Meister, Rudolf

Meister, Rudolf, born 01-08-1897 in Cologne, enlisted at the outbreak of World War I as a cadet, age 17, on 16-08-1914 in the Fusilier Regiment “Queen Victoria by Sweden” Nr. 34. In November 1914, he was wounded at his stand at the front, and came after his recovery on 05-01-1915 in the 6^th Westpreußische Infantry Regiment No. 149. There, he was promoted to Leutnant on 22-03-1915. From 23-12-1915 to 11-08-1916, he was assigned as Company Commander, his root Regiment and graduated an artillery observer course following until 30-10-1916. End of the war, Meister was then used as air observer. After the war he was commanding at the flight school in Stolp and transferred in the Reichswehr.  Here, it was used until September 1923 as a company officer in the 4^th Infantry Regiment. Then, a course on training of leaders, was carried out until 30-06-1925. On 31-07-1925, he was promoted to First Leutnant and was his service with the 4^th Infantry Regiment. Meister was placed on disposal on 01-09-1927 and assigned on 31-03-1928, to participate in the secret German Air Force training program in the Soviet Union. On 01-05-1931 he was as a Captain in the 5^th Infantry Regiment reactivated and used from October 1931 until March 1933 as a company commander. Then came his transfer to the Reich Defense Ministry to Berlin, Josef Goebbels  (did you know) was the Gauleiter of Berlin, on 01-09-1933 conversion to the Luftwaffe  and the appointment as the Chief of Staff of the Flying Schools in Goering’s   (did you know) Reichsluftfahrtministerium.

  On 01-05-1935, he was promoted first to major and on 01-08-1937 to Leutnant Colonel. After the start of World War II, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the 1^st Flying Corps on 18-12- 1939. He was Chief of Luftwaffe leadership staff, later Commanding General of the Luftwaffe in Denmark, and of 04-09-1943 to Commander of the IV. Air Corps in 1943. When Allied bomber began after their attacks on Germany, no longer return to England, but landed on Soviet-occupied territory, then shuttle, shuttle-bombing, once again German aim to bomb and then again fly to England, he developed a plan to attack this aircraft on less protected airports in the East. In the night of 22-06-1944, succeeded German combat aircraft under his command 43 American bombers and 15 fighters in Poltava, without own losses, on the ground to destroy.  After the dissolution of the IV. Air Corps  at the end of 1944 until the end of the war, he was Chief of the Luftwaffe Personnel Office. 

Death and burial ground of Meister, Rudolf.

With the German total surrender on 08-05-1945, he landed in an American prisoner of war camp, from which he was released in 1948, retiring in Hanover, Meister died at the age of 61, on 11-09-1958 and is buried with his wife Ingeborg, born Kamin, who died age 74, on 07-02-1979, on the cemetery Nackenberg, a suburb of Hanover.