__NOTOC__ Kurt von Briesen (3 May 1886 – 20 November 1941) was a 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 ...

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 ...

. He was a recipient of the

Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight' ...

. Briesen led the 30th Infantry Division in the

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

in 1939. On 1 August 1940, Briesen was promoted to the rank of general. On 25 November 1940 he was appointed commanding general of the LII Army Corps. Briesen was killed by Soviet aircraft near Isjum on the

Seversky Donets River The Seversky Donets () or Siverskyi Donets (), usually simply called the Donets, is a river on the south of the East European Plain. It originates in the Central Russian Upland, north of Belgorod, flows south-east through Ukraine (Kharkiv, Done ...

, southeast of

Kharkov Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.

, on 20 November 1941.

Awards and decorations

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 ...

(1914) 2nd Class (September 1914) & 1st Class (December 1914)Thomas & Wegmann 1993, p. 114. * Knight's Cross of the House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords (April 1918) *

Clasp to the Iron Cross The Clasp to the Iron Cross (Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz) was a white metal medal clasp displayed on the uniforms of German Wehrmacht personnel who had been awarded the Iron Cross in World War I, and who again qualified for the decoration in World W ...

(1939) 2nd Class (20 September 1939) & 1st Class (4 October 1939) * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 27 October 1939 as

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of ...

and commander of 30. Infanterie-DivisionFellgiebel 2000, p. 123.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Briesen, Kurt Von 1886 births 1941 deaths People from Anklam German Army generals of World War II Generals of Infantry (Wehrmacht) German Army personnel of World War I German Army personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross People from the Province of Pomerania Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Reichswehr personnel Deaths by airstrike during World War II Military personnel from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania