Ernst von Hoeppner
Encyclopedia
General of Cavalry Ernst Wilhelm von Hoeppner (14 January 1860 – 26 September 1922) was a German cavalry officer who served as the Commanding General of the German Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte
) during World War I
.
on 14 January 1860. He attended the Cadet School in Potsdam
from 1872 and in 1879 he was commissioned as a second-lieutenant in the 6th Magdeburg Dragoon Regiment. He attended the Prussian Military Academy in 1890 and from 1893 to 1899 von Hoeppner was a member of the 14th Dragoon Regiment stationed at Colmar
in Alsace
where he commanded a squadron.
In 1902 von Hoeppner was appointed to the General Staff
and in 1904 he was appointed as a staff officer with the IX Army Corps in Altona
. By 1906 von Hoeppner was a lieutenant-colonel when he was given command of the 13th Hussars Regiment in Diedenhofen
. Two years later von Hoeppner was appointed chief of staff of the VII Army Corps and in September 1912 he was made commander of the 4th Cavalry Brigade in Bromberg. In 1913 von Hoeppner inherited his title of nobility.
von Hoeppner was Chief of Staff
at the III Army Corps
headquarters. He remained in this post until spring of 1915 when he took up command of the 14th Reserve Division. Later in 1915 he was appointed Chief of Staff of the II Army Corps
and in 1916 he became the commander of the 75th Reserve Division.
In October 1916, General Ludendorff
decided that the German Air Service needed greater unity of command with a general officer having authority over all the Army's aerial combat and anti-aircraft units both in the field and at home. Ludendorff chose von Hoeppner as the new air commander and it was at this time the Air Service was renamed from Fliegertruppe to Luftstreitkräfte. Von Hoeppner was given the title of Kommandierender General der Luftstreitkräfte (Commanding General of the Air Service - sometimes abbreviated to Kogenluft in German), holding the rank of Lieutenant-General. Von Hoeppner was directly responsible to Hindenburg
at Supreme Army Command
.
Von Hoeppner reorganized the fragmented air services, greatly increasing the number of Jasta
s and forming them into Jagdgeschwader. Priority was given to the development of strategies for massed air attacks. In 1917 von Hoeppner was awarded the Pour le Mérite
even though as a senior commander he was not directly involved in air combat. The award was resented by some of his junior officers.
on 10 April 1919. However, von Hoeppner did not remain in the Army for long. He resigned from active service at his own request at the end of November 1919. Von Hoeppner retired as general of cavalry with permission to wear the uniform of the 13th Hussars Regiment. In 1921 von Hoeppner published Deutschlands Krieg in der Luft ("Germany's War in the Air"), a study of the German Air Service from 1914 to 1918. On 26 September 1922 von Hoeppner died in Groß-Mokratz on Wollin and he was buried in his birthplace, the nearby Tonnin.
, General von Hoeppner is portrayed by actor Axel Prahl
.
Luftstreitkräfte
The Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte , known before October 1916 as Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches , or simply Die Fliegertruppen, was the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I...
) during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Early life and military career
Ernst von Hoeppner was born in Tonnin on the island of Wollin in PomeraniaPomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
on 14 January 1860. He attended the Cadet School in Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
from 1872 and in 1879 he was commissioned as a second-lieutenant in the 6th Magdeburg Dragoon Regiment. He attended the Prussian Military Academy in 1890 and from 1893 to 1899 von Hoeppner was a member of the 14th Dragoon Regiment stationed at Colmar
Colmar
Colmar is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is the capital of the department. Colmar is also the seat of the highest jurisdiction in Alsace, the appellate court....
in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
where he commanded a squadron.
In 1902 von Hoeppner was appointed to the General Staff
German General Staff
The German General Staff was an institution whose rise and development gave the German armed forces a decided advantage over its adversaries. The Staff amounted to its best "weapon" for nearly a century and a half....
and in 1904 he was appointed as a staff officer with the IX Army Corps in Altona
Altona, Hamburg
Altona is the westernmost urban borough of the German city state of Hamburg, on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to 1864 Altona was under the administration of the Danish monarchy. Altona was an independent city until 1937...
