Germany's War in the Air - a retrospective on the development and achievements of the Army Air Forces in World War I by Ernst von Hoeppner. Ernst Wilhelm Arnold von Hoeppner (January 14, 1860, in Tonnin/Wollin Island; September 26, 1922, there) was a Prussian officer and cavalry general, serving as the commanding general of the German Air Forces in World War I from 1916 to 1918. On November 15, 1916, he was appointed by Kaiser Wilhelm II to the newly created position of "Commander General of the Air Forces" (Kogenluft) and returned to the Great Headquarters. His contributions to the development of the Air Forces there were recognized on April 8, 1917, with the awarding of the Pour le Mérite order. He received this honor alongside his chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel Hermann Thomsen. Reprint of the original.