Joachim Lemelsen
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Joachim Lemelsen | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lemelsen in 1941 | |
| Born | 28 September 1888 Berlin, German Empire |
| Died | 30 March 1954 (aged 65) Göttingen, West Germany |
| Allegiance |  German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Years of service | 1907–45 |
| Rank |  General der Panzertruppe |
| Commands held | 5th Panzer Division XLVII Panzer Corps 1st Army 14th Army |
| Battles/wars | World War I
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
| Signature |  |
Joachim Lemelsen (28 September 1888 – 30 March 1954) was a German general during World War II who rose to army-level command.
During Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, troops of the XLVII Motorized Corps under his command executed the criminal Commissar Order, prompting Lemelsen to complain: "Soon the Russians will get to hear about the countless corpses lying along the routes taken by our soldiers (...). The result will be that the enemy will hide in the woods and fields and continue to fight--and we shall lose countless comrades".
Early life
Born in 1888 in
World War II
Lemelsen took part in the
On 25 November 1940 Lemelsen was given command of the new
I am repeatedly finding out about the shooting of prisoners, defectors or deserters, carried out in an irresponsible, senseless and criminal manner. This is murder. Soon the Russians will get to hear about the countless corpses lying along the routes taken by our soldiers, without weapons and with hands raised, dispatched at close range by shots to the head. The result will be that the enemy will hide in the woods and fields and continue to fight--and we shall lose countless comrades.[2]
The Corps was designated a Panzer Corps in June 1942 and participated as such in anti-partisan operations and in the
Imprisoned by British forces after the war, Lemelsen in 1947 testified on behalf of his former commander, Field Marshal Albert Kesselring, during Kesselring's war crimes trial before a British military court convened at Venice, Italy. Soon thereafter, Lemelsen was released. He died in 1954.
Awards
- Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class (21 September 1914) & 1st Class (5 December 1916)[3]
- Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (21 September 1939) & 1st Class (30 September 1939)[3]
- German Cross in Gold on 15 July 1942 as General der Panzertruppe and commander of the XXXXVII. Panzerkorps[4]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
References
Citations
- ^ Mitcham 2007, pp. 67–68.
- ^ Hastings 2011, p. 146.
- ^ a b Thomas 1998, p. 20.
- ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 275.
- ^ a b Scherzer 2007, p. 501.
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-0-307-27359-8.
- Mitcham, Samuel W. (2007). Panzer Legions: A Guide to the German Army Tank Divisions of WWII and Their Commanders. Mechanicsburg, PA, United States: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3353-3.
- 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 [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945] (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.
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