Hans Jeschonnek Hans Jeschonnek ( 9 April 1899 – 18 August 1943 ) was a German " Generaloberst " and a Chief of the General Staff of Nazi Germany ′ s " Luftwaffe " during World War II . He committed suicide in August 1943 . Biography . Jeschonnek was born in Hohensalza ( Inowrocław ) in the Prussian Province of Posen . The son of an assistant secondary school master , he studied at the cadet institute of Lichterfelde . He was commissioned as a " Leutnant " in 1914 and began flying with Jasta { Fighter Squadron } 40 in 1917 . By the time World War I ended , Jeschonnek had shot down two enemy aircraft and received the Iron Cross 1st Class and the Iron Cross 2nd Class . With the creation of the " Reichswehr " , Jeschonnek participated in the Silesian Uprisings as a member of the " Reichswehr " s Cavalry Regiment No . 6 . He then worked under Kurt Student in the Army Ordnance Department . Jeschonnek graduated from General Staff training in 1928 as the class valedictorian . Upon graduation , Jeschonnek worked for a department of the " Reichswehr " Ministry which was responsible for the building of airplanes prohibited by the Treaty of Versailles . He became the adjutant of Erhard Milch in 1933 and was a protégé of Walther Wever . He was promoted to Captain in Bomber Wing 152 in March 1934 and to Major on 1 April 1935 . Jeschonnek served as the Commodore of Training Group III of Air Administrative Area I in Greifswald , which tested aircraft , from 1 October 1936 – 1 October 1937 . In the latter year he returned to the " Luftwaffe " ministry and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel . Jeschonnek became the Chief of the " Luftwaffe " Operations Staff on February 1 , 1938 and was promoted to " Oberst " in November of the same year . On 1 February 1939 , Jeschonnek replaced Hans - Jürgen Stumpff as the Chief of the General Staff of the " Luftwaffe " , a position he held until his death . On 14 August 1939 , he was promoted to " Generalmajor " . On the first day of the invasion of Poland beginning World War II , Jeschonnek called the German Embassy in Moscow to request that the Soviet Union keep its Minsk radio station continually identifying itself , so that German pilots could use it for navigational purposes against Polish targets . He received the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross on 27 October 1939 , after Poland was defeated . With the success of the Luftwaffe in Poland and during the Battle of France , Jeschonnek was promoted to " General der Flieger " on 19 August 1940 . Although the " Luftwaffe " had great success during the campaigns against Poland and Battle of France , the poor logistics of the " Luftwaffe " began to show during the campaigns against Britain , the Soviet Union , and the Mediterranean , especially with the high losses in manpower and materiel . Jeschonnek and Hermann Göring were to blame , as they had underestimated the logistics involved with the campaign . Because Britain continued to resist " the " Blitz " " , Jeschonnek suggested in September 1940 that the " Luftwaffe " should terror bomb London ' s residential suburbs , a suggestion declined by Adolf Hitler . Despite the " Luftwaffe " s failure in the Battle of Britain , Jeschonnek was promoted to " Generaloberst " on 1 March 1942 . Devotedly loyal to Hitler and feuding with Milch and Göring , Jeschonnek received mounting criticism by Hitler toward the " Luftwaffe " in general as the branch ' s capabilities declined during the war . " Feldmarshal " Albert Kesselring explained : During the war years , the most impressive personality among the Chiefs of the General Staff was " Generaloberst " Jeschonnek — an unusually intelligent and energetic person . Even Jeschonnek , however , was not strong enough to oppose Goering successfully ( occasionally he did succeed in opposing Hitler ) in matters of decisive importance . A very definite lack of harmony brought effective coordination to a standstill . As part of Operation Crossbow , Allied bombing raids struck Peenemünde on the night of August 17 – 18 , 1943 ; Jeschonnek erroneously ordered Berlin ' s air defenses to fire upon 200 German fighters who had mistakenly gathered near the " Reich " s capital . Jeschonnek shot himself on August 18 , 1943 at the " Wolfschanze ( Wolf ' s Lair ) " in Rastenburg , East Prussia . After his death , Eckhard Christian was promoted to " Generalmajor " and Chief of the General Staff at Hitler ' s request on 1 September 1944 . Besides the Knight ' s Cross , other awards to Jeschonnek include the Wound Badge , the Cross of Honor , the Romanian Order of Michael the Brave , and the Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty .