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Heun, Wilhelm

Date of birth:
May 23rd, 1895 (Herborn/Hesse-Nassau, Germany)
Date of death:
September 21st, 1986 (Göttingen/Lower Saxony, Germany)
Nationality:
German

Biography

Promotions:
September 7th, 1915: Unteroffizier;
February 1st, 1916: Vizefeldwebel;
May 30th, 1916: Leutnant d.R.;
x?: Oberleutnant;
May 1st, 1934: Hauptmann mit RDA vom 1-4-1933 (129);
January 1st, 1937: Major (52);
June 1st, 1940: Oberstleutnant (20);
April 1st, 1942: Oberst (225);
May 1st, 1944: Generalmajor (8);
November 9th, 1944: Generalleutnant (9).

Career:
September 1st, 1939: Kdr. E./Inf.Rgt. 57;
September 2nd, 1939: Kdr. I./Inf.Rgt. 471;
December 1st, 1940: Kdr. Inf.Rgt. 161;
January 19th, 1942: Fhr. Kampfgr. in 215.Inf.Div.;
March 24th, 1942: Rgt. Fhr. Inf.Rgt. 435;
May 1st, 1942: Kdr. Inf.Rgt. 435;
May 2nd, 1942: Brig.Fhr. in 61. Inf.Div.;
February 27th, 1943: Fhr. Kampfgr. in 61. Inf.Div.;
November 1st, 1943: Führer-Reserve OKH;
April 1st, 1944: mdFb 83. Inf.Div.;
May 1st, 1944: Kdr. 83. Inf.Div.;
March 25th, 1945: Führer-Reserve OKH;
April 5th, 1945: Kdr. Inf.Div. zbV 1.

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Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
Oberst (Colonel)
Unit:
Kommandeur, Infanterie-Regiment 435, 215. Infanterie-Division, Heer
Awarded on:
October 23rd, 1942
Deutsches Kreuz in Gold
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
Generalmajor (Brigadier)
Unit:
Kommandeur, 83. Infanterie-Division, Heer
Awarded on:
December 9th, 1944
Awarded for the decisive counterattack of his Division near Riteli, which took place on the 06.11.1944 during the First Battle of Courland. Here follows a report written by the Korps to which it was attached to during this time, which outlines the achievement of Generalmajor Heun as follows…

“At 09:00 on the 06.11.1944 with Russians attacked with far-superior forces (the 15th Guards Rifle Corps) following strong drumfire. They very quickly secured a deep penetration through our own position and its weakened, hard-fought defenders. Already at 09:45 the Russians had made it as far as the Riteli graveyard, a penetration 2.5 km deep. A difficult crisis had arisen. No friendly infantry forces were located around Riteli. The Russian attack now threatened to achieve a deep breakthrough towards the vital road junction at Zvarde.

With swift, short orders the Divisional commander, Generalmajor Heun, brought up the handful of available reserves and prepared them for a concentrated attack. He succeeded in inspiring his weary and exhausted troops through his clear issuing of orders and unsparing personal commitment to the battle. The Russian elements that had broken-through to the graveyard at Riteli were destroyed, the enemy thrown back, the hole in the frontline closed and the situation restored.

The fury of this tactically brilliant counterattack clearly took away all the attacking spirit of the Russians. They suspended their offensive, which had been going on for 10 days with tremendous expenditure of men and materiel. The breakthrough of the Russian Guards Rifle Corps and by extension the rending of the Courland Front was thereby averted.”
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
Oberst (Colonel)
Unit:
Kommandeur, Grenadier-Regiment 435, 215. Infanterie-Division, Heer
Awarded on:
May 7th, 1943
Ehrenblattspange des Heeres und Waffen-SS
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Awarded on:
August 2nd, 1942
Medaille
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Awarded on:
April 22nd, 1942
Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Awarded on:
June 26th, 1940
1939 Spange zum Eisernes Kreuz 1er Klasse 1914
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Awarded on:
June 16th, 1940
1939 Spange zum Eisernes Kreuz 2er Klasse 1914

Sources

Photo