General der Flieger Waldemar Klepke (left, Höherer Fliegerausbildungskommandeur 3) visiting unnamed Luftwaffe Flugplatz in France, 1940. Klepke, born on 6 October 1882 in Bromberg, West Prussia, and a veteran of the Imperial German Army who transitioned into aviation roles during the First World War as an observer and commander of various Feldflieger-Abteilungen before serving as Gruppenführer der Flieger 16, played a significant organizational role in the Luftwaffe during the Second World War as Höherer Fliegerausbildungskommandeur 3. Recalled to active duty on 26 August 1939 amid the general mobilization following his earlier interwar service as Inspekteur der Aufklärungsflieger und des Luftbildwesens in the Reichsluftfahrtministerium and various staff and instructional positions that honed his expertise in flight training and reconnaissance, Klepke assumed command of this higher flying training command, which oversaw advanced pilot instruction, specialized aircrew development, and the coordination of training programs across assigned Luftwaffe schools and facilities to prepare air personnel for operational demands. Holding the post until the end of May 1943, his tenure as Höherer Fliegerausbildungskommandeur 3 contributed to the Luftwaffe's efforts to maintain a steady supply of qualified aviators amid the escalating requirements of the air war, drawing on his prewar experience as a flight instructor at institutions such as the Infanterie-Schule in Dresden and the Kriegsakademie in Berlin, as well as his deep knowledge of aerial observation and photography. Promoted to General der Flieger on 1 January 1939, Klepke ultimately retired from active service on 31 May 1943 and died by suicide in Berchtesgaden on 5 May 1945.
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