Wolfgang Schneiderhan

Wolfgang Schneiderhan (born 26 July 1946) is a German general who served as Inspector General of the Bundeswehr from 2002 to 2009.

Military career Born in Riedlingen, Schneiderhan entered military service on 4 April 1966 as officer cadet (Panzerdivision, Heer). On 1 October 1968, he was promoted to Lieutenant. While serving in the , Schneiderhan was awarded several medals, both in Germany and abroad. On 27 July 2002, he was promoted to General and was appointed Chief of Staff for the Bundeswehr, the highest-ranking military post in the German armed forces. Before his appointment, he served as director of planning in the Ministry of Defence.

He was the first Inspector-General of the Bundeswehr born after the surrender of Germany and World War II.

Resignation On 26 November 2009, he tendered his resignation as Inspector General after allegations were made against him of a cover-up relating to the 4 September 2009 Kunduz airstrike in Afghanistan. The strike was against two fuel tankers that had been hijacked by the Taliban but also resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians.

Schneiderhan's resignation came on the same day as that of Peter Wichert, one of the two then-serving Secretaries of State in the Defence Ministry.

Jung tendered his resignation as Minister of Labour and Social Affairs on 27 November 2009 because of this affair.

Family Schneiderhan is married to Elke (née Speckhardt). He has two daughters and three sons. The general is the nephew of violinist Wolfgang Schneiderhan. Since November 2014 he is the vice-president of German War Graves Commission.

Honours and awards