Hitler's only Jewish field marshal in NAZI Germany - Erhard Milch

During the Second World War, Erhard Milch was one of the most powerful figures inside Nazi Germany’s military and industrial leadership. As a Field Marshal of the Luftwaffe and State Secretary in the Reich Air Ministry, Milch played a decisive role in building, expanding, and sustaining Germany’s air war—often at a devastating human cost. Born in 1892, Milch served as a fighter pilot during the First World War before rising through Germany’s aviation industry. In the 1920s, he became a senior executive at Deutsche Luft Hansa, gaining experience that later proved invaluable to the Nazi regime. After Adolf Hitler’s rise to power, Milch joined Hermann Göring’s inner circle and became one of the chief architects of the Luftwaffe. Despite his partial Jewish ancestry, Göring personally protected him, declaring that loyalty—not race—determined status within the air force. As the war expanded, Milch oversaw aircraft production, including key fighters such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and heavy bombers like the Heinkel He 177. Following catastrophic losses on the Eastern Front and the failure of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Stalingrad, Milch was tasked with rescuing Germany’s collapsing air production. His solution relied heavily on forced labor. Tens of thousands of prisoners from concentration camps such as Mauthausen-Gusen, Mittelbau-Dora, and Bergen-Belsen were exploited under brutal conditions to sustain the war economy. Factories were moved underground, prisoners were worked to exhaustion, and death rates soared. Milch was fully aware of these conditions and continued to expand the system. Under his authority, forced labor became a cornerstone of Germany’s aircraft production, directly linking him to war crimes and crimes against humanity. After the war, Erhard Milch was tried by an American military tribunal during the Nuremberg proceedings. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, later reduced to 15 years. Released in 1954, Milch lived quietly until his death in 1972. This documentary examines Erhard Milch’s rise, his role in Nazi Germany’s war machine, and how technocratic efficiency, ambition, and obedience contributed to one of history’s most destructive regimes. Disclaimer: All opinions and comments below are from members of the public and do not reflect the views of World History channel. We do not accept promoting violence or hatred against individuals or groups based on attributes such as: race, nationality, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation. World History has right to review the comments and delete them if they are deemed inappropriate. ► CLICK the SUBSCRIBE button for more interesting clips:    / @worldhistoryvideos   #ErhardMilch #worldwar2videos #history #worldhistory #NaziGermany #WWII #German #WorldWarTwo #MilitaryHistory #GermanOfficers #warcriminals #warcriminal #wehrmacht #hitler #easternfront #germanarmy #luftwaffe #battleofstalingrad #ww1 #danzig #fieldmarshal #holocaustdocumentary #warcrimestribunal #nurembergtrials Erhard Milch biography, Erhard Milch and Hermann Göring, Erhard Milch and Joseph Goebbels, Luftflotte 5, Heinkel 177, WWII German generals, WWII German field marshals, Nazi Germany military history, Reich Minister,Poland World War 2, Hermann Göring, Operation Barbarossa , German invasion of Soviet Union, Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp, Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp, Deutsche Luft Hansa, Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, World War 2 German field marshals, German field marshals WW2, German field marshal, Field marshal Germany, WW2 field marshals, Generalfeldmarschall, Hitler's men, Hitler's top generals, Forced labor camps, Forced labor Holocaust,