How to Pronounce Hugo Sperrle
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Feb 07, 1885 Ludwigsburg, Baden Württemberg, Germany Died on 02 Apr 1953 (aged 68)
German general
AquariusHugo Sperrle - Place of Birth, Date of Birth, Age, Wiki, Facts, Net Worth, Birthday, Biography and Family
Hugo Sperrle, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Family, Facts, Age, Net Worth, Biography and More in FamedBorn.com
About Hugo Sperrle
- Hugo Sperrle (7 February 1885 – 2 April 1953) was a German military aviator in World War I and a Generalfeldmarschall in the Luftwaffe during World War II. Born in 1885 Sperrle joined the Imperial German Army in 1903.
- He served in the artillery upon the outbreak of World War I.
- In 1914 he joined the Luftstreitkräfte as an observer then trained as a pilot.
- Sperrle ended the war at the rank of Hauptmann (Captain) in command of an aerial reconnaissance attachment of a field army. In the inter-war period Sperrle was appointed to the General Staff in the Reichswehr, serving the Weimar Republic in the aerial warfare branch.
- In 1934 after Nazi Party seized power, Sperrle was promoted to Generalmajor (Brigadier General) and transferred from the army to the Luftwaffe.
- Sperrle was given command of the Condor Legion in November 1936 and fought with the expeditionary force in the Spanish Civil War until October 1937.
- The Legion attracted global attention for the ruthless bombing of towns and cities in Spain. Sperrle was appointed as commanding officer of Luftwaffengruppenkommando 3 (Air Force Group Command 3) the forerunner of Luftflotte 3 (Air Fleet 3) in February 1938.
- Sperrle was used during the Anschluss and Czech crisis by the Nazi leadership to threaten other governments with bombardment.
- Sperrle attended several important meetings with Austrian and Czech leaders for this purpose upon the invitation of Adolf Hitler. In September 1939 World War II began with the invasion of Poland.
- Sperrle and his air fleet served exclusively on the Western Front.
- He played a crucial role in the Battle of France and Battle of Britain in 1940.
- In 1941 Sperrle directed operations during The Blitz over Britain.
- From mid-1941 his air fleet became the sole command in the west.
- Through 1941 and 1942 he defended German-occupied Europe against the Royal Air Force, and from 1943 and the United States Army Air Force.
- Sperrle's command was depleted in the battles of attrition forced on him by the Combined Bomber Offensive. By mid-1944 Sperrle's air fleet had been reduced to impotence and it could not repel the Allied landings in Western Europe.
- As a consequence, Sperrle was dismissed to the Führerreserve and never held a senior command again.
- On 1 May 1945 he was captured by the British.
- After the war, he was charged with war crimes at the High Command Trial but was acquitted.
- Sperrle died in 1953 aged 68.
