World War 2 Generals – W thru Z / 2. Weltkrieg Generäle – W durch Z

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Walter Warlimont

Walter Warlimont, 3 October 1894 – 9 October 1976, was a German officer and war criminal known for his role as a deputy chief in the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW), Germany’s Supreme Armed Forces Command during World War II.

Walter Warlimont in 1939.

Walter Warlimont in the defendants’ dock of the High Command Case at Nurenberg.

General Walter Warlimont with Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel at the Berghof.

Helmuth Weildling

Helmuth Otto Ludwig Weidling, 2 November 1891 – 17 November 1955, was a general in the German Army (Wehrmacht Heer) before and during World War II. Weidling was the last commander of the Berlin Defence Area during the Battle of Berlin and led the defense of the city against Soviet forces, finally surrendering just before the end of World War II in Europe. During his military career, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.

Helmuth Otto Ludwig Weidling

General der Artillerie Helmuth Weidling

Helmuth Weidling

Karl Weisenberger

Karl Weisenberger, 29 September 1890 – 28 March 1952, was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.

Weisenberger (left) with Lothar Rendulic.

From left to right: unidentified Gebirgsjäger officer, General der Infanterie Karl Weisenberger (Kommandierender General XXXVI. Gebirgskorps), Generalleutnant Hermann Tittel (Kommandeur 169. Infanterie-Division), and Generalmajor Anton Dostler (Kommandeur 163. Infanterie-Division). The picture was taken in 1942, when Generaloberst Eduard Dietl (Oberbefehlshaber 20. Gebirgsarmee) visiting troops in the polar region of war (Finland/Norway).

Walther Wenck

Walther Wenck, 18 September 1900 – 1 May 1982, was the youngest general in the German Army during World War II. At the end of the war, he commanded the German Twelfth Army. Wenck ordered his army to surrender to forces of the United States in order to avoid capture by the Soviets. Before surrendering, Wenck played an important, if unsuccessful, part in the Battle of Berlin, and through his efforts aided thousands of German refugees in escaping the Red Army. He was known during the war as “The Boy General”.

Walther Wenck.

Walther Wenck, 1900-1982.

Hans Hube (left) and Walther Wenck (right).

General der Panzertruppe Rudolf Schmidt with his subordinates in France, 17 June 1940. Sitting at right is Generalleutnant Friedrich Kirchner, while behind him with hands on the table is Major Walther Wenck.

Walther Wenck, Theodor Busse and Erich von Manstein.

Generaloberst Heinz Guderian (Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppen) and Generalleutnant Walther Wenck (Chef des Generalstabes 1. Panzerarmee) planning the next operation (possibly Unternehmen Zitadelle/Kursk), Spring 1943.

Heinz Guderian and Generalleutnant Walther Wenck (last rank: General der Panzertruppe) discussing strategy over a map. Here we can see Guderian in a rare moment when he wears black panzer uniform!

General of the Panzertruppe a. D. Walther Wenck died on May 1, 1982 in his home town of Bad Rothenfelde in the aftermath of a car accident.

Maximilian Wengler

Maximilian Wengler, 14 January 1890 – 25 April 1945, was a German Insurance broker, serving as a general during World War II and recipient of the coveted Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern). The Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Wengler took command of the 83. Infanterie-Division on 27 March 1945 in the area of Gotenhafen. The division, after escaping the encirclement of the city, fought its way to Oxhöfter Kämpe and Pillau-Neutief. Here Wengler and numerous men of his staff were killed by an aerial bomb on 25 April 1945. His wife had also been killed in the aerial bombardment of Dresden in early 1945.

Oberstleutnant Maximilian Wengler.

Maximilian Wengler after receiving Oak Leaves.

Colorized image of Maximilian Wengler.

Siegfried Westphal

Siegfried Westphal, 18 March 1902 – 2 July 1982, was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He served as operations officer under Rommel and chief of staff under Kesselring and Rundstedt. He was a recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.

Westphal surrendered to the American troops in May 1945 and acted as a witness at the Nuremberg Trials. He was released in 1947. He wrote a book The German Army in the West which was published in 1952.

Siegfried Westphal.

Westphal (background) in a propaganda photo with Erwin Rommel, North Africa 1941.

Briefing in preparation for the company “Theseus” at Rommel headquarters in April 1942. From left to right: Lieutenant Colonel i. G. Fritz Bayerlein , Ia of the German Afrika Korps, Lieutenant Colonel i. G. Siegfried Westphal , Ia of XXVII. Army Corps, Colonel-General Erwin Rommel, Commander-in-Chief of the Panzer Army “Africa” and Lieutenant General Walther Nehring , Commanding General of the German Afrika Korps.

Heinrich Wittkopf

Heinrich Wittkopf, August 15th, 1892 (Hildesheim/Hannover, Germany, February 12th, 1946 Oostend, Belgium, finally reached the rank of Generalmajor as Kommmandant Greifswald, Pommerania. He died at Oostende, Belgium in British imprisonment on 12th February 1946.

Heinrich Wittkopf.

Heinrich Wittkopf’s grave.

Kurt Zeitzler

Kurt Zeitzler, 9 June 1895 – 25 September 1963, was a top German general during World War II. He was almost exclusively a staff officer, not a commander, serving as chief of staff in a corps, army, and army group. In September 1942, he was selected by Adolf Hitler as Chief of the Army General Staff, serving directly under Hitler as commander-in-chief of the Army. Zeitzler replaced Franz Halder, who had criticized some of Hitler’s plans and orders. Zeitzler too came to argue with Hitler, and retired in July 1944, complaining of illness. Zeitzler was regarded as an energetic and efficient staff officer, noted for his ability in managing the movement of large mobile formations.

