Weitkus, Paul.

Weitkus, Paul, born 17-10-1898 in Miswalde, East Prussia, son of Wilhelm Weitkus, who died age 62, in 1935 and Martha Weitkus, born Richter, who died age 71, in 1941, joined the Army, age 18, on 17-11-1916, as a recruit in the 150^th Infantry Regiment . Weitkus was retired on 31-03-1920 and entered the Police Service as a Oberwachtmeister and Police Aspirant in Potsdam. He was transferred on 01-08-1935 to Hermann Göring´s

(did you know) Luftwaffe  as an instructor at the Luftwaffe Sport School in Spandau, until 30-09-1937. Goering’s ashes were scattered from the Reichenbachbrücke in Munich. With the beginning of World War II he was the Group Commander in Bomber Wing 257 and following the Commander of III Group in Bomber Wing 252, until 14-12-1940. His opponent were Bomber Harris´s Royal Air Force . From 15-12-1940 to 13-06-1944, shortly after D-Day , Normandy, he was Commodore of Bomber Wing 53 . More than 40 German divisions were destroyed during the Battle of Normandy. No exact figures are available, but historians estimate that the battle cost the German forces a total of around 450.000 men, of whom 240.000 were killed or wounded. The Allies had achieved this blow at a cost of 209.672 casualties among the ground forces, including 36.976 killed and 19.221 missing. In addition, 16.714 Allied airmen were killed or went missing in direct connection with Operation Overlord.

Until 09-03-1945 Weitkus was the Flying Leader in Albania. Weitkus ended the war as commander of Air Fleet Troops of Air Fleet 4 , under command of Generaloberst Otto Dessloch, until he was captured, on 08-05-1945, After a imprisonment in the Officer Island Park Camp  in England, he was released in 1947.

After his release Weitkus lived in Arnsberg, where he at the age of 76 died, on 09-11-1974. Paul Weitkus is buried with parents and wife Edith, born Rosenfeld, who died age 79, in 1984, on the cemetery Eichholzstrasse, in Arnsberg.

  

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