August-Albert Ploch

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August-Albert Ploch
August-Albert Ploch, Generalmajor.jpg
Dipl.-Ing. Major Ploch
Birth date 2 August 1894 (1894-08-02)
Place of birth Brandenburg, Landkreis Heiligenbeil, Regierungsbezirk Königsberg, Province of East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date 27 August 1967 (1967-08-28) (aged 73)
Place of death Lörrach, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
Allegiance  German Empire
 Weimar Republic
 National Socialist Germany
Service/branch Iron Cross of the Luftstreitkräfte.png Imperial German Army
War Ensign of the Reichswehr, 1919 - 1935.png Reichswehr
Wimpel des Deutschen Luftsportverbandes.png DLV
Luftwaffe eagle.jpg Luftwaffe
Years of service 1914–1918
1919–1933
1933–1935
1935–1942
Rank Major General
Battles/wars World War I
World War II
Awards House Order of Hohenzollern

August-Albert Ploch (also August Albert; 2 August 1894 – 27 August 1967) was a German officer of the Imperial German Army, the Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht, finally Generalmajor of the Luftwaffe in WWII.

Military career (chronology)

Dipl.-Ing. August Ploch, young.jpg
Dipl.-Ing. August Ploch II.jpg
Dipl.-Ing. August Ploch.jpg
Ernst Udet (right) with Erhard Milch (left) on 26 April 1941 (birthday celebration organized by Ploch)
August-Albert Ploch in der Nachkriegszeit.jpg
  • 2 August 1914 Entered the Army as a War Volunteer with the Feldartillerie-Regiment "General-Feldzeugmeister" (2. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 18
    • 3 August 1914 sworn-in
    • Officer-Aspirant, Company, then Battery Officer in the 44th Reserve-Field-Artillery-Regiment, in the 4th then 6th Foot-Artillery-Regiments (Aug 1914-14 Nov 1916)
      • Reserve-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 44, Fußartillerie-Regiment "Encke" (Magdeburgisches) Nr. 4 and Schlesisches Fußartillerie-Regiment "von Dieskau" Nr. 6
    • 24 October 1914 wounded
    • 2 September 1916 Batterieoffizier
  • Flying-Training with the 11th Flying-Replacement-Battalion / Flieger-Ersatz-Abteilung 11 (15 Nov 1916-26 Mar 1917)
  • Observer with the 202nd Flying-Battalion / Flieger-Abteilung 202 (27 Mar 1917-27 Apr 1918)
    • 21 April 1918 shot down and wounded
  • With the 5th Flying-Replacement-Battalion / Flieger-Ersatz-Abteilung 5 of the Fliegertruppe (28 Apr 1918-09 Jun 1919)
  • With the Air-Bases Hannover, Cottbus and Paderborn (10 Jun 1919-01 May 1920)
  • With the 6th Motor-Transport-Column / 1. Kraftfahr-Kolonne 6 (02 May 1920-26 Sep 1920)
  • Battery-Officer in the 6th Artillery-Regiment / 6. (Preußisches) Artillerie-Regiment (27 Sep 1920-31 Mar 1921)
  • Placed to the Disposal of the 1st Artillery-Regiment / 1. (Preußisches) Artillerie-Regiment in Allenstein (01 Apr 1921-31 Mar 1928)
    • 1922 completed training as a Bild-Offizier (photo officer)
  • Studying at the Technical College / Technische Universität in Charlottenburg (1 October 1922 to 31 March 1927)
    • 1925 A 2 pilot's license
    • in 1927, he received his diploma as a graduate engineer (Dipl.-Ing.)
  • With the Staff of the 3rd Artillery-Regiment / 3. (Preußisches) Artillerie-Regiment in Potsdam (01 Apr 1928-31 Mar 1929)
  • Advisor in the Army Weapons Office / Heeres-Waffen-Amt (WaA), Reichswehrministerium in Berlin (01 Apr 1929-31 Aug 1933)
    • After the restructuring of his higher-level office, he was assigned to the Statistical Group (Wa Prw 8) from spring 1931 at the latest.
    • In 1932, he also took part in the Rhön gliding competition[1]
    • 15 July 1932 B 1 (land) and K 1 pilot's license
    • 30 August with effect of 31 August 1933 discharged from army service
  • Transferred into the Luftwaffe as Advisor (Referent) in the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (01 Sep 1933-30 Jun 1934)
    • 1 May to 31 May 1934 Bomber Flight School Lechfeld
    • 1 June to 30 June 1934 commanded to the Deutsche Lufthansa für duty and further training
  • Squadron-Captain (Staffelkapitän) in Bomber-Wing 252 / Kampfgeschwader 252 (01 Jul 1934-31 Mar 1935)
    • 6 August 1934 newly sworn-in
    • 1 March 1935 after the air force was "unmasked", officially taken-over by the Luftwaffe from the DLV
  • Commander of Flying-Group Tutow / Fliegergruppe Tutow (01 Apr 1935-31 Jan 1936)
  • Transferred to the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (14 January with effect from 1 February 1936)
  • Department-Chief in the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (appointed 10 February with effect from 1 April 1936)
  • Chief of Staff of the General-Air-Equipment-Master, RLM (01 Aug 1938-30 Sep 1941)
    • Chef des Stabes (Chef der Chefgruppe) des Generalluftzeugmeisters
      • On 21 August 1940, he was ordered to temporary duty to Gruppe Luftwaffe/Waffenstillstandskommission Wiesbaden (Armistice Commission after the Battle of France)
      • On 26 April 1941, he was the organizer and one of many guests (among them Generalstabsingenieur Roluf Lucht, Raven von Barnekow, Dr. Brühl, Walter Angermünd and Lieutenant Colonel Max Pendele) at Ernst Udet's 45th birthday celebration.
        • Among the congratulates was also a messenger from the University of Munich, presenting Generalluftzeugmeister Udet with a honorary doctorate (Dr.-Ing. h. c.).
  • Chief of Staff (Chef des Stabes) of Air-Region-Command II / Luftgau-Kommando II in Posen under Generalleutnant Hellmuth Bieneck (01 Oct 1941-30 Nov 1942)
  • Retired after having differences with Erhard Milch (30 Nov 1942)

