Josef Kamhuber

German air force general.

He was born into a farmer’s family. In 1914, at the age of 18, he volunteered for the army, served in the 2nd Bavarian Sapper Battalion, and from 1915 served in infantry units. In 1917, he was promoted to lieutenant and awarded the Iron Cross of the 2nd and 1st classes for his military services.

After demobilization, he remained in the Reichswehr. In 1926, he took courses as an officer of the General Staff in Stettin and Berlin. In 1930, he was sent to the USSR, where he underwent secret flight training at the Lipetsk Aviation School. From 1933, he served in the Ministry of Aviation as head of the organizational management department.

In 1937, he served as the head of the operational department of the headquarters of the 2nd Aviation District. From November 1937, he served in the Command Department of the Imperial Ministry of Aviation, and then as a department head in the General Staff.

On March 21, 1940, he was appointed commander of KG51, a bomber unit. He was shot down over Paris in his Ju 88A and taken prisoner. He was released after the surrender of France and soon appointed commander of the 1st Night Fighter Division. On July 9, 1941, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.

In 1941, the 12th Aviation Corps was created on the basis of the division, and Kammhuber was appointed Inspector General of Night Fighter Aviation. He organized a unified system of night air defense, which became known as the “Kammhuber Line,” which included radar stations, searchlights, anti-aircraft artillery, and night fighters. On September 15, 1943, he was relieved of the post of corps commander, and on November 15, he was relieved of the post of inspector general. On November 27, he was appointed commander of the 5th Air Force in Norway and Northern Finland.

In June 1945, he was arrested. In 1948, he was released after the denazification process. He served in the German Air Force. He is the author of several works on the confrontation between German air defense forces and Allied aircraft.