__NOTOC__ Walter Krüger (27 February 1890 – 22 May 1945) was a German SS official during the Nazi era. In World War II, he commanded the SS Division Polizei, the SS Division Das Reich, and the VI SS Army Corps (Latvian). At the end of the war, Krüger committed suicide.

Career

Born in Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorraine, German Empire (today

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

), Krüger was the son of an army officer and attended cadet school. As a young officer, he joined an artillery regiment during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. After World War I, he joined the paramilitary

Freikorps (, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European military volunteer units, or paramilitary, that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenary or private armies, rega ...

and fought in the Baltic region during 1919. From 1933, Krüger worked in the

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshape ...

and

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 ...

training department. In 1935, he joined the '' SS-Verfügungstruppe'' and served as an instructor at the SS Officer's school at the SS-Junker School Bad Tölz. He earned the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, after taking command of the SS Division Polizei, which fought on the

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

front. Krüger became commander of the SS Division Das Reich in March 1943. After that, he went on to become the inspector general of infantry troops of the

Waffen-SS The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...

. He was then posted to the VI SS Army Corps (Latvian), a paper command. On 22 May 1945, Krüger committed suicide in the

Courland Pocket The Courland Pocket (Blockade of the Courland army group), (german: Kurland-Kessel)/german: Kurland-Brückenkopf (Courland Bridgehead), lv, Kurzemes katls (Courland Cauldron) or ''Kurzemes cietoksnis'' (Courland Fortress)., group=lower-alpha ...

fourteen days after the surrender 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 ...

Awards

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 ...

(1939) 2nd Class (13 June 1940) & 1st Class (22 June 1940)Thomas 1997, p. 416. *

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords 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 ...

** Knight's Cross on 13 December 1941 as commander of the SS Polizei DivisionScherzer 2007, p. 479. ** Oak Leaves on 31 August 1943 as commander of SS Division Das Reich ** Swords on 11 January 1945 as commanding general of the VI SS Army Corps

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Krueger, Walter 1890 births 1945 deaths SS-Obergruppenführer Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords Nazis who committed suicide Waffen-SS personnel Suicides in Latvia 1945 suicides Military personnel from Strasbourg German Army personnel of World War I