Hans-Georg Benthack

Hans-Georg Benthack
Born2 March 1894
Hamburg
Died17 August 1973(1973-08-17) (aged 79)
Allegiance German Empire
Nazi Germany
Branch
Imperial German Army
German Army (Wehrmacht)
Service years
1914–1919
1936–1945
Rank
Generalmajor
CommandsFestungs-Division Kreta
Conflicts
World War I
World War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Hans-Georg Benthack (2 March 1894 – 17 August 1973) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Benthack was born at Hamburg in 1894 and entered the Imperial German Army in 1914, shortly after the outbreak of World War I. He served throughout the war, and at its end, he was a Leutnant of the reserves in the 16th Foot Artillery Regiment. With the reduction in the size of the Reichswehr that was mandated by the Treaty of Versailles, he was demobilized and returned to civilian life.[1]

On Germany's rearmament, Benthack returned to military service in the German Army as a battery chief in an artillery observation battalion from October 1936 to October 1939. In World War II, he was the commander of Observation Battalion 10 through November 1941. At that time, he became a course instructor with Training Staff B at Artillery School II in Jüterbog until March 1943. He returned to a field command with the 619th Artillery Regiment on Crete from August to December 1943. He was named Artillery Commander for Fortress Crete in December 1943. He advanced to the overall command of Fortress Crete in October 1944 and was promoted to Generalmajor on 1 December 1944. Benthack remained in this post until the German capitulation in May 1945, when he surrendered the island to British forces.[1]

Awards and decorations

Notes

  1. ↑ Unlawful presentation of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross to Hans-Georg Benthack by the Dönitz Government after 8 May 1945. This can be verified by the radio communication dated on 21 May 1945. The presentation date was backdated by Walther-Peer Fellgiebel.[4]

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 Webb 2024, pp. 54–55.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Bradley, Hildebrand & Rövekamp 1993, pp. 307–308.
  3. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 110.
  4. ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 120.

Bibliography

  • Bradley, Dermot; Hildebrand, Karl-Friedrich; Rövekamp, Markus (1993). Die Generale des Heeres 1921–1945. Band 1: Abberger-Bitthorn (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 978-3-764-82423-5.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Webb, James Jack (2024). Generals and Admirals of the Third Reich: For Country or Fuehrer. Vol. 1: A–G. Havertown, PA: Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1-952-71512-9.

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