials in the navigator corps, 81 had transferred to the officer corps at the beginning of 1942.[25]

Aircraft Pilot Corps

The Flugzeugführerkorps was created in 1940, its members being former sergeant-pilots that began their new career as Militäranwärter of the upper service. They served in positions as flight instructors, weather pilots, test pilots, and as pilots of other similar non-combat activities.[26]

Flying Safety Officials

The Reichsluftaufsicht, the National Flying Safety Service, was staffed both with Soldaten and special group Beamten of the middle, upper, and higher careers.[27]

Wehrmachtbeamte

The Wehrmachtbeamte of the Luftwaffe were administrative, technical and legal specialists and craftsmen, belonging to a large number of Fachrichtungen (occupational groups), according to their profession, occupation or area of specialization.

War-time officials

The Beamte auf Kriegsdauer, were the military officialdom's equivalent of Sonderführer; a Luftwaffe member filling a Beamter-position in the tables of organization without having gone through the required training during the candidate period, but possessing adequate technical or professional competence to fill such a slot on an emergency basis.[32] War-time officials were designated with the appendix .a.Kr. (abbreviation for auf Kriegsdauer) after the grade title of the position they were filling. For example: Werkmeister a. Kr., or Regierungsinspektor a.Kr. The Air Engineer Corps, the Air Navigation Corps, and the Wehrmachtbeamte were all augmented with war-time officials.[33] By 1944 the war-time Wehrmachtbeamte of the higher service were placed in pay grade A2c2; of the upper service, in pay grade A4c2; of the middle career in pay grade A8a; and of the lower career in pay grade A10b. War-time engineers and navigators were placed in pay grades JL5 or JL8 depending on position filled.[34]

Luftwaffe Auxiliaries

During the war, the Wehrmachtgefolge, or the auxiliaries, of the Luftwaffe contained the following categories:

Source:[35]

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 TM-E 30-451, pp. I-10-12.
  2. 1 2 TM-E 30-451, pp. I-10-11, I-31.
  3. ↑ Moll 1997, pp. 387-389.
  4. ↑ Richhardt 2002, pp. 154-157, 212-214.
  5. ↑ Richhardt 2002, pp. 154-157, 240, 244-250.
  6. ↑ Richhardt 2002, p. 245-247.
  7. ↑ English terminology is as far as possible taken from TM 12-427.
  8. 1 2 3 Adler & Rückens 1941, pp. 36-37.
  9. 1 2 Adler & Rückens 1941, pp. 97-98.
  10. 1 2 Adler & Rückens 1941, pp. 105-106.
  11. ↑ Henner & Böhler 2014, pp. 46, 54, 56, 62, 86, 88, 138.
  12. ↑ Richhardt 2002, pp. 153-154.
  13. ↑ "Einsatz-Wehrmachtgebürnisgesetz." RGBl I, 1944, pp. 292.
  14. ↑ Absalon 1984.
  15. ↑ Richardt 2002, pp. 247-258.
  16. ↑ Brand 1942, p. 92-95, 841.
  17. ↑ Adler 1941, p. 30.
  18. ↑ Henner & Böhler 2014, p. 142.
  19. 1 2 "Verordnung über die Vorbildung und die Laufbahnen der deutschen Beamten." RGBl I, 1939, p. 371.
  20. 1 2 Davis 1999,vol. I.
  21. ↑ "Militäranwärterverordnung." RGBl I, 1943, p. 322.
  22. ↑ "Gesetz über das Ingenieurkorps der Luftwaffe." RGBl I, 1935, p. 1248.
  23. ↑ Henner & Böhler 2014, p. 143.
  24. ↑ Absalon 1969, p. 181.
  25. ↑ Richhardt 2002, pp. 247-248.
  26. ↑ Schlicht & Angolia 1999, p. 269.
  27. ↑ Henner & Böhler 2014, p. 148.
  28. ↑ RGBl I, 1939, p. 110.
  29. ↑ RGBl I, 1943, pp. 198, 231.
  30. ↑ Schlicht & Angolia 1999, p. 251.
  31. ↑ Absolon 1988, pp. 209-211.
  32. ↑ TM-E 30-451, pp. I-11.
  33. ↑ Henner & Böhler 2014, p. 144, 146.
  34. ↑ RGBl I, 1944, p. 315.
  35. ↑ Absolon 1969, p. 239.

Cited literature

See also

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