Pohl, Maximillian “Max” Ritter von.

Pohl, Maximillian “Max” Ritter von, born 15-04-1893 in Munich the son of the bookseller and commercial advisor Eduard Pohl and his wife Maria, born Schmidt. After graduating from the humanistic Wilhelmsgymnasium in Munich, Maximillian entered the Army Service, age 19, on 01-10- 1912 as a Fahnenjunker with the 7^th Königlich Bayerisches Feldartillerie-Regiment „Prinzregent Luitpold“ . He was promoted to Leutnant on 01-08-1914 and in the fields with this Regiment. MAX received the Königlich Bayerische Militär Max-Josef-Orden  and came in the nobility and was allowed the title Leutnant Ritter von Pohl. He was wounded in the fields and awarded with the Wounded Badge  and both the Iron Crosses . After the war he joined the Free Corps Franz Ritter von Epp

  and allowed in the new Reichswehr. On 01-04-1935 he was transferred to Hermann Göring’s  (did you know) Luftwaffe as an Oberstleutnant and on 01-01-1936 he became an Oberst. With the beginning of World War II he was the Chief of the General Staff of the 3^rd Air Fleet until June 1940. Assigned as Chief of Signal Staff with the Königlich Italian Luftwaffe  and promoted to Generalleutnant on 01-08–1941.  Pohl here with Field Marshal Wolfram von Richthofen   was appointed as Luftwaffe Attache at the German Embassy in Rome. Begin October 1941 he was again assigned with his position with the Italian High Command and soon as General of the Luftwaffe with the Königliche Italian High Command. Appointed to General of the Flieger on 01-02-1942 and lost his position in Rome on 30-07-1943. He now became the Commanding General of the Herman Göring’s German Luftwaffe   in Italy Centre and at the same time Commander of the Commando Troops of the 2^nd Air Fleet. He was awarded now with the German Cross in Gold on 07-02-1944 and was mentioned in the Wehrmacht Report for bravery leading in the battles south of Rome. He received the Iron Cross of the Iron Cross on 15-06-1944 and became the Commanding General of the Luftwaffe Forces in Italy.

Death and burial ground of Pohl, Maximillian, “Max” Ritter von.

With the capitulation in the south area he landed in American captivity on 02-05-1945 and released in 1947. Till his death on 26-07-1951, age 58, he was the manager of the Bavarian Publishing House and Bookshop Union. Pohl is buried on the Stadtfriedhof of Pöcking and his grave and gravestone are now for new owners. Only steps away the grave of “famous” SS Obergruppenführer, Hauptabteilungsleiter im SD-Hauptamt, Reinard Höhn. The propaganda film maker, Leni Riefenstahl

lived till her old age of 101 in Pöcking.

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