Rudolf Meister (1 August 1897 – 11 September 1958) was a German general (General der Flieger) in the Luftwaffe during World War II who commanded the 4th Air Corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Meister surrendered to the American troops in May 1945 and was interned until 1948.
Rudolf Meister | |
|---|---|
 Rudolf Meister | |
| Born | 1 August 1897 Cologne, German Empire |
| Died | 11 September 1958 (aged 61) Hanover, West Germany |
| Allegiance |  German Empire  Weimar Republic  Nazi Germany |
| Service | Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1914–28 1931–45 |
| Rank | General der Flieger |
| Commands | 4th Air Corps |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
In 1950, Meister was one of the authors of the Himmerod memorandum which addressed the issue of rearmament (Wiederbewaffnung) of the Federal Republic of Germany after World War II.
Awards and decorations
edit- German Cross in Gold on 30 October 1941 as Oberst im Generalstab (in the General Staff) of VIII. Fliegerkorps[1]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 5 September 1944 as Generalleutnant and commander of IV. Fliegerkorps[2]
References
editCitations
edit- ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 302.
- ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 536.
Bibliography
edit- Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.