History
Luftwaffe was organized in a large and diverse structure led by Reich minister (German: Reichsminister) and supreme commander of the Luftwaffe German: Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe Hermann Göring. Göring through the Reich Air Ministry (German: Reichsluftfahrtministerium /RLM/) controlled all aspects of aviation in Germany including civilian and military aviation. The organization of this organization was from the peacetime period dating prior to involvement in Spanish Civil War.
In early 1937, Göring announced reorganization of the Reich Air Ministry into Military and civilian branches. The military branch was to be led by the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (Supreme H.Q. of Air Force). A chief would be leading the general staff. However, the separation of military from civil aviation was not complete and it was fragmented. Some parts of the military branch were left under the control of Air Inspector General Field Marshal (German: Generalfeldmarschall) Erhard Milch. These were
- Central Branch
- General Air Office
- All the inspectorates
The reasons for this formation was primarily to undermine Milch, who was getting favorable attention from the Party. However later during the year and early next year, Göring again changed the organization structure by removing three offices from Milch's and General Staff's control. He brought under his own direct control. These were
- Personnel Office - under General Robert Ritter von Greim
- Air Defense - under General Günther Rüdel
- Technical Office - under Major General Ernst Udet
This change made these offices to be additional power centers in RLM further fragmenting the top Luftwaffe organization. It also crippled important functional areas.
Read more about this topic: Oberkommando Der Luftwaffe
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