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Walther Wever (general)
Encyclopedia
Walther Wever was a pre-World War II
Luftwaffe
Commander.
(now in north-central Poland). He was the son of Arnold Wever, the one-time director of a Berlin bank and the grandson of the Prussian Prosecutor-General Dr. Carl George Wever. After his final secondary examinations, he settled in Schweidnitz where he trained as an officer.
Wever saw action in World War I
and served as a staff officer for the OHL.
Wever was a supporter of the Strategic bomber
and recognised its importance as early as 1934. He supported the aviation companies like Junkers
and Dornier
, in their respective projects to produce the Ju 89 and Dornier Do 19 Ural Bomber
.
Wever outlined five key points to air strategy:
However after his death, other strategists, like Ernst Udet
and Hans Jeschonnek
favoured smaller aircraft as they did not expend as much material and manpower. They were proponents of the dive-bomber (Junkers Ju 87
) and the doctrine of close support and destruction of the opposing airforces on the 'battle-ground' rather than through attacking enemy industry.
As a result, high-speed medium-bombers like Heinkel He 111
, Dornier Do 17
, Junkers Ju 88
were developed, with much initial success.
On 3 June 1936 Wever flew from Berlin
to Dresden
, to give a lecture at the Luftkriegsakademie to a gathering of Luftwaffe cadets. When he received the news of the passing of a World War I German hero, he immediately set off for Berlin. On his return journey, the Heinkel He 70 Blitz
that he was flying had not been properly examined during preflight checks, and the aileron gust lock
s were not removed. The aircraft was airborne when the wing dipped, and the Heinkel stalled and went into a horizontal cartwheel (apparently akin to a ground loop
, but at low altitude instead). It crashed and exploded in flames, killing Wever and his flight engineer.
After Wever's death, a Luftwaffe bomber wing, Kampfgeschwader 4
General Wever was named after him.
His son, also named Walther Wever, was a fighter pilot who was killed in action in April 1945.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
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....
Commander.
Early life
Walther Wever was born on 11 November 1887 in Wilhelmsort in the county of BrombergKreis Bromberg
Kreis Bromberg was one of several Kreise 1818-75 in the northern administrative district of Bromberg, in the Prussian province of Posen, later divided into Stadtkreis and Landkreis Bromberg, reconstructed under Nazi occupation of Poland 1939-1945 in Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia.- Communities :The...
(now in north-central Poland). He was the son of Arnold Wever, the one-time director of a Berlin bank and the grandson of the Prussian Prosecutor-General Dr. Carl George Wever. After his final secondary examinations, he settled in Schweidnitz where he trained as an officer.
Wever saw action in 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...
and served as a staff officer for the OHL.
Luftwaffe
On 1 September 1933 he became the Commander of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium, and later became Chief of Staff of the Luftwaffe, a post he held up until his death.Wever was a supporter of the Strategic bomber
Strategic bomber
A strategic bomber is a heavy bomber aircraft designed to drop large amounts of ordnance onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating an enemy's capacity to wage war. Unlike tactical bombers, which are used in the battle zone to attack troops and military equipment, strategic bombers are...
and recognised its importance as early as 1934. He supported the aviation companies like Junkers
Junkers
Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG , more commonly Junkers, was a major German aircraft manufacturer. It produced some of the world's most innovative and best-known airplanes over the course of its fifty-plus year history in Dessau, Germany. It was founded there in 1895 by Hugo Junkers,...
and Dornier
Dornier Flugzeugwerke
Dornier Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturer founded in Friedrichshafen in 1914 by Claudius Dornier. Over the course of its long lifespan, the company produced many notable designs for both the civil and military markets.-History:...
, in their respective projects to produce the Ju 89 and Dornier Do 19 Ural Bomber
Ural bomber
The Ural bomber was a program to develop a long-range bomber for the Luftwaffe, created and led by General Walther Wever in the early 1930s. Wever died in an air crash in 1936 and the program ended almost immediately...
.
Wever outlined five key points to air strategy:
1. To destroy the enemy air force by bombing its bases and aircraft factories, and defeating enemy air forces attacking German targets.
2. To prevent the movement of large enemy ground forces to the decisive areas by destroying railways and roads, particularly bridges and tunnels, which are indispensable for the movement and supply of forces
3.To support the operations of the army formations, independent of railways, i.e, armoured forces and motorised forces, by impeding the enemy advance and participating directly in ground operations.
4. To support naval operations by attacking naval bases, protecting Germany's naval bases and participating directly in naval battles
5. To paralyze the enemy armed forces by stopping production in the armaments factories.
However after his death, other strategists, like Ernst Udet
Ernst Udet
Colonel General Ernst Udet was the second-highest scoring German flying ace of World War I. He was one of the youngest aces and was the highest scoring German ace to survive the war . His 62 victories were second only to Manfred von Richthofen, his commander in the Flying Circus...
and Hans Jeschonnek
Hans Jeschonnek
Hans Jeschonnek was a German Generaloberst and a Chief of the General Staff of Nazi Germany′s Luftwaffe during World War II. He committed suicide in August 1943.-Biography:...
favoured smaller aircraft as they did not expend as much material and manpower. They were proponents of the dive-bomber (Junkers Ju 87
Junkers Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a two-man German ground-attack aircraft...
) and the doctrine of close support and destruction of the opposing airforces on the 'battle-ground' rather than through attacking enemy industry.
As a result, high-speed medium-bombers like Heinkel He 111
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...
, Dornier Do 17
Dornier Do 17
The Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender Bleistift , was a World War II German light bomber produced by Claudius Dornier's company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke...
, Junkers Ju 88
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
were developed, with much initial success.
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...
to Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, to give a lecture at the Luftkriegsakademie to a gathering of Luftwaffe cadets. When he received the news of the passing of a World War I German hero, he immediately set off for Berlin. On his return journey, the Heinkel He 70 Blitz
Heinkel He 70
The Heinkel He 70 was a German mail plane and fast passenger aircraft of the 1930s, that also saw use in auxiliary bomber and reconnaissance roles. It had a relatively brief commercial career before it was replaced by types which could carry more passengers...
that he was flying had not been properly examined during preflight checks, and the aileron gust lock
Gust lock
A gust lock on an aircraft is a mechanism that locks control surfaces in place preventing random movement and possible damage of the surface from wind while parked...
s were not removed. The aircraft was airborne when the wing dipped, and the Heinkel stalled and went into a horizontal cartwheel (apparently akin to a ground loop
Ground loop (aviation)
In aviation, a ground loop is a rapid rotation of a fixed-wing aircraft in the horizontal plane while on the ground. Aerodynamic forces may cause the advancing wing to rise, which may then cause the other wingtip to touch the ground...
, but at low altitude instead). It crashed and exploded in flames, killing Wever and his flight engineer.
After Wever's death, a Luftwaffe bomber wing, Kampfgeschwader 4
Kampfgeschwader 4
Kampfgeschwader 4 "General Wever" was a Luftwaffe bomber unit during World War II. The unit was formed in May 1939. The unit operated the Dornier Do 17, Junkers Ju 88 and Heinkel He 111 medium bombers, with later service on the Heinkel He 177 heavy bomber...
General Wever was named after him.
His son, also named Walther Wever, was a fighter pilot who was killed in action in April 1945.