Alfred Keller
Encyclopedia
Alfred Keller was a general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....

 in the German Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....

 during the Second World War. Born in Bochum
Bochum
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:...

, Province of Westphalia
Province of Westphalia
The Province of Westphalia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946.-History:Napoleon Bonaparte founded the Kingdom of Westphalia, which was a client state of the First French Empire from 1807 to 1813...

, his career in the Imperial German Armed Forces begun in 1897, when he became a cadet in a military school, he retired after the Second World War as one of the most decorated Generals of the former Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....

.

Early service life

After his graduation, in 1902, Keller was detached to serve in the 17º Battalion Infantry in Thorn
Torun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....

 as Fähnrich
Fähnrich
Fähnrich is a German and Austrian military rank in armed forces which translates as "Ensign" in English. The rank also exists in a few other European military organizations, often with historical ties to the German system. Examples are Sweden, Norway and Finland . The French Army has a similar...

. While serving in Thorn Keller became attracted to the heavier-than-air aircraft, and made his first flight in the school at Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...

, becoming an observer in 1912. In the following year, Keller would conclude his training as a pilot in the school of Niederneuendorf, gaining his pilot’s wings.

Service during the First World War

When the First World War begun in August 1914, Hauptmann Alfred Keller was serving in a Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...

 bomber unit Kagohl 5, Kampfstaffel (Kasta) 27, with which he would fly his first combat missions.

Keller participated in the first air reconnaissance mission of Paris in October 1914, which served to obtain evidence in the absence of anti-aircraft defences in the French capital.
This factor was decisive for Keller and the unit’s pilots to initiate attacks on the French cities, one of which, against Paris, gaining for him the Cross of Iron 2nd Class.
On the Verdun and Somme fronts Keller performed some missions of reconnaissance and offensive patrolling, which led to him in September 1915 being nominated Kommandeur of Kagohl 7, Kampfstaffel (Kasta) 40, a unit that he would help to consolidate in the following months. On 1 September 1917, after some attacks of its airplanes against the enemy lines, Keller s decorated with Cross of Iron 1st Class, also in recognition for his performance as an organiser.

Assuming the command of Bombengeschwader der Obersten Heeresleitung (Bogohl; Bomben Geschwader der OHL - Bomber wing of the OHL) BG 1 (new designation for bomber squadrons) from April 1917 until the end of the war, Keller’s unit become the first German bombers to operate night missions, which was noted for the missions against Dunkirk and the British forces concentrated there, with his sudden delivery in the silence of the night of 100,000 kg of bombs on the port, causing considerable damage in September 1917 and forced a British retreat to Calais.
For planning, organization and leadership in this attack and others he was decorated with the Cross of the House Order of Hohenzollern
House Order of Hohenzollern
The House Order of Hohenzollern was an order of chivalry of the House of Hohenzollern. It was both a military and a civil award...

 with Swords, and on the on 4 December 1917, with the even more desirable Order Pour le Mérite
Pour le Mérite
The Pour le Mérite, known informally as the Blue Max , was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest military order for German soldiers until the end of World War I....

.

On the night of 30–31 January 1918 Keller, in spite of the fierce anti-aircraft opposition, again attacked Paris, causing a great panic in the civilian population, the pilots of Bogohl 1 returned safely though. These multiple attacks by Keller on Paris would compel the French to remove some anti-aircraft batteries from the front and use them in the defence of the city.

Promotions:
  • Fähnrich: 22 November 1902
  • Leutnant: 18 August 1903 (Patent 19 August 1902)
  • Oberleutnant: 18 August 1911
  • Hauptmann: 8 November 1914
  • Charakter als Major: 16 January 1920


Assignments:
  • 5 April 1902 – 19 February 1912: Fahnenjunker and company officer in Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 17, Thorn.
  • 1912 – 1914: I. Transferred to the Engineer Inspectorate and admitted to Fortifications in Wilhelmshaven.
  • 1912 – 1913: At the same time, underwent aerial observer training.
  • 1913 – 1 August 1914: Pilot training and pilot at Flying Station Darmstadt.
  • 2 August 1914 – 1915: Commander of Feldflieger-Abteilung [Field Aviation Detachment] 27.
  • 1915 – 1916: Commander of Armeeflugpark [Army Air Park] 5.
  • 1916: Commander of Armeeflugpark 1.
  • 1916 – 31 March 1917: Commander of Feldflieger-Abteilung 40.
  • 1 April 1917 – 1 December 1918: Commander of Bombengeschwader [Bomber Wing] of the Army High Command
  • 1 December 1918 – 16 January 1920: On leave.

Interwar activity

The end of First World War found Keller in command of the Luftreederei, a logistics
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...

 unit. In the years following the Armistice, Keller left the army and became first director/conductor of the "Abteilung Luftverkehr der Junkerswerke" (later part of Deutsche Luft Hansa
Deutsche Luft Hansa
Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G. was a German airline, serving as flag carrier of the country during the later years of the Weimar Republic and throughout the Third Reich.-1920s:Deutsche Luft Hansa was founded on 6 January 1926 in Berlin...

) ground-air service of the German air shipping company , the first German airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...

 founded by Hugo Junkers
Hugo Junkers
Hugo Junkers was an innovative German engineer, as his many patents in varied areas show...

. In 1923 he changed direction of his business by offering air shipping company services and was a managing director in Danzig, offering air mail service in Germany for the first time. During 1925 Keller operated an air traffic control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...

 school in Berlin, but in 1928 moved it to Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....

. Here he began, as a means of resistance to Allied conditions of Armistice the secret training of new military pilots, and he would be one of the first men called by Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...

 to help in the reconstruction of the Luftwaffe, as soon as the Nazis had assumed power in 1933. With the organisation of the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....

