Bieneck, Hellmuth.

Bieneck, Hellmuth, born 07-11-1887 in Krotoschin, Province of Posen, joined the Army on 27-03-1907 as a Fahnenjunker with the 4^th Schlesische Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 157.   He was promoted to Fähnrich on 18-11-1907, age 20 and to Leutnant on 18-08-1908. He was assigned as company leader of the 9^th Westpreußischen Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 176 . On 01-06-1913 he was transferred to the Fliegertruppe for a pilot training  in Leipzig until September 1913 and connected to the Flyer Battalion Nr.1 in Döberitz. With the begin of the first war he was a pilot with the Fortress Posen Flyer Department, following as pilot with the Field Flyer Department Nr 36 and promoted to Oberleutnant on 18-11-1914. Promoted to Hauptmann on 18-04-1916 with the command of the 301^st Flyer Squadron in Palästina. He received the Iron Cross I and II Classe and the Ritterkreuz des Königlichen Hausordens von Hohenzollern with Schwertern, and the Österreichischen Militärverdienstkreuz III. Classe with the Kriegsdekoration . Returning home he joined the new Reichswehr on the military airfield in Brieg from 1919 until September 1920. From October 1920 he was connected as Chief of the 10^th Company to the 16^th Infantry Regiment. Promoted to Major on 01-04-1929 and retired from the service on 30-04-1929 and the next day he was as civilian appointed as leader of the secret pilot training in Lipezk near Moscow. He hold this position until 01-10-1929 and was transferred to the Reichswehrministerium RWM in Berlin as leader of the secret pilot training and again in Lipzek from 03-10-1930. After his return to Germany he again from 04-10-1930 until 04-04-1932 was the leader of the secret pilot training and from 05-07-1932 appointed as leader of the Group V of the German Passenger Flyer School in Braunschweig. Assigned from 01-03-1934 as Flyer Vize Commander, as Oberstleutnant now. He joined the new Hermann Goering Wehrmacht Luftwaffe  from 01-04-1934 as Inspector of the Flyer Schools in the Reichsluftfahrtministerium until the end of March 1935. Promoted to Oberst on 25-08-1939 and Chief of Staff of the Flyer Schools and Flyer Weapon Schools until end September 1936. Promoted to Generalmajor from 01-01-1938 and Higher Flight Command 5 until 01-07-1938 as he was transferred to the Staff of the 4^th Luftwaffe Division until end January 1939. When the Sudeten Crises came to a head and with the threat of a conflict between Germany and Czechoslovakia his division together with the 3^rd Luftwaffe Division had to prepare for counterattacks of the West allied forces. He was relieved of his command on 01-02-1939 en replaced by General der Flieger Alfred “Iron Keller” Keller  and appointed to commander of the Higher Luftwaffe Schools in Berlin Gatow  until 24-08-1939.

With the general mobilisation, Bieneck from 25-08-1939 was assigned as Commander of the Luftwaffe  with Army Group C, under Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb  which division during the invasion of Poland secured the West border with France. Bieneck was appointed as Commander of the Luftwaffe with the Army Group B, under Generalfeldmarschall Fedor von Bock, but at the end of the year already released. Promoted to Generalleutnant on 01-01-1940 and until 16-02-1941 Commander of the Higher Luftwaffe Schools. On 17-02-1941 appointed as Commanding General and Commander of the Air Region II in Posen and in this position promoted to General der Flieger and released on 15-01-1943 and landed in the not popular Führer Reserve until 06-04-1943 and awarded with the German Cross in Silber. He became the Commander of the Air Region of Königsberg, at the end of the war defended by General der Infantry Otto Lasch    until 09-08-1944 and again in the Führer Reserve. Bieneck was retired from the Army on 31-12-1944, age 57, not useful for Hitler warfare anymore.

Death and burial ground of Bieneck, Hellmuth.

Consequently he was not taken prisoner of war and retired in Cologne. Hellmuth Bieneck died at the age of 84 on 08-03-1984 in Cologne and is buried on the Melaten cemetery of Cologne, but alas his gravestone is removed.