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**Rick Research** · 03-07-2002, 02:32 PM

Interesting--this is news to me, Dave. Milch I knew about. There were a couple of Admirals in the same situation. You have to wonder what these men thought they were doing, serving the Third Reich.

You're right, Prussian Crown Order 4th Class, then Prussian XXV years service cross (WWI counted double). You'd have to know he had one to see the rim of his Turkish War Medal star under the right pocket. Oddly enough, his Reichsheer Ranglisten entries incorrectly list his Bulgarian award as the Bravery Order Class IVb, not the Military Merit Order Officer with War Decoration as shown here. His HHOX was gazetted 10 November 1917. He received the Bavarian MMO 4X 15 May 1916.

Wilberg's services were actually in flying training and briefly 1937-38 with the Condor Legion. He was discharged from the air force 31 March 1938, too close to the February 1938 purge of "unreliable" army officers for this to have been entirely coincidental timing. He was recalled for training command duties again once the war started, and "died in an air crash" 1941.

**Dave Danner** · 03-07-2002, 03:35 PM

From a quick Yahoo! search, it seems there are some USAF history studies that credit Wilberg with working with von Seeckt on doctrinal matters, and being the "father", as it were, of the Luftwaffe's close air support doctrine in Blitzkrieg operations.

I would surmise that of those Mischlinge who actually knew of their Jewish ancestry, many allowed patriotism, self-interest, naivete and other motives to blind themselves to the true nature of the regime. In that sense they weren't much different than "full" Germans.

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German Jewish officer's photo

German Jewish officer's photo

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