Alexander Löhr

Alexander Löhr (20 May 1885 – 26 February 1947) was an Austrian Air Force (Österreichische Luftstreitkräfte) commander during the 1930s and, after the "Political Union of Germany and Austria" (Anschluss), he was a German Air Force (Luftwaffe) commander. Löhr served in the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. Löhr was one of three former Austrians who rose to the rank of Generaloberst (Colonel General) within the German Wehrmacht. The other two were Erhard Raus and Lothar Rendulic.

Early years
Löhr was born in Turnu-Severin, Kingdom of Romania to the family of a naval captain from Mainz and a nurse of Russian descent. His parents raised him in the Greek Uniate faith.

Early career
Löhr served as Platoon Commander of a Pioneer battalion in the 85th Infantry Regiment of the Austro-Hungarian army in World War I.

By 1921 Löhr had reached the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel (Oberstleutnant). Between 1921 and 1934 he held many staff positions in the military, including Director of the Air Force in the Federal Armies Ministry. In 1934, he was made Commander of the small Austrian Air Force, a position which he held until the Anschluss in 1938.

Luftwaffe
On 15 March 1938, Löhr was transferred to the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) where he became commander of the German Air Force in Austria. By then he had been promoted to Lieutenant-General (Generalleutnant). He was commander of Luftflotte (Air Fleet) 4 in the East from May 1939 until June 1942. Luftflotte 4 carried out the bombing of Warsaw, Poland in September 1939 and of Belgrade, Yugoslavia in April 1941. Löhr had developed a plan to bomb Belgrad with incendiary bombs first, that the fires help the nightly second attack to find the targets. This costs thousands of people their lives.

He was promoted to Colonel General effective 3 May 1941. Löhr commanded the 12th Army from July 12, 1942 through to December 1942.

From 1 January to 23 August 1943, Löhr was Commander-in-Chief of the South East. He was also the Commander-in-Chief of Army Group E from 1 January up to the end of the war. As Commander-in-Chief of Army Group E, Löhr oversaw the successful Dodecanese Campaign. He surrendered on 9 May 1945 to Yugoslav Partisans at Topolšica, Slovenia, Yugoslavia.

Imprisonment, trial, and death
Löhr was imprisoned by the Yugoslavs from 15 May 1945 to 26 February 1947. He was found guilty of war crimes, and executed on 26 February 1947. Specifically, Lohr was executed by firing squad in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, for his role as the commander of the Luftwaffe units involved in the Bombing of Belgrade in 1941.

Portrayal in right wing publications
In 2004 an abstract of his biography was published in the book Helden der Wehrmacht - Unsterbliche deutsche Soldaten [Heroes of the Wehrmacht - Immortal German soldiers]. This abstract whitewashes his role in the war crimes and depicts him as victim of unjust Allied victor's justice. This book was classified as a far-right wing publication by Claudia Fröhlich and Horst-Alfred Heinrich.

Decorations

 * Iron Cross (1939) 1st and 2nd Classes
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
 * Knight's Cross on 30 September 1939 as General der Flieger and chief of Luftflotte 4
 * 705th Oak Leaves on 20 January 1945 as Generaloberst and commander-in-chief of Heeresgruppe E
 * Austro-Hungarian Order of Franz Joseph, Knight's Cross with War Decoration
 * Austro-Hungarian Military Merit Cross 3rd Class with War Decoration and Swords
 * Austro-Hungarian Bronze Military Merit Medal ("Signum Laudis") on the War Ribbon with Swords
 * Austro-Hungarian Silver Military Merit Medal ("Signum Laudis") on the War Ribbon with Swords
 * Austro-Hungarian Wound Medal with four stripes (four wounds)
 * Bavarian Military Merit Order 4th Class with Swords
 * Mentioned eleven times in the Wehrmachtbericht (12 April 1941, 23 April 1941, 8 August 1941, 11 October 1941, 12 October 1941, 19 May 1942, 20 May 1942, 30 May 1942, 26 June 1944, 19 January 1945 and 9 May 1945)