{{Short description|German general (1890–1979)}} {{Infobox military person |name = Karl Bodenschatz |birth_date = {{birth date|1890|12|10|df=y}} |death_date = {{death date and age|1979|8|25|1890|12|10|df=y}} |birth_place = [[Rehau]], [[Bavaria]], [[German Empire]] |death_place = [[Erlangen]], [[Bavaria]], [[West Germany]] |image = |caption = |nickname = |allegiance = {{plainlist| * [[German Empire]] * [[Weimar Republic]] * [[Nazi Germany]] }} |branch = ''[[Bavarian Army]]''<br/>''[[Luftstreitkräfte]]''<br/>''[[Reichswehr]]''<br/>''[[Luftwaffe]]'' |service_years = 1910–1945 |rank = ''[[General der Flieger]]'' |commands = |unit = |battles = [[World War I]]<br/>[[World War II]] |awards = }}
'''Karl-Heinrich Bodenschatz''' (10 December 1890 – 25 August 1979) was a [[Nazi Germany|German]] general who was the [[adjutant]] to [[Manfred von Richthofen]] in [[World War I]] and the liaison officer between [[Hermann Göring]] and [[Adolf Hitler]] in [[World War II]].
== Biography ==
===Early life and First World War=== Bodenschatz was born in [[Rehau]], [[Kingdom of Bavaria]] in 1890. He enlisted in the Royal Bavarian 8th Infantry Regiment (''Königlich Bayerisches 8. Infanterie-Regiment „Großherzog Friedrich II. von Baden“'') and was a cadet at the War Academy in [[Metz]]. He was commissioned a ''Leutnant'' on 28 October 1912. Following the [[German entry into World War I]] he saw active infantry service on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] and participated in the [[Battle of Verdun]]. After being wounded four times, in 1916 he transferred to the Deutsche ''[[Luftstreitkräfte]]''. He served as an adjutant in ''[[Jagdstaffel 2]]'' ("Jasta Boelcke") and then in ''[[Jagdgeschwader 1 (World War I)|Jagdgeschwader 1]]'' based at [[Avesnes-le-Sec|Avesnes-le-sac]]. He was adjutant to [[Manfred von Richthofen]] and later, after the deaths of Manfred von Richthofen and his successor [[Wilhelm Reinhard (pilot)|Wilhelm Reinhard]], to [[Hermann Göring]], who took over command of the fighter wing in June 1918.<ref name="BArch PERS 6/83">German Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv), Luftwaffe Personalakte von Karl Bodenschatz, BArch PERS 6/83</ref>
===Between the wars=== After the war, Bodenschatz was carried over into the ''[[Reichswehr]]'' as a regular officer and served in the 21st (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment from 1919 until April 1933.<ref name="BArch PERS 6/83"/> He had maintained a friendship with Göring and joined the [[Luftwaffe]] as his military adjutant, serving in this capacity until 1938, visiting Britain in November 1938.<ref>Hansard 28 November 1938</ref> In 1939, he warned the Polish military attaché in Berlin that [[Invasion of Poland|Nazi Germany was planning to invade Poland]] by the end of the year.<ref>Bouverie, Tim (2019). ''Appeasement: Chamberlain, Hitler, Churchill, and the Road to War'' (1 ed.). New York: [[Tim Duggan Books]]. p. 341. {{ISBN|978-0-451-49984-4}}. {{OCLC|1042099346}}.</ref> [[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-E10796, Polen, Kartenbesprechung.jpg|thumb|180px| Left to right: Karl Bodenschatz, [[Walter von Reichenau]] and [[Wilhelm Keitel]] in 1939.]]
===Second World War=== During World War II he was the liaison officer between Hitler's headquarters and the Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe until he was seriously injured in 1944 by the [[20 July plot]] bomb at the [[Wolf's Lair]] headquarters in [[Rastenburg]], [[East Prussia]]. He was fortunate to survive the explosion as two officers immediately to his left and one to his right were killed.
