Paul Bahr

Paul Bahr
Birth name	Paul Johann Theodor Bahr
Birth date	30 June 1880
Place of birth	Berlin, Province of Brandenburg, German Empire
Death date	25 August 1952 (aged 72)
Place of death	Wiesbaden, Hesse, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	Prussian Army Imperial German Army Freikorps Police Luftwaffe
Rank	Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel)
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Iron Cross House Order of Hohenzollern War Merit Cross

Paul Johann Theodor Bahr (30 June 1880 – 25 August 1952) was a German officer of the Prussian Army, the Imperial German Army, the Freikorps, the police (Polizei) and the Wehrmacht, finally Lieutenant Colonel of the Luftwaffe in WWII. He died in 1952 due to a heart attack.

Career (chronology)

• Cadet (Preußische Hauptkadettenanstalt)
• 20.3.1899 Transferred from the Cadet Corps to the Infanterie-Regiment „von der Marwitz“ (8. Pommersches) Nr. 61 in Thorn
• 1.6.1901 to 27.5.1903 Served in the 7th, 4th and 9th Company of his regiment
• 28.05.1903 After an accident / injury (Dienstbeschädigung) retired from active service and transferred to the reserves
• 1906 to 1914 Official at the Halle Railway Directorate, finally Railway Chief Secretary (Eisenbahnobersekretär)
• 15.8.1914 Activated for WWI in the Replacement Battalion/Füsilier-Regiment „General-Feldmarschall Graf Blumenthal” (Magdeburgisches) Nr. 36 in Halle
• 1.9.1914 Company Leader in the Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment 232 (50. Reserve-Division)
• 22.12.1914 Transferred to the Aviation Replacement Department 3 (Flieger-Ersatz-Abteilung 3) in Gotha; trained to be an aerial observer
• 2.2.1915 Reported to the Stage Aircraft Park 2 (Etappenflugzeugpark 2) awaiting assignment
• 4.5.1915 Provisionally assigned to the Flieger-Ersatz-Abteilung 5
• 11.5.1915 Observer in the Feldflieger-Abteilung 15 (FFA 15)
  • The battalion was assigned to the XX. Army Corps in 1914 and was mobilized in Allenstein.
• 20.12.1915 Observer in the Artillerie-Fliegerabteilung 215 (AFA 215)
• 8.10.1916 Leader of the Saxon rtillerie-Fliegerabteilung 244 (AFA 244)
• 4.12.1918 Dismissed from service
• May to July 1919 Company leader of the Kovno military police (Militärpolizei Kaunus)
• 1.11.1919 Joined the Prussian Security Police (Sicherheitspolizei; Sipo) in Marienwerder
• 20.7.1921 leader of the Aviation Monitoring Department (Luftfahrtüberwachungsabteilung) and Head of the Air Police Department of the Higher Presidium in Königsberg
• 5.7.1924 Officer with the Protection Police (Schutzpolizei) Königsberg; Traffic department head at the Königsberg police group.
• 1926 Officer with the Protection Police (Schutzpolizei) Gelsenkirchen
• Officer with the Protection Police (Schutzpolizei) Bochum
• Officer with the Protection Police (Schutzpolizei) Oberhausen
• 1.4.1933 Joined the NSDAP
• 31.3.1934 Retired
• 15.2.1938 Employed with the Luftgaukommando VII as supplemental officer candidate (E-Offizier-Anwärter)
• 13.1.1939 Case officer (Ib) in the staff of the Luftgaukommando VII (München)
  • as a supplemental officer (Ergänzungsoffizier; E)
• 1.4.1939 Case officer (Ib) in the staff of the 6. Flieger-Division (Frankfurt am Main)
• 3.10.1939 Case officer (Ib) in the staff of the II. Flakkorps
• 3.7.1940 Office officer (Ib) in the staff of the Luftflotte 4 (did not take effect)
• 6.8.1940 Sick, military hospital (Lazarett)
• 17.1.1941 Case officer (Qu 1) in the staff of the Luftgaukommando XI
• 27.4.1942 Sick again, military hospital (Lazarett)
• 22.6.1942 Assigned to the Aviation Replacement Battalion XI
• 1.11.1942 Case officer (Ib) in the 2. Jagddivision (until 28.11.1942 commanded to, afterwards officially trasferred)
  • The 2nd Fighter Division was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed 1 May 1942 in Stade The Division was disbanded on 8 May 1945. The Division was subordinated to XII. Fliegerkorps (May 1942 – September 1943), I. Jagdkorps (September 1943 – January 1945) and IX (J) Fliegerkorps (January 1945 – May 1945).
• 8.12.1942 Case officer (Ic) in the 2. Jagddivision
• 17.2.1943 Officer for special use (Offizier z. b. V.) of the Reich Minister of Aviation and Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force Hermann Göring
• 12.4.1943 Commanded to the Stalingrad task force (Arbeitsstab) at Military District Command XII as head of the Air Force department; planning for the supply mission for the benefit of the encircled and trapped Axis troops during the Battle of Stalingrad.
• 1.7.1943 Transferred to the Aviation Replacement Battalion XII (due to severe health reasons) under continued command to the task force
• 31.8.1943 Retired

Family

Paul was the son of Correspondence Secretary 1st Lieutenant (ret.) Karl Johann Bahr (1845–1895) and his wife Martha, née Spiehs (1854–1930).

Marriages

• ∞ 16 January 1911 Dorothea Weise (d. 1918)
• ∞ 17 November 1919 Xenia von Preiss (b. 1897; o¦o 10.01.1921)
• ∞ 29 August 1921 Ella Volkmann (1893–1942)
• ∞ 14 December 1942 Eva Anna Marlene Hoffmann (b. 1912)

Promotions

• 22.3 March 1899 Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
• 18 October 1900 Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant)
• 8 June 1913 Oberleutnant der Reserve (1st Lieutenant)
• 1 March 1915 Hauptmann der Reserve (Captain)
• 20 June 1921 Polizei-Major
• 27 October 1930 Polizei-Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel of the Police)
• 13 January 1939 Major (E) with rank seniority (RDA) from 1 January 1933
• 1 November 1941 Oberstleutnant (E)

Awards and decorations

• Long Service Award of the Landwehr, 2nd Class (LD2)
• Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 6 December 1914
  • 1st Class on 15 April 1916
• German Army Observer’s Badge (Abzeichen für Beobachtungsoffiziere aus Flugzeugen) on 30 June 1915
• Saxon Albrechts-Orden, Knight 1st Class with Swords (SA3a⚔) on 17 May 1918
• House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross with Swords (HOH3⚔) on 11 July 1918
• Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer on 15 November 1934
• Sudetenland Medal (Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938)
• Wehrmacht Long Service Awards (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th to 1st Class on 1 September 1939
• War Merit Cross (1939), 2nd Class with Swords on 1 September 1941