Kurt Zeitzler

Generaloberst Kurt Zeitzler

Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein (left) discussing the eastern front situation with Adolf Hitler on September 15, 1943, at Wolf’s Lair in East Prussia. Also present are von Manstein’s Chief of Staff Generalleutnant Theodor Busse (behind Hitler), Generalfeldmarschall Ewald von Kleist (2nd from right), Generaloberst Kurt Zeitzler (3rd from right) and Richard Ruoff, as well as General der Panzertruppe Werner Kempf.

Lagebesprechung in the Führerhauptquartier, 15 September 1943. FLTR: Oberstleutnant Nicolaus von Below (Luftwaffen-Adjutant der “Adjutantur der Wehrmacht beim Führer und Reichskanzler”); Oberstleutnant Gerhard Engel (Heeres-Adjutant der “Adjutantur der Wehrmacht beim Führer und Reichskanzler”); Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein (Oberbefehlshaber Heeresgruppe Süd); Oberst im Generalstab Joachim Meichßner (Chef der Organisationsabteilung im Wehrmachtführungsstab); Generalleutnant Theodor Busse (Chef des Generalstabes Heeresgruppe Süd), Adolf Hitler (Führer und Reichskanzler), and General der Infanterie Kurt Zeitzler (Chef des Generalstabes des Heeres).

Arys (Orzysz) in East Prussia, 20 April 1944: Adolf Hitler and his entourage watching the parade of the first twenty Jagdpanzer 38 (Sd.Kfz.138/2) “Hetzer” (Baiter or Troublemaker) on an autobahn as a part of a somber 55th birthday celebration for the Führer. After the demonstration they were sent directly back to the factory since they were not yet completely serviceable. From left to right: Generaloberst Kurt Zeitzler (Chef des Generalstabes des Heeres), Reichsleiter Martin Bormann (Stabsleiter im Amt des Stellvertreters des Führers), Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel (Chef des Oberkommando der Wehrmacht), Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring (Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe), Hauptdienstleiter Dipl.-Ing. Karl-Otto Saur (Staatssekretär im Reichsministerium für Rüstung und Kriegsproduktion), unidentified panzer officer, and Adolf Hitler (Führer und oberster Befehlshaber der Wehrmacht).

Hans Zorn

Hans Wilhelm Karl Zorn, 27 October 1891 – 2 August 1943, was a highly decorated General der Infanterie in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Hans Zorn was killed on 2 August 1943 by Soviet fire during Operation Kutuzov. He was posthumously awarded the Oakleaves to his Knight’s Cross on 3 September 1943.

General der Infanterie Hans Zorn & Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model

Other Generals:

General Alfred Jacob
General Lattmann
General of the Infantry Rudolf Lutter
Generalmajor Herbert Michaelis
Generalmajor Claus Müller-Bülow
Generalleutnant Hellmuth Nickelmann
Generalmajor Bruno Ortner
Generalmajor Aurel Schmidt
Generalleutnant Hans Suttner

Alfred Jacob.

Members of the NKFD in 1943, from the left: Colonel van Hooven, Lieutenant Heinrich Graf von Einsiedel, Major Karl Hetz, General Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach, Private Zippel, Erich Weinert, Colonel Steidle, General Lattmann.

General der Infanterie Rudolf Lüters besucht SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS Artur Phleps (mit der Odalrune der „Prinz Eugen“ am Ärmel) an der Front in Gacko, 7. Juni 1943.

General of the infantry Paul Völckers signs the manifesto of the NKFD . Spectators ( sitting ): Lieutenant General Hans Traut , Major General Günther Klammt , Lieutenant General Kurt-Jürgen Freiherr von Lützow , Lieutenant-General Rudolf Bamler ; Spectators ( standing ): Lieutenant-General Vincenz Müller , Lieutenant-General Eberhard von Kurowski , Major-General Alexander Conrady , Major-General Gerhard Lindemann , Major General Herbert Michaelis , Major General Friedrich-Carl von Steinkeller , Major GeneralGottfried von Erdmannsdorff , General of the Infantry Friedrich Gollwitzer , Major General Claus Müller-Bülow , Major General Adolf Trowitz , Major General Aurel Schmidt.

A Tatar helps in firing a German mortar. The general in the center is Generalleutnant Heinz Hellmich, while the general at far left is Generalmajor Hellmuth Nickelmann.

From an album of a Stabsoffizier of 281.Infanterie-Division. Here Generalleutnant Theodor Busse (Kommandierender General I. Armeekorps) walks together with Generalmajor Bruno Ortner (Kommandeur 281. Infanterie-Division). Busse is wearing the ledermantel (leather jacket). The picture was taken in 1944.

From left: Lieutenant General Hans Suttner , SS-Brigadeführer and Major General of Police Oskar Knofe (Commander of the Ordnungspolizei in Salzburg), SS-Brigadeführer and Major General of Police Karl Brenner (Staff of the SS-Generalkommando) and SS-Standartenführer Dr. Walter Blume on the occasion of the proclamation of the Gauleiter of Carinthia and Chief of the Civil Administration of the Occupation Authorities of the Region of Upper Carniola.