Erhard Milch

Erhard Milch
Milch in March 1942
Born	(1892-03-30)30 March 1892 Wilhelmshaven, Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, German Empire
Died	25 January 1972(1972-01-25) (aged 79) Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire  Weimar Republic  Nazi Germany
Branch	Imperial German Army Luftstreitkräfte Luftwaffe
Years of service	1910–1922 1933–1945
Rank	Generalfeldmarschall
Commands held	Luftflotte 5 Jägerstab
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Battle of Britain Norwegian campaign
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Relations	Werner Milch (brother)

Erhard Milch (30 March 1892 – 25 January 1972) was a German Generalfeldmarschall (field marshal) who oversaw the development of the German air force (Luftwaffe) as part of the re-armament of Nazi Germany (1933-1945) following World War I (1914-1918). He served as State Secretary in the Reich Ministry of Aviation from May 1933 until June 1944 and as Inspector General of the air force from February 1939 to January 1945. During most of World War II he was in charge of German aircraft production and supply. In the Milch Trial of 1947, a U.S. military court convicted Milch of war crimes and of crimes against humanity, sentencing him to life imprisonment. However, in 1951 John J. McCloy, the U. S. High Commissioner for Germany, commuted Milch's sentence to 15 years. Paroled in 1954, Milch died in 1972.