Eccard Freiherr von Gablenz
Eccard Freiherr von Gablenz | |
---|---|
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Eccard Freiherr von Gablenz (26 January 1891 – 17 December 1978)[1] was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several divisions. He participated in the campaigns of Poland, France and the invasion of the Soviet Union. Gablenz stayed on the Russian Front from 1941 to 1943. He later assumed command of the 232nd Infantry Division in Italy, a command he held until the final surrender in May 1945.
He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.[2]
Early career
Baron von Gablenz joined the 1st (Emperor Alexander) Guards Grenadiers (Kaiser Alexander Garde-Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 1) as an officer cadet (Fahnenjunker) at the beginning of April 1910 and was promoted to lieutenant (Leutnant) on 18 August 1911 with a patent from 20 August 1909.[3] He served as an officer in 1912, among other things, as a regimental adjutant,[4] in the First World War among other things on the staff of the Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army (Stab des Chefs des Generalstabes des Feldheeres).[citation needed]
After the end of the war von Gablenz was retained as a captain (
From 1 December 1935 to 23 November 1938 he was in command of the Paderborn Infantry Regiment, later the 18th Infantry Regiment.[6] On August 1, 1938, von Gablenz was promoted to major general. Then he was initially in command of Army Service 5 (Heeresdienststelle 5) in Dresden, which was responsible for the border section to Czechoslovakia.[citation needed]
On 15 March 1939, the day of the
World War II
From October 1939 to December 1939 he was commander of the
"Soldiers of the 7th Division! The Führer has given the order to attack. We want to uphold the reputation of our division in an iron fulfillment of our duties and attach new fame and honor to our flags. The enemy fears us; we will destroy him where we meet him. I wish you soldiers luck and I have trust in you. Our old watchword is: 'Forward, approach the enemy!' Long live our people, long live the Führer!"
After he discovered, at the end of July 1941, that the German soldiers were looting contrary to the orders, von Gablenz gave the order to use the harvest to refresh the unit's food stores; which was followed by mid-August 1941.[10] From late August to mid-September 1941, the division was involved in the Roslavl-Novosybkov operation
In December 1941 he took over the XXVII Army Corps near Moscow and resigned from the command in early January 1942 in protest because of Hitler's order to halt.[13] He could not answer for the responsibility for the rapid destruction of his troops and asked to be brought before a court martial.[14][15] His divisional court suspended the execution of sentences for probation at the front.
From 13 February 1942 to 16 January 1943 he was commander of the
Post-war
In 1957 he lived in
Family
Eccard von Gablenz was married to Orlanda, née Caprivi.
Commands
During the German retreat during the Battle of Moscow, he commanded the XXVII. Armeekorps and was relieved of duty after repeated refusals to enforce Hitler's standfast orders.[20]
As commander of the
Awards and decorations
- Iron Cross (1914), 2nd Class and 1st Class
- Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
- Iron Cross (1939), 2nd Class and 1st Class
- Eastern Front Medal
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 15 August 1940 as Generalleutnant and commander of 7. Infanterie-Division [2]
References
Citations
- ISBN 978-3-7450-0362-8.
- ^ OCLC 17650176.
- ^ von Frobel, Guido (1911). Militär-Wochenblatt [Military weekly bulletin] (in German). E.S. Mittler und Sohn. p. 2371.
- ^ Stalling, Gerhard (1912). Deutsche Rangliste [German ranking list] (in German). p. 68.
- ^ ISBN 978-3-7648-1448-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-3-486-70549-2.
- ISBN 978-3-7648-1284-3.
- ISBN 978-3-596-16307-6.
- ISBN 978-0-8117-4654-0.
- ^ a b c Seewald, Berthold (29 May 2011). "Die Soldaten der 7. Division" [The soldiers of the 7th Division]. Die Welt (in German). Retrieved 22 July 2021.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8117-4654-0.
- ISBN 978-3-7654-1956-0.
- ISBN 978-1-78289-319-6.
- ^ Reinhardt, Dr Generalmajor i.G. Klaus (1972). Die Wende vor Moskau: das Scheitern der Strategie Hitlers im Winter 1941/42 [The turning point before Moscow: the failure of Hitler's strategy in the winter of 1941/42] (in German). Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt. p. 237.
- ISBN 978-3-9802828-8-8.
- ISBN 978-0-8117-3437-0.
- ISBN 978-0-8117-3437-0.
- ISBN 978-0-8117-4654-0.
- ISBN 978-3-86284-065-6.
- ^ "HyperWar: Moscow To Stalingrad: Decision In The East". www.ibiblio.org. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- The Advertiser, Adelaide, Jan 16, 1943, p. 1. "Nazi Leaders Outguessed"