Erhard Milch was a German field marshal general who oversaw the development of the German air force as part of the re-armament of Nazi Germany following World War I. He was State Secretary in the Reich Ministry of Aviation and Inspector General of the Luftwaffe. During most of World War II, he was in charge of all aircraft production and supply. He was convicted of war crimes during the Milch Trial held before the U.S. military court in 1947 and sentenced to life imprisonment; he was released in 1954.