Germany
Albert Kesselring
said
A soldier's first duty is to obey, otherwise you might as well do away with soldiering.
— To Leon Goldensohn, February 4, 1946, from "The Nuremberg Interviews" by Leon Goldensohn, Robert Gellately - History - 2004 - Page 322.
Albert Kesselring
German Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall during World War II (1885–1960)
- Fame58.1
- Momentum0.4
- Global rank#177
Source-basedStable
- Fame58.1
- Momentum0.4
- Global rank#177
- Germany rank#212
- Journalists rank#250
- Wikipedia45.2K
Lived 1885–1960, aged 75Germany
Summary
Updated 2026-06-21
A Luftwaffe field marshal who commanded German forces across three theatres in World War II, then stood trial for ordering the execution of 335 Italian civilians in the Ardeatine massacre and reprisals against resistance fighters.
Biography
About
Kesselring joined the Bavarian Army as an artillery officer in 1904 and served through World War I on both fronts, reaching the Army Staff without attending the War Academy. Discharged from the Reichswehr in 1933, he moved to the Ministry of Aviation and helped rebuild German air power, serving as Luftwaffe chief of staff from 1936 to 1938. During World War II he commanded air operations in Poland, France, Britain, and the Soviet Union before becoming Wehrmacht Commander-in-Chief South, overseeing the Mediterranean theatre and leading a defensive campaign in Italy until injured in October 1944…
Voice
In their own words
Sourced, dated quotes from Albert Kesselring
Albert Kesselring
said
War is possible only if you have a lot of enemies. If all the enemies get together and form one front - if you cut down the number of enemies - there would be no war.
— To Leon Goldensohn, February 4, 1946, from "The Nuremberg Interviews" by Leon Goldensohn, Robert Gellately - History - 2004.
Albert Kesselring
said
I have always had plenty of friends, and now at age sixty, I face four walls as a common prisoner.
— To Leon Goldensohn, February 4, 1946, from "The Nuremberg Interviews" by Leon Goldensohn, Robert Gellately - History - 2004.
Albert Kesselring
said
A military leader often faces a situation he has to deal with, but because it is his duty, no court can try him.
— To Leon Goldensohn, February 4, 1946, from "The Nuremberg Interviews" by Leon Goldensohn, Robert Gellately - History - 2004.
Albert Kesselring
said
Understanding of other nations does not mean a feeling against your own country. That's the whole trouble with Germans.
— To Leon Goldensohn, February 4, 1946, from "The Nuremberg Interviews" by Leon Goldensohn, Robert Gellately - History - 2004.
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Fame
Stable58.1
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Momentum0.4
Historical25.6
Source confidence60.0
Completeness70.0
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- WikidataHigh confidencewikidata · wikidata.org
- WikipediaHigh confidencewikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- Pantheon 2.0High confidencedatabase · pantheon.world
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