Commander, Luftflotte 3 Generalfeldmarshall Hugo Sperrle
Born in
1884, Sperrle was a veteran from World War One and enjoyed
rapid promotion within the Nazi movement during the 1930’s.
He rose to fame as the commander of the infamous Legion
Condor during the Spanish Civil War in which his knowledge
of tactical air power increased significantly.
During the Battle of Britain it was Sperrle who spoke out
against Goering's decision to change tactics from bombing
Fighter Command airfields to the cities. He knew that the
Royal Air Force had not been beaten and that Fighter Command
would be able to rebuild in strength if given the
opportunity. Goering ignored Sperrle and remained adamant
that the bombing campaign on British cities would break the
will of the people.
Sperrle remained the commander of Luftflotte 3 until 1944
when he was transferred, before finally being captured by
the Allies in 1945, tried in court for war crimes and
imprisoned. |