Date of birth:

April 12th, 1904 (Hannover/Hannover, Germany)

Date of death:

September 7th, 1967 (Badenweiler/Baden-Württemberg, Germany)

Service number:

SS-Nr.: // NSDAP-Nr.:

Nationality:

German (1933-1945, Third Reich)

Kreipe joined the Luftwaffe in 1934. Kreipe held various staff positions until the winter 1939/40, when he was selected or applied for a field role. He joined Kampfgeschwader 2 (Bomber Wing 2) and commanded its III. Gruppe during the Battle of France and the Battle of Belgium. In June 1940 he returned to various staff positions. In December 1941 he was promoted as Chief of Staff, 1st Air Corps (I. Fliegerkorps). In August 1942 he was promoted as the Luftwaffe's General Chief of Staff. In July 1943 he was appointed General der Flieger (General of Flying).

Dissatisfied with Hermann Göring's leadership of the Luftwaffe, Adolf Hitler wanted to replace him with Robert Ritter von Greim. Unable to convince Greim to accept the role, Hitler forced Göring to sack Kreipe, and provisionally replace him on 19 September 1944 with the stolid Karl Koller, who was officially assigned the position on 12 November. However, Koller was unable to reform the Luftwaffe, which had been mismanaged by Göring and had lost air superiority over the skies of Europe.

In January 1945, he organised the logistical effort and preparation for the Luftwaffe's last major offensive, Unternehmen Bodenplatte (Operation Baseplate) on 1 January 1945. Kreipe continued in staff positions until surrendering to the Western Allies in May 1945.

In 1956 Kreipe wrote a book about the war, and the Luftwaffe's role titled, The Fatal Decision: Six Decisive Battles of the Second World War from the Viewpoint of the Vanquished.

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• Photo 1: Tom MacNeill
• - PATZWALL, K. & SCHERZER, V., Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941-1945, Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, 2001.