Erhard Milch
Erhard Milch (born 30 March 1892) is a former German Generalfeldmarschall (field marshal) who oversaw the development of the German air force (Luftwaffe) as part of the re-armament of Nazi Germany during the inter-war era following World War I. He served as State Secretary in the Reich Ministry of Aviation from May 1933 until the mid-1950s and as Inspector General of the Luftwaffe from February 1939 to the mid-1950s.
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Head of Militärkomission von Madagaskar Leader of Militärverwaltung Madagaskar | |
| Date of Birth | 30th March 1892 |
| Place of Birth | Wilhelmshaven, Hanover, German Empire |
| Age at start | 69 years old |
| Nationality | .svg){kind=small} German |
| Role | Leader of Militärverwaltung Madagaskar |
| Preceeded By | Emil Maurice |
| Political Party | Generalbüro für Madagassische Angelegenheiten Paktkommission für Madagassische Angelegenheiten (German Victory in the Malagasy Uprising) |
| Ideology |  Stratocratic Nazism |
In-Game Biography[edit | edit source]
One of the primary architects of the Luftwaffe, Field Marshal Erhard Milch, now finds himself as the de facto leader of the German military forces on the island of Madagascar, a remarkable fall from grace for a man once seen as one of Reichsmarshall Göring’s closest supporters. Following the Nazi seizure of power in 1933, Milch was made the State Secretary for the Reich Ministry of Aviation, overseeing the development of new aircraft for the nascent Luftwaffe before being bestowed the office of Inspector-General of the Luftwaffe in 1939.
During the War, Milch added the position of Generalluftzeugmeister to his litany of offices following the suicide of Ernst Udet in November 1941, placing him in charge of the Luftwaffe’s aircraft production and logistics, and was further nominated to the newly established Central Planning Board by Göring in April 1942. Serving alongside Albert Speer for the duration of the body’s existence, Milch saw success in increasing Germany’s total aircraft output, albeit with some sacrifices in quality, and continued to hold his positions with little to no issue for the remainder of the 1940s and early 1950s. Conflict, however, emerged between him and the Reichsmarshall with the stagnation of the Luftwaffe as a force in the mid-1950s, and would culminate in Göring stripping him of his offices, with him only remaining in the Luftwaffe due to his wartime connections with Albert Speer, who, as a personal confidant of Adolf Hitler, managed to convince the Führer to retain Milch as a Field Marshal, albeit with no assignments or duties. Not wanting his former subordinate to cozy up with any rival political factions in an attempt to oust or outmaneuver him, Göring would manage to secure Milch’s assignment to the semi-important post as the head of the Militärkommission von Madagaskar, where he would be primarily responsible for the organization and maintenance of the Luftwaffe’s nuclear bombers in the Indian Ocean. To some, this position would seem a little too powerful for a disgraced Field Marshal, but nonetheless, it did its job in keeping Milch away from Germany.
With the outbreak of the Malagasy Revolt seeing the GMA assume total control over the vestigial colonial government, Milch was left as the highest-ranking military official on the island, in charge of coordinating the response to rebellion under the nominal control of the weak-willed Emil Maurice, who himself would be placed under de facto house-arrest following the death of Adolf Hitler. Now, as the revolt proceeds into a new phase, Milch seeks to deliver one more victory for the Reich so that he can return from his virtual exile in good standing with the government and hopefully retire to live out his remaining days in peace.