Helmuth Wilberg is a German officer who currently serves as State Secretary of the German Airforce.
History[]
Early years and rise through the ranks[]
Wilberg was born to a Jewish mother and a Christan father. He went to a gymnasium for his secondary education and finished his Abitur in 1898. Due to Kaiserin Auguste Viktoria's liking towards Wilberg's family, he managed to join the army and began training with the 80. Fusilier Regiment "von Gersorff" on 18 April, 1899, later being promoted to leutnant on 27 January, 1900. In 1906, he started working as an instructor at cadet schools located in Naumburg and Lichterfelde, and he later received a special assignment as military tutor of the relatives of the Kaiser.
After being accepted at the General Staff Academy in 1910 he became one of the first pilots in Germany, and three years later he joined the Luftstreitkräfte , becoming the adjutant of the aviation branch.
Service during the Weltkrieg[]
As commanding officer of 11. Feldfliegerabteilung, and later commander of the air units that supported the First and Fourth armies, Wilberg pioneered the use of ground support tactics, emphazising on coordinating strikes with the infantry via the use of radios. His tactics proved useful most notably during the Battle of Flanders in 1917.
After the Weltkrieg, Wilberg became State Secretary of the German Airforce.