Julius Ringel
Julius Ringel | |
|---|---|
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Julius 'Papa' Ringel (16 November 1889 – 11 February 1967) was an Austrian general in the armed forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. He fought in the Western and Eastern fronts, as well as the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
.
Early life
Julius Ringel was born in
Carinthia. In 1905, he was admitted to a military school in Vienna
, graduating on 18 August 1909.
Service in the Austro-Hungarian and Austrian Armies
Following his education,
Austrian Federal Army where he rose to the rank lieutenant colonel
in 1932.
Service in the Wehrmacht
As an avid supporter of the Nazi Party, Ringel strongly encouraged the union of Austria with the German Reich and after the Anschluss enthusiastically joined the Wehrmacht with the 3rd Mountain Division.[4] On 1 February 1939, Ringel was promoted to colonel. When World War II began, he was assigned to the 268th Infantry Division as a regimental commander and he took part in the campaign in the West.
On 7 June 1940, Ringel returned to the
Marita and Merkur aimed to capture mainland Greece and Crete. For his leadership during these operations Ringel was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
on 13 June 1941.
The operation in Crete was still underway when Ringel ordered his mountaineers to carry out reprisals against civilians who fought the invading Germans.[5]
In November 1941, Ringel's division was posted back to
LXIX Army Corps in Croatia. In June, Ringel was promoted to the General of the mountain troops and put in charge of the Military District Salzburg (Wehrkreis XVIII (Salzburg)) from which the Army Corps Ringel was formed. He held this appointment until the end of the war. He died in Bayerisch Gmain
in 1967.
Decorations
- Austrian Order of the Iron Crown, 3rd Class with War Decoration, Swords and Golden Bar (awarded two times)(10 November 1939)[6]
- Eastern Front Medal (15 August 1942)[6]
- Ärmelband Kreta (10 December 1942)[6]
- Iron Cross (1939) 2nd class (10 November 1939) & 1st class (15 April 1941)[7]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight's Cross on 13 June 1941 as Generalmajor and commander of the 5. Gebirgs-Division[8][9]
- Oak Leaves on 25 October 1943 as Generalleutnant and commander of the 5. Gebirgs-Division[8][10]
References
Citations
Bibliography
- Antill, Peter; Gerrard, Howard (2012). Crete 1941: Germany's lightning airborne assault. Campaign. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1846036682.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Palazzo, Albert (2007). The Battle of Crete. Australian Army Campaigns. Canberra, Australia: Australian Military History Publications. ISBN 978-0975766910.
- Ringel, Julius (1994). Hurra die Gams!, Die 5. Geb. Div. im Einsatz. Graz: Stocker Verlag.
- 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.
- Stockert, Peter (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 4 [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 4] (in German). Bad Friedrichshall, Germany: Friedrichshaller Rundblick. ISBN 978-3-932915-03-1.
- Stroud, Rick (2015). Kidnap in Crete: The True Story of the Abduction of a Nazi General. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1632861948.
- Thomas, Franz; Wegmann, Günter (1994). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Teil VI: Die Gebirgstruppe Band 2: L–Z [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the German Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Part VI: The Mountain Troops Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2430-3.
- 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.
- Williamson, G.; McGregor, M. (2012). German Commanders of World War II (1): Army. Elite. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1780969725.
- "Austria returns stolen antiquities to Greece". greekcitytimes.com. Greek City Times. November 20, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
