RLM Organization at the end of the war

[freight]

I am trying to piece together some research into a gentleman who was with the department of the Generalluftzeugmeister (aircraft production/procurement).

It appears that the department was closed in june of 1944, but there is no indication of what happened to those who were working in it. Were they absorbed elsewhere? The documents I have make no indication of even closure of the department, but about that time the trail goes cold until he resurfaces in a british pow camp. Given his rank and employment in the air ministry building itself, I can't imagine they wouldnt have simply absorbed the employees into other departments. Is there any good record of the internal goings on at the RLM? Do we know when it was evacuated - was it officially evacuated?

thank you for any insight you guys might have!

[Larry D.]

Was he a uniformed Luftwaffe officer, a uniformed civilian employee of the Luftwaffe, or a non-uniformed civilian employee of the Luftwaffe? What was his name?

This book will give you everything about the RLM and answer all of your questions about the Ministry during the war years:

Boog, Horst. Die deutsche Luftwaffenführung 1935-1945: Führungsprobleme, Spitzengliederung, Generalstabsausbildung. Stuttgart: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 1982. ISBN 3-421-0195-3. 724p. 2,912 footnotes.

[freight]

Was he a uniformed Luftwaffe officer, a uniformed civilian employee of the Luftwaffe, or a non-uniformed civilian employee of the Luftwaffe? What was his name?

This book will give you everything about the RLM and answer all of your questions about the Ministry during the war years:

Boog, Horst. Die deutsche Luftwaffenführung 1935-1945: Führungsprobleme, Spitzengliederung, Generalstabsausbildung. Stuttgart: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 1982. ISBN 3-421-0195-3. 724p. 2,912 footnotes.

I do believe he was a uniformed Luftwaffe officer. His name was Max Lehmann. It would appear that in November 1944 he was promoted to Flieger-Oberstabsingenieur while with OKL, LP (b). I guess the question now is when and where was the Luftwaffenpersonalamt located (still at the RLM?) through 1945 - though I am most keen on what the department was up to in april of 45. He appears to have escaped the encirclement, but ive yet to drudge up much about when that could have been if it officially occurred.

I do appreciate the book recommendation, but unfortunately i dont speak german

[Grzesio]

It appears that the department was closed in june of 1944, but there is no indication of what happened to those who were working in it. Were they absorbed elsewhere?

I just wonder if it wasn'n just a reorganisation/renaming. I.e. Generalluftzeugmeister was turned into Chef TLR and GL/C groups were turned into respective Hauptausschusse - Flugzeugbau, Triebwerke, Flugzeugausruestung, Waffen, Munition, Scheinwerfer etc...?

[Larry D.]

Freight -

I have two of them, but no detailed career information for either:

LEHMANN, Max. (DOB: 22.01.12). 01.07.43 promo to Hptm. (Kr.O./Fl.).
LEHMANN, Max. (DOB: 08.08.97). (n.d.) Fl.St.Ing.

Luftwaffenpersonalamt
(Air Force Personnel Department)

Chef
Gen.d.Flieger Gustav Kastner-Kirdorf (1 Feb 39 - 23 Feb 43)
Gen.Oberst Bruno Loerzer (23 Feb 43 - 20 Dec 44)
Gen.d.Flieger Rudolf Meister (22 Dec 44 - 8 May 45)

History
One of the major administrative departments within the Luftwaffe, with some 11 large subdivisions that employed many hundreds of people.

Summer 1940: set up an Arbeitsstab L.P. (Working Staff or Task Force/Air Force Personnel Dept.), which was assigned Feldpost number L 26740. The purpose of this staff is not known and its field post number was deleted in spring 1943. It was probably a task force sent to the field commands to study manpower needs and problems.
30 May 44: reorganized and greatly expanded along National Socialist (Nazi) political lines as Chef der Personellen Rüstung und Nationalsozialistischen Führung (Chief of Personnel Resources and National Socialist Leadership), but reverted back to Luftwaffenpersonalamt on 12 December 1944.

© H.L. deZeng IV, 2004


** The A.I.12 (Post-Hostilities) studies and the A.I.12/Air Ministry diary, as well as the postwar interrogation report on Rudolf Meister all are packed full of details on the Luftwaffenpersonalamt's trek south from Berlin to Bavaria from February to June/July 1945, including all of the intermediate stops along the way.


L.

[freight]

Freight -


** The A.I.12 (Post-Hostilities) studies and the A.I.12/Air Ministry diary, as well as the postwar interrogation report on Rudolf Meister all are packed full of details on the Luftwaffenpersonalamt's trek south from Berlin to Bavaria from February to June/July 1945, including all of the intermediate stops along the way.


L.

"LEHMANN, Max. (DOB: 08.08.97). (n.d.) Fl.St.Ing. " is my guy. The bundesarchive in Frieburg apparently has his personnel file...thought i suspect my chances of seeing it are zero.

I'll have to investigate the documents you've listed there - Max ended up in a POW camp in Schleswig-Holstein, though i suppose his ending up there would be possible if capture by the western allies in bavaria...