, Keller was commissioned with the rank of Oberst (Colonel), and assumed the command of the first bomber squadron, during the winter of 1936, KG 154 “Boelke
Oswald Boelcke
Oswald Boelcke was a German flying ace of the First World War and one of the most influential patrol leaders and tacticians of the early years of air combat. Boelcke is considered the father of the German fighter air force, as well as the "Father of Air Fighting Tactics"; he was the first to...

” (He 111B-1
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...

). Soon after he was appointed commander of the Air Force command East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...

.

Service during the Second World War

In September 1939, when the Second World War begun, the then General Alfred Keller commanded the IV Fliegerkorps during Campaign in Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...

, assuming this command on 13 October 1939. The following campaigns, during campaigns against Norway, Holland, Belgium and the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...

, he commanded Luftflotte 2
Luftflotte 2
Luftflotte 2 was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed February 1, 1939 in Braunschweig and transferred to Italy on November 15, 1941...

 with General der Flieger Albert Kesselring
Albert Kesselring
Albert Kesselring was a German Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall during World War II. In a military career that spanned both World Wars, Kesselring became one of Nazi Germany's most skilful commanders, being one of 27 soldiers awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords...

 as his superior.
By his superlative performance during these campaigns, Alfred Keller was decorated by Hitler with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...

 on 24 June 1940 as General Kommandierender of the IV Fliergerkorps. Shortly afterwards, on 19 July 1940, he was promoted Generaloberst.
On 19 August 1940, during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...

, Alfred Keller was appointed as the commander of Luftflotte 1
Luftflotte 1
Luftflotte 1 was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed February 1, 1939 from Luftwaffengruppenkommando 1 in Berlin...

 and Air Force commander - East. Keller led this formation very energetically during the invasion of the Balkans Campaign and later during the Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...

 where he predominantly supported Army Group North
Army Group North
Army Group North was a German strategic echelon formation commanding a grouping of Field Armies subordinated to the OKH during World War II. The army group coordinated the operations of attached separate army corps, reserve formations, rear services and logistics.- Formation :The Army Group North...

.
Keller remained with Luftflotte 1
Luftflotte 1
Luftflotte 1 was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed February 1, 1939 from Luftwaffengruppenkommando 1 in Berlin...

 until 12 June 1943, when he retired from active service at the age of 61, replaced by the 16 years younger Günther Korten
Günther Korten
Günther Korten was a German Colonel General and Chief of the General Staff of the Luftwaffe in World War II. He died from injuries suffered in the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler in July 1944....

. However he continued to perform important functions in NSFK (Nationalsozialistische Fliegerkorps – Organisation of Aerial National Socialist, a paramilitary unit that he organised to form a civil reserve of pilots). Towards the end of the war Keller was the responsible one for the antitank weapons department of the Luftwaffe.
Promotions:
  • Oberst: 1 January 1934
  • Generalmajor: 1 April 1936
  • Generalleutnant: 1 February 1938
  • General der Flieger: 1 April 1939
  • Generaloberst: 19 July 1940

Life after service

With the German capitulation on 8 May 1945, Keller became a British prisoner, being kept as a POW until 1947. In the 1950s he become one of the first presidents of the Ordensgemeinschaft der Ritterkreuzträger (Association of Knight's Cross Recipients).

Keller died in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

.

Decorations

  • Iron Cross
    Iron Cross
    The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....

     (1914) II. and I. Class
  • House Order of Hohenzollern
    House Order of Hohenzollern
    The House Order of Hohenzollern was an order of chivalry of the House of Hohenzollern. It was both a military and a civil award...

    , Knight Cross with Swords
  • Royal Prussian pilot badge
  • Bavarian Military Merit Order
    Military Merit Order (Bavaria)
    The Bavarian Military Merit Order was established on July 19, 1866 by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. It was the kingdom's main decoration for bravery and military merit for officers and higher-ranking officials. Civilians acting in support of the army were also made eligible for the decoration...

     IV. Class with swords and crown
  • Pour le Mérite
    Pour le Mérite
    The Pour le Mérite, known informally as the Blue Max , was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest military order for German soldiers until the end of World War I....

     4 December 1917
  • Hessian Bravery medal
  • Honour Cross for Combatants
    Honour Cross for Combatants
    The Honour Cross for Combatants was one of three versions of the Cross of Honor to be awarded.- Recipients :* Walther von Brauchitsch* Wilhelm Keitel* Günther von Kluge* Erwin Rommel* Albert Kesselring* Erwin von Witzleben* Erich von Manstein...

  • Honourable Armed Forces Service IV. to II. Class
  • Clasp to the Iron Cross
    Iron Cross
    The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....

     II. and I. Class (see Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
    Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
    The Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe was awarded in Bronze, Silver, and Gold with upgrade possible to include diamonds. Pennants suspended from the clasp indicated the number of missions obtained in a given type of aircraft...

    )
  • Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
    Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
    The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...

     on 24 June 1940 as General der Flieger
    General der Flieger
    General der Flieger was a General’s rank of the German Luftwaffe.The rank was equivalent to the long established General der Kavallerie, General der Artillerie and General der Infanterie...

    and commanding general of the IV. Fliegerkorps
  • Combined Pilots-Observation Badge
    Combined Pilots-Observation Badge
    Combined Pilots-Observation Badge was a German military award instituted on 26 March 1936 by the Commander in Chief of the Luftwaffe Hermann Göring to commemorate soldiers or servicemen who had already been awarded the Pilot's badge or Observer badge...

    in Gold with Diamonds
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK