Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2016) |
Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Butcher of Crete |
Born | Barmen, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire | 29 August 1897
Died | 20 May 1947 Athens, Greece | (aged 49)
Cause of death | Execution by firing squad |
Allegiance | 22nd Air Landing Division |
Battles/wars | World War I World War II
|
Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords |
Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller (29 August 1897 – 20 May 1947) was a general in the
Biography
Müller was born in Barmen, Prussia. When World War I began, Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller served as an infantryman with the 2nd Infantry Regiment. In 1915, he was promoted to second lieutenant and transferred to the 266th Regiment. After the war, Müller remained in the army and continued to rise through the ranks, attaining the rank of major in 1936. Shortly after World War II commenced, Müller was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
As the commanding officer of 105th Infantry Regiment, he saw action against the Soviet Army, for which he was awarded the
The attacks on civilians included the massacres at
In 1943,
Müller was also responsible for the Holocaust of Kedros on 22 August 1944. Under his orders, German infantry killed 164 Greek civilians which was followed in the coming days by the razing of most villages, looting, and the destruction of livestock and harvests.[4] By 1945, Müller commanded the German 4th Army on the Eastern Front. Müller ended the war in East Prussia where he surrendered to the Red Army.
After the war, he was tried by a Greek military court for war crimes. In 1946, Müller was convicted by a Greek court in
Awards
- Iron Cross (1914) 1st Class (25 May 1916) & 2nd Class (29 August 1916)[6]
- Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 1st Class (22 December 1939) & 2nd Class (12 June 1940)[6]
- German Cross in Gold on 18 June 1943 as Generalleutnant and commander of the 22. Infanterie-Division[7]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
See also
- Viannos massacres
- Holocaust of Kedros
- Razing of Anogeia
- Massacre of Kos
- Kidnapping of Heinrich Kreipe
References
Citations
- ^ Isabella Insolvibile, Kos 1943-1948. La strage, la storia, Edizioni Scientifiche Italiane (31 December 2012)
- ISBN 978-1-4447-9658-2.
- ISBN 978-1-903071-44-1.
- ^ Keefe, Thomas. (2016). This Day in Genocide. San Bernardino, CA: Kincora Press., p. 262.
- ^ "Noteworthy War Criminals. Second World War Europe. Generals and Senior Officers. UNWCC". Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ a b Thomas 1998, p. 104.
- ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 318.
- ^ a b c Scherzer 2007, p. 555.
Bibliography
- Beevor, Antony (1991). Crete: The Battle and the Resistance.
- Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
- Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9.