. By 1906 von Hoeppner was a lieutenant-colonel when he was given command of the 13th Hussars Regiment in Diedenhofen
Thionville
Thionville , is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. The city is located on the left bank of the river Moselle, opposite its suburb Yutz.-Demographics:...
. Two years later von Hoeppner was appointed chief of staff of the VII Army Corps and in September 1912 he was made commander of the 4th Cavalry Brigade in Bromberg. In 1913 von Hoeppner inherited his title of nobility.
World War I
At the start of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
von Hoeppner was Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
at the III Army Corps
III Corps (German Empire)
The III Army Corps was a formation in the Imperial German Army. It was established in 1814 as the General Headquarters in Berlin and became the III Army Corps on April 3, 1820...
headquarters. He remained in this post until spring of 1915 when he took up command of the 14th Reserve Division. Later in 1915 he was appointed Chief of Staff of the II Army Corps
II Corps (German Empire)
The II Army Corps was a unit of the Imperial German Army that was stationed in Stettin. At the outbreak of World War I, the corps served on the Western Front.In 1914, the component units of the corps were:*3rd Division*4th Division...
and in 1916 he became the commander of the 75th Reserve Division.
In October 1916, General Ludendorff
Erich Ludendorff
Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff was a German general, victor of Liège and of the Battle of Tannenberg...
decided that the German Air Service needed greater unity of command with a general officer having authority over all the Army's aerial combat and anti-aircraft units both in the field and at home. Ludendorff chose von Hoeppner as the new air commander and it was at this time the Air Service was renamed from Fliegertruppe to Luftstreitkräfte. Von Hoeppner was given the title of Kommandierender General der Luftstreitkräfte (Commanding General of the Air Service - sometimes abbreviated to Kogenluft in German), holding the rank of Lieutenant-General. Von Hoeppner was directly responsible to Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian-German field marshal, statesman, and politician, and served as the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934....
at Supreme Army Command
Oberste Heeresleitung
The Oberste Heeresleitung or OHL was Germany's highest echelon of command of the German Army in World War I, while the Navy was led by the Seekriegsleitung or SKL ....
.
Von Hoeppner reorganized the fragmented air services, greatly increasing the number of Jasta
Jasta
The Jagdstaffeln were specialized fighter squadrons in the Luftstreitkräfte during World War I.-Background:...
s and forming them into Jagdgeschwader. Priority was given to the development of strategies for massed air attacks. In 1917 von Hoeppner was awarded the 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....
even though as a senior commander he was not directly involved in air combat. The award was resented by some of his junior officers.
Post war
After the War the German Air Service was dissolved. The German War Ministry issued orders for Von Hoepppner's post to be disestablished on 16 January 1919 although he appears to have continued as Commanding General for a few more days. His final order to his Air Service personnel was issued on 21 January. Von Hoeppner took up command of the 18th Army CorpsXVIII Corps (German Empire)
The XVIII Army Corps was a corps of the Imperial German Army. It was formed on April 1, 1899 and was headquartered in Frankfurt am Main...
on 10 April 1919. However, von Hoeppner did not remain in the Army for long. He resigned from active service at his own request at the end of November 1919. Von Hoeppner retired as general of cavalry with permission to wear the uniform of the 13th Hussars Regiment. In 1921 von Hoeppner published Deutschlands Krieg in der Luft ("Germany's War in the Air"), a study of the German Air Service from 1914 to 1918. On 26 September 1922 von Hoeppner died in Groß-Mokratz on Wollin and he was buried in his birthplace, the nearby Tonnin.
In popular culture
In the 2008 biopic The Red Baron (film)The Red Baron (film)
The Red Baron is a German biopic by Nikolai Müllerschön from 2008, about the legendary World War I fighter pilot Manfred von Richthofen. It was filmed in the Czech Republic, France and Germany, entirely in English to improve its international commercial viability.-Plot:In 1906, a young Baron...
, General von Hoeppner is portrayed by actor Axel Prahl
Axel Prahl
Axel Prahl is a German actor.Prahl, born in Eutin, grew up in nearby Neustadt in Holstein. After his A-levels, Prahl started studying music and mathematics, but then went on to acting school in Kiel...
.