===Post-war=== He was captured at [[Reichenhall]] on 5 May 1945 and served two years in prison. In 1946 he was called as a witness at the [[Nuremberg Trials]] of major [[German war crimes|Nazi war criminals]]. He died in [[Erlangen]], [[West Germany]], in 1979, aged 88.
==Decorations and awards== * [[Kingdom of Bavaria]]: ** [[Military Merit Order (Bavaria)|Military Merit Order]], 4th Class with Swords (18 October 1914)<ref name="BArch PERS 6/83"/> ** Prince Regent Luitpold Medal on the Ribbon of the Jubilee Medal for the Bavarian Army (3 March 1911)<ref name="BArch PERS 6/83"/> ** Observer's Badge (6 September 1918)<ref name="BArch PERS 6/83"/> * [[Kingdom of Prussia]]: ** [[Iron Cross]] 2nd Class (10 October 1914)<ref name="BArch PERS 6/83"/> ** Iron Cross 1st class (13 December 1915)<ref name="BArch PERS 6/83"/> ** Flyer's Commemorative Badge (13 May 1919)<ref name="BArch PERS 6/83"/> * [[Grand Duchy of Baden]]: [[Order of the Zähringer Lion]], Knight's Cross 2nd Class with Swords (6 October 1914)<ref name="BArch PERS 6/83"/> * [[German Empire]]: [[Wound Badge]] in Silver (''mattweiß'') (1 August 1918)<ref name="BArch PERS 6/83"/> * [[Ottoman Empire]]: [[Gallipoli Star (Ottoman Empire)|War Medal]] ("Iron Crescent") (13 November 1917)<ref name="BArch PERS 6/83"/> * [[Nazi Germany]]: ** [[Wehrmacht Long Service Award]], 4th to 1st class (2 October 1936)<ref name="BArch PERS 6/83"/> ** [[German Olympic Decoration]], 1st Class (1 December 1936)<ref name="BArch PERS 6/83"/> ** [[Golden Party Badge]] (10 December 1940) ** [[War Merit Cross]] (1939), 1st and 2nd Class with Swords ** [[German Cross]] in Silver on 30 May 1942 as ''General der Flieger'' and chief of Ministeramt in the [[Reichsluftfahrtministerium]] with the Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe<ref>Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 537.</ref> ** [[Wound Badge#Wound Badge of 20 July 1944|Wound Badge of 20 July 1944]] in Gold * [[Finland]]: [[Order of the Cross of Liberty]], 1st Class with Oakleaves and Swords
==References== ;Citations {{reflist}} ;Bibliography {{refbegin}} * {{Cite book |last1=Patzwall |first1=Klaus D. |last2=Scherzer |first2=Veit |year=2001 |title=Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941–1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II |trans-title=The German Cross 1941–1945 History and Recipients Volume 2 |language=German |location=Norderstedt, Germany |publisher=Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall |isbn=978-3-931533-45-8 }} * ''Hunting With Richthofen: The Bodenschatz Diaries: Sixteen Months of Battle with J G Freiherr Von Richthofen No. 1''. Grub Street, 1998, {{ISBN|1-898697-97-3}}. {{refend}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070610235711/http://www.nizkor.org/hweb/imt/tgmwc/tgmwc-08/tgmwc-08-77-02.shtml Karl Bodenschatz Nuremberg trial testimony at the Nizkor Project]
{{People killed or wounded in the 20 July plot}} {{Authority control}} {{Subject bar | portal1=Biography }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bodenschatz, Karl}} [[Category:1890 births]] [[Category:1979 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century Freikorps personnel]] [[Category:People from Rehau]] [[Category:Luftstreitkräfte personnel]] [[Category:Luftwaffe World War II generals]] [[Category:Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Liberty, 1st Class]] [[Category:Military personnel from the Kingdom of Bavaria]] [[Category:Reichswehr personnel]] [[Category:German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States]] [[Category:Military personnel from Bavaria]] [[Category:Adjutants of Adolf Hitler]] [[Category:Generals of the aviators]] [[Category:Nazi Party members]]