Heinrich Trettner

Infobox Military Person
name=Heinrich Trettner
born= birth date|1907|9|19|df=y
died= death date and age|2006|9|17|1907|9|19|df=y
placeofbirth=Minden
placeofdeath=Mönchengladbach
placeofburial=


caption=
nickname=
allegiance=flagicon|Germany Weimar Republic (to 1933) flagicon|Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (to 1945) flagicon|West Germany West Germany
branch=Heer Condor Legion Luftwaffe
serviceyears=1925-1945 1956-1966
rank=Generalleutnant
commands=4. Fallschirmjäger-Division
unit=7. Flieger-Division
battles=Spanish Civil War World War II
*Battle of the Netherlands
*Battle of Crete
awards=Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves Great Cross of Merit with Star and shoulder ribbon
laterwork=Bundeswehr

Heinrich "Heinz" Trettner ( 19 September 1907 – 18 September 2006) was a German general serving during World War II and from 1964 to 1966 Inspector General of the Bundeswehr.

panish Civil War

After completing the third course at the 2nd "Luftkriegsschule" (Air Warfare School) in Berlin, Trettner joined the Condor Legion and served as adjutant and IIa to Generalmajor Hugo Sperrle and Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen during the Spanish Civil War. On 2 October 1937 he was made "Staffelkapitän" of 1./K 88. [Kurowski , p. 251.]

Post World War II

Heinrich Trettner was released as a prisoner of war in April 1948 and worked initially for the Diözesan-Caritasverband. He completed his merchant apprenticeship with "Vaupel Sohn", a glass retailer Düsseldorf, in May 1949. He then enrolled at the University of Bonn and studied Economics and Jurisprudence, and received his diploma in Economics in 1956.

Immediately after he received his diploma Heinrich Trettner then joined the Bundeswehr. He was then transferred to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe "SHAPE" in Paris serving as commander of the logistics department until 15 September 1959.

As Inspector General, Trettner apparently had a poor relationship with Karl Gumbel, the civilian Deputy Minister of Defence, and objected to taking orders from a civil servant, Gumbel, in the absence of the Minister. He was also opposed to a ruling by the Minister, in the face of a court order, that members of the military could join a union. These factors led to his resignation, which nearly coincided with that of Werner Panitzki, the chief of staff of the Luftwaffe. [cite news
url=http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1967/may-jun/hagena.html
title=Civilian Control in the German Armed Forces
author=Hermann Hagena
date=May/June 1967
work=Air University Review
publisher=United States Air Force
accessdate=2008-04-11]

Heinrich Trettner died one day before his 99th birthday. He was the last living general of the Wehrmacht.

Awards

* "Cruz de Guerra de España"
* "Medalla de la Campaña de España"
* Cuffband Crete
*Spanish Cross in Gold (6 June 1939)
*Wound Badge (1939) in Black
*Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
*Combined Pilots-Observation Badge in Gold with Diamonds
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
** Knight's Cross (24 May 1940)
** 586 Oak Leaves (17 September 1944)
* Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht
*Legion of Merit (USA)
*Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (Great Britain)
* Großoffizier des Ordens "König Georg I" (Greece)
* "Grande Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana" (Italy)
*Légion d'honneur
* "Großes Verdienstkreuz des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland mit Stern und Schulterband"

References

* Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. "Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945". Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
* Kurowski, Franz. "Knights of the Wehrmacht Knight's Cross Holders of the Fallschirmjäger". Schiffer Military. ISBN 0-88740-749-8.

External links

* [http://www.bmvg.de/portal/a/bmvg/kcxml/04_Sj9SPykssy0xPLMnMz0vM0Y_QjzKLt4w3cjcDSYGZpub6kTCxoJRUfV-P_NxUfW_9AP2C3IhyR0dFRQAebjYv/delta/base64xml/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS80SVVFLzZfOV8yRzY!?yw_contentURL=%2FC1256F1200608B1B%2FW26FBJH2372INFODE%2Fcontent.jsp Trettner @ Bundesministerium der Verteidigung]
* [http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/TrettnerH-R.htm Heinrich Trettner @ Lexikon der Wehrmacht]