Milch, Erhard, 1892-1972

Erhard Milch (is this the same person as Erich Milch on your list? Can find nothing for Erich Milch) (b. March 30, 1892, Wilhelmshaven, Germany-d. Jan. 25, 1972, Düsseldorf, Germany), German Field Marshal, enlisted in the Germany Army in 1910, later transferred to the Air Service, and was appointed to command a fighter squadron in 1918. Although he resigned from the military in 1921 to pursue a career in civil aviation, in 1933 he took a position as State Secretary of the newly-formed Reich's Aviation Ministry, answering directly to Hermann Göring. Because his father was a Jew, Milch was investigated by the Gestapo, but he was issued a German Blood Certificate and prompted Göring's quote, “I decide who is a Jew.” Field Marshal Milch was instrumental in established the Luftwaffe, but was blamed for the loss of German air superiority as World War II progressed as he was in charge of plane production. He was captured by Allied forces in May 1945 and later tried as a war criminal, serving only seven years in a Landsberg prison.