Wietersheim, von, Wend Hans Georg Herbert Egmond C
- Date of birth:
- April 18th, 1900 (Neuland/Kreis Löwenberg/Silesia, Germany)
- Date of death:
- September 19th, 1975 (Bad Honnef/North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany)
- Nationality:
- German
Biography
Promotions:
27.09.1919: Leutnant
01.10.1923: new RDA 01.06.1922 (16)
01.06.1927: Oberleutnant (7)
xx.xx.193x: new RDA 01.11.1926 (5a)
01.02.1934: Rittmeister (15)
25.05.1934: Hauptmann
01.12.1938: Major - RDA 01.04.1938 (1a)
01.04.1941: Oberstleutnant (61)
20.04.1942: Oberst - RDA 01.04.1942 (117b)
01.11.1943: Generalmajor (9)
01.07.1944: Generalleutnant (7)
Career:
06.08.1918: Fähnrich
26.09.1918: Husaren-Regiment 4
13.04.1920: Reiter-Regiment 7
15.05.1920: demobilized
01.10.1923: 2. / Reiter-Regiment 12 (Großenhain)
17.06.1925: 4. / Reiter-Regiment 7 (Lüben)
01.11.1928: Ausbildungseskadron - Reiter-Regiment 7 (Breslau)
01.01.1934: Chef - 3. / Reiter-Regiment 4 (Potsdam)
25.05.1934: Kraftfahrkampf-Abteilung 3 (Wünsdorf)
15.08.1934: Chef - 1. / Kraftfahrkampf-Abteilung 3 (Wünsdorf)
01.10.1934: Chef - 1. / Aufklärungs-Abteilung 3 (Wünsdorf)
15.10.1935: Chef - 1. / Aufklärungs-Abteilung 3 (Stahnsdorf)
06.10.1936: Chef - 1. (PzSp) / Aufklärungs-Abteilung 3 (Stahnsdorf)
12.10.1937: Adjutant - 3. Panzer-Division (Berlin)
05.03.1940: Kommandeur - Kradschützen-Bataillon 1
18.11.1941: Kommandeur - Schützen-Regiment 113
22.07.1943: Führer-Reserve OKH (HGr Süd)
11.08.1943-01.09.1943: Kommandeur - 11. Panzer-Division
01.11.1943-24.02.1944: Kommandeur - 11.Panzer-Division
01.05.1944-14.04.1945: Kommandeur - 11.Panzer-Division
10.04.1945: Führer - XXXI. Panzer-Korps
19.04.1945: Führerreserve OKH (III)
03.05.1945-08.05.1945: Kommandeur - 11.Panzer-Division
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- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant-colonel)
- Unit:
- Kommandeur, Schützen-Regiment 113, 1. Panzer-Division, XXXXI. Armee-Korps, 4. Panzer-Armee, Heeresgruppe Mitte
- Awarded on:
- February 10th, 1942
In heavy defensive fighting west of Kalinin on the night of the 19./20.10.1941, one of Wietersheim's weakened Bataillonen came under attack by superior Soviet forces, with its line being penetrated in several locations. A Soviet breakthrough here would have resulted in their recapture of an important railway bridge over the Volga. Wietersheim personally gathered up his scant reserve forces and led them into a counterattack, which successfully sealed off the Soviet break-in points. The importance of this action was not lost on Wietersheim's superiors, and he was awarded the Knight's Cross.
854th Award.
The following newspaper excerpt (dated 14.01.1943) describes why Wietersheim received the Knight’s Cross…
“Oberst von Wietersheim was ordered to launch a counterattack with his Kampfgruppe whilst serving in the Toropez area at the end of November [1942]. He thrust forward when a favourable opportunity presented itself, throwing back the far numerically superior Soviets in the process and thereby eliminating the imminent danger of a hostile breakthrough.”
176th Award.
The 11th Silesian Panzer-Division under the command of Major-General v. Wietersheim and the 13th Altmark Panzer-Division under the command of Major-General Hauser have particularly proven themselves in combat southeast of Kirovograd.
Awarded for the outstanding leadership of his 11. Panzer-Division during the battles on the southern sector of the eastern front throughout late 1943 and early 1944.
58th Award.
The 11th Panzer-Division under the command of Lieutenant-General Wend von Wietersheim, employed for the protection of our retreat in the Rhône Valley, has proved itself to be excellent in attack and defense.
In the Battle of Lorraine and in the advance battles of the Western Wall at the Saar, the 11th Panzer-Division under the command of Lieutenant-General Wend von Wietersheim and the 25th Panzer-Grenadier-Division under the leadership of Colonel Burmeister have fought magnificently.
Sources
- Photo 1: Willi Schumacher Collection
- - THOMAS, FRANZ & WEGMANN, GÜNTER, Die Eichenlaubträger 1940-1945, Biblio-Verlag, 1998.
- Die Ordensträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht (CD), VMD-Verlag GmbH, Osnabrück, 2002
- Kwasny A., Kwasny G., Die Eichenlaubträger 1940-1945 (CD), Deutsches Wehrkundearchiv, Lage-Waddenhausen, 2001
- Fellgiebel W.P., Elite of the Third Reich, The recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939-1945: A Reference, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull, 2003, ISBN 1-874622-46-9
- Patzwall K., Scherzer V., Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941-1945, Geschichte und Inhaber Band II, Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, 2001, ISBN 3-931533-45-X
- Ritterkreuztraeger-1939-45.de
- lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de
- das-ritterkreuz.de
- Axis History Factbook