__NOTOC__ Gustav Adolf Karl Friedrich Ernst von Zangen (7 November 1892 – 1 May 1964) was a German general in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and a commander of the 15th Army in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in 1944 during

. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

Career

Born in 1892, Von Zangen joined the army and served during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, receiving the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

. During

, he commanded the 17th Infantry Division on the Eastern Front, a Corps in France in 1943 and an Army detachment in Italy before being appointed to command the 15th Army on the Western Front. Having occupied the

Pas de Calais The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait (french: Pas de Calais - ''Strait of Calais''), is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel, marking the boundary between the Channel and the North Sea, separating Great Britain from continent ...

during the 1944 campaign in France, Von Zangen was forced to evacuate his army, together with other divisions, across the

Scheldt The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...

to the island of Walcheren and South Beveland. There, they were attacked during the

Battle of the Scheldt The Battle of the Scheldt in World War II was a series of military operations led by the First Canadian Army, with Polish and British units attached, to open up the shipping route to Antwerp so that its port could be used to supply the Alli ...

2 October-8 November 1944. He deployed his force against the Allied advance into the

. On 24 October 1944 his headquarters in

Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after ...

were bombed by the RAF. During the

Ardennes offensive The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war i ...

starting 16 December 1944, his 15th Army was tasked with fixing the British and U.S. forces north of the Bulge (see also Operation Blackcock,

Operation Grenade During World War II, Operation Grenade was the crossing of the Roer river between Roermond and Düren by the U.S. Ninth Army, commanded by Lieutenant General William Hood Simpson, in February 1945, which marked the beginning of the Allied ...

.) Von Zangen surrendered in April 1945 in the Ruhr Pocket. He died in 1964 in

Hanau Hanau () is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt am Main and is part of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. Its station is a major railway junction and it has a port on the ri ...

Awards and decorations

(1914) 2nd Class (13 September 1914) & 1st Class (19 March 1915)Thomas 1998, p. 468. ** EK II: 13 September 1914 ** EK I: 19 March 1915 *

General Honor Decoration (Hesse) The General Honour Decoration (german: link=no, Allgemeines Ehrenzeichen) was a civil and military decoration of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. Established 25 September 1843, the medal could be awarded to recognize several different accomplishments o ...

* Großherzoglich Hessisches Kriegsehrenzeichen in Eisen *

Wound Badge The Wound Badge (german: Verwundetenabzeichen) was a German military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was first awarded to soldiers of the German Army who were wounded during World War I. Between ...

(1914) in Black * Rechtsritter of the

Order of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg) Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

* Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 * Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th to 1st Class *

West Wall Medal __NOTOC__ The West Wall Medal (german: Deutsches Schutzwall-Ehrenzeichen) was a decoration of Nazi Germany. It was instituted on 2 August 1939 and was given to those who designed and built the fortifications on Germany's western borders, known a ...

* Clasp to the Iron Cross (2nd Class & 1st Class) * Eastern Front Medal * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves ** Knight's Cross on 15 January 1942 as ''

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish ...

'' and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 88.Scherzer 2007, p. 802. ** 647th Oak Leaves on 5 November 1944 as ''General der Infanterie'' and acting commander of the 15. ArmeeFellgiebel 2000, p. 92.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zangen, Gustav-Adolf Von 1892 births 1964 deaths Military personnel from Darmstadt Generals of Infantry (Wehrmacht) German Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class People from the Grand Duchy of Hesse Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves German Army generals of World War II