Family

August was the son of Protestant Lutheran Medical Council (Medizinalrat) Dr. med. Conrad Friedrich Magnus Ploch (b. 23 December 1857; d. 15 June 1921 in Berlin) and his wife (∞ 31 October 1892) Anna Margarete Pauline Else Gertrud, née Rosenow (b. 19 July 1874; d. 1 March 1921 in Freienwalde).

Marriage

On 14 December 1929 in Berlin, Captain Ploch married is fiancée Helene Gertrud König (b. 30 March 1902 in Lodz), daughter of factory owner Carl König. They would have three daughters:

  • Jutta (b. 17 February 1931 in Berlin)
  • Karin-Alexandra (b. 10 December 1933 in Berlin-Tempelhof)
  • Christiane Annemarie Irene (b. 10 June 1937 in Berlin)

Promotions

  • 2 August 1914 Kriegsfrewilliger (War Volunteer)[2]
  • 4 February 1915 Gefreiter (Private E-2 / Lance Corporal)
  • 23 April 1915 Unteroffizier (NCO / Corporal / Junior Sergeant)
  • 27 January 1916 Vizefeldwebel (Vice Sergeant / Vice Staff Sergeant)
  • 2 September 1916 Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
    • appointed as such (ernannt) and commissioned on the same day
  • 2 September 1916 Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant) without Patent
    • 12 December 1918 received Patent from 10 September 1914
    • 1 July 1922 received Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1 April 1914 (35)
  • 15 September 1923 Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant) with effect and RDA from 1 September 1923 (1)
  • 10 April 1928 Hauptmann (Captain) with RDA from 1 April 1928 (31)
  • 1 September 1933 DLV-Fliegerkapitän (Captain)
    • DLV ranks were awarded because the air force was still "camouflaged".
  • 1 August 1934 DLV-Fliegerkommandant (Major) with effect from 1 May 1934
    • 26 February 1935 officially renamed Major with effect from 1 March 1935 and RDA from 1 May 1934 (1)
  • 16 March 1936 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel) with effect and RDA from 1 March 1936 (12)
  • 1 June 1938 Oberst (Colonel)
  • 1 August 1940 Generalmajor (Major General)

Awards and decorations

Sources

  • German Federal Archives: BArch PERS 6/1732 and RL 5/1229

References

  1. ↑ Zeitschrift Flugsport Heft 17/1932
  2. ↑ Ploch, Dipl. Ing. August-Albert
  3. ↑ Rangliste des Deutschen Reichsheeres, 1931, p. 144
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