Werner Kempf
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Werner Kempf | |
|---|---|
 Werner Kempf (right), 21 June 1943 | |
| Born | 9 March 1886 Königsberg, East Prussia, German Empire |
| Died | 6 January 1964 (aged 77) Bad Harzburg, West Germany |
| Allegiance |  German Empire (1905–1918) Weimar Republic (1918–1933) Nazi Germany (1933–1945) |
| Service/ |  German Army |
| Years of service | 1905–45 |
| Rank |  General der Panzertruppe |
| Commands held | XXXXVIII Panzer Corps Army Detachment Kempf |
| Battles/wars | World War I
World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Werner Kempf (9 March 1886 – 6 January 1964) was a general in the German Army rising to corps-level command during World War II. Kempf is best known for commanding the Army Detachment Kempf during the Battle of Kursk.
Career
Kempf joined the
Massacre in Zakroczym, at the conclusion of the Battle of Modlin. The division returned to East Prussia at the end of the Poland campaign, and Kempf was named commander of the 1st Light Division, renamed 6th Panzer Division
, on 18 October 1939.
In 1939 and 1940 Kempf led the 6th Panzer Division in the
Panzer Group 1 of Army Group South,[1] where the corps took part in the Battle of Uman and Battle of Kiev (1941), and pushed as far as Kursk
.
From 5 May 1942 he was commanding general of the
Baltics
. He was then moved to the leadership reserve until he was taken into captivity in May 1945. He was released in 1947.
Awards and decorations
- Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class (15 September 1914) & 1st Class (28 February 1916)[2]
- Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (15 September 1939) & 1st Class (28 September 1939)[2]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight's Cross on 3 June 1940 as Generalleutnant and commander of 6 Panzer-Division[3]
- 111th Oak Leaves on 10 August 1942 as General der Panzertruppe and commander of XXXXVIII. Panzerkorps[4]
References
Citations
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Glantz, David M.; House, Jonathan (2009). To the Gates of Stalingrad: Soviet-German Combat Operations, April-August 1942. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-1630-5.
- Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.
