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Fritz Witt
Fritz Witt (27 May 1908 – 14 June 1944) was a Waffen-SS commander during the Nazi era. During World War II, he served with the SS Division Leibstandarte before taking command of the SS Division Hitlerjugend. He was killed in action in June 1944. Early life and career Born in 1908 into the family of a merchant, Witt worked in the textile industry until he lost his job in June 1931. Witt joined the Nazi Party (NSDAP) (Nr. 816,769) in December 1931 and the Schutzstaffel, SS (Nr. 21,518). In March 1933, Witt became a member of the SS-''Stabswache'' Berlin, a bodyguard unit protecting Adolf Hitler. It was renamed to SS-''Sonderkommando'' Berlin in September and in the following month, Witt was appointed a platoon leader. This unit was the nucleus of the later SS Division Leibstandarte (LSSAH). In January 1935, Witt was appointed company commander in the SS-Standarte (Nazi Germany), Standarte Deutschland, a unit that later became part of the SS Division Das Reich. World War II Witt p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hagen-Hohenlimburg
Hagen-Hohenlimburg (formerly known as Limburg an der Lenne, changed to Hohenlimburg in 1903; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Limmerg''), on the Lenne river, is a borough of the city of Hagen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Hohenlimburg was formerly the chief town of the county of Limburg-Hohenlimburg in medieval Germany, first documented in 1230, and belonged to the counts of Limburg Hohenlimburg and Broich. In the 13th century, Dietrich I of Isenberg recovered a small territory out of the previous possessions of his father Frederick of Isenberg, Friedrich II of Isenberg, built a castle and took the title of count of counts of Limburg Hohenlimburg and Broich, Limburg, a family which still lives today in Belgium and the Netherlands.Since 1968 corrections were applied to the genealogical tree of the house of lords of Limburg-Styrum, following the proven genealogical tree of the ruling counts of Limburg Hohenlimburg, Lords of Broich, period 1300-1508 Later Hohenlimburg p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming Chancellor of Germany#Nazi Germany (1933–1945), the chancellor in 1933 and then taking the title of in 1934. His invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 marked the start of the Second World War. He was closely involved in military operations throughout the war and was central to the perpetration of the Holocaust: the genocide of Holocaust victims, about six million Jews and millions of other victims. Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn in Austria-Hungary and moved to German Empire, Germany in 1913. He was decorated during his service in the German Army in the First World War, receiving the Iron Cross. In 1919 he joined the German Workers' Party (DAP), the precursor of the Nazi Party, and in 1921 was app ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of Greece
The German invasion of Greece or Operation Marita (), were the attacks on Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usually known as the Greco-Italian War, was followed by the German invasion in April 1941. German landings on the island of Crete (May 1941) came after Allied forces had been defeated in mainland Greece. These battles were part of the greater Balkans Campaign of the Axis powers and their associates. Following the Italian invasion on 28 October 1940, Greece, with British air and material support, repelled the initial Italian attack and a counter-attack in March 1941. When the German invasion, known as Operation Marita, began on 6 April, the bulk of the Greek Army was on the Greek border with Albania, then a vassal of Italy, from which the Italian troops had attacked. German troops invaded from Bulgaria, creating a second front. Greece received a small reinforcement from British, Australian and New Zealand fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Knight's Cross Of The Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), 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. While it was order of precedence, lower in precedence than the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross#1939 Grand Cross, Grand Cross of the Iron Cross, the Grand Cross was never awarded at-large to Nazi German military and paramilitary forces. The Grand Cross's sole award was made to ''Reichsmarschall'' Hermann Göring in September 1939, making the Knight's Cross (specifically, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross#Grades, Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds grade) the ''de facto'' highest award among the Orders, decorations, and medals of Nazi Germany, decorations of Nazi Germany. The Knight's Cross was awarded for a wide range of reasons and across all ranks, from a senior commander for skilled leadership of his troops in battle to a low-ranking soldier for a single act of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of France
The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) and French Third Republic, France. The plan for the invasion of the Low Countries and France was called (Case Yellow or the Manstein plan). (Case Red) was planned to finish off the French and British after the Dunkirk evacuation, evacuation at Dunkirk. The Low Countries and France were defeated and occupied by Axis troops down to the Demarcation line (France), Demarcation line. On 3 September 1939, French declaration of war on Germany (1939), France and United Kingdom declaration of war on Germany (1939), Britain declared war on Nazi Germany, over the German invasion of Poland on 1 September. In early September 1939, the French army began the limited Saar Offensive but by mid-October had withdrawn to the start line ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of The Netherlands
The German invasion of the Netherlands (), otherwise known as the Battle of the Netherlands (), was a military campaign, part of Battle of France, Case Yellow (), the Nazi German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands) and French Third Republic, France during World War II. The battle lasted from 10 May 1940 until the surrender of the main Dutch forces on 14 May. Dutch troops in the province of Zeeland, Zealand continued to resist the Wehrmacht until 17 May, when Germany completed its occupation of the whole country. The invasion of the Netherlands saw some of the earliest mass paratroop drops, to occupy tactical points and assist the advance of ground troops. The German Luftwaffe used paratroopers in the capture of several airfields in the vicinity of Rotterdam and The Hague, helping to quickly overrun the country and immobilise Dutch forces. After the devastating German bombing of Rotterdam, Nazi bombing of Rotterdam by the Luftwaffe on 14 May ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Massacre In Zakroczym
The Massacre in Zakroczym, Poland, took place on 28 September 1939 when, in spite of a cease-fire, soldiers of Panzerdivision Kempf stormed Polish positions at Zakroczym, where soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division were getting ready to surrender. Hundreds of Polish soldiers were murdered.Szymon Datner: Zbrodnie Wehrmachtu na jeńcach wojennych w II wojnie światowej. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo MON, 1961. The rest were beaten and abused. Many civilians were killed or wounded. German troops broke into houses, robbed them, set them on fire, and tossed hand grenades into the basements filled with scared civilians. Kazimierz Szczerbatko estimated, based on the testimony of the eyewitnesses, that the Germans killed around 500 soldiers and 100 civilians. The massacre may have been revenge for the Battle of Mława The Battle of Mława, otherwise known as the Defence of the Mława position, took place to the north of the town of Mława in northern Poland between 1 and 3 September 1939 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zakroczym
Zakroczym (; ''Zakrotshin'') is a town in the Masovian Voivodeship, Poland. The Vistula River flows through the town. Zakroczym has a long and rich history: in the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, it was the capital of an administrative unit (ziemia), part of Mazovian Voivodeship. Also, Zakroczym was a royal town of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. The town lies at the intersection of two main roads - national road 62, and national road 7. Name The name of Zakroczym comes from ancient Polish word ''zakrot'', which means river crossing. Originally, the town was located closer to the Vistula river, and was called Kroczym or Kroczyn. Due to numerous floods, Zakroczym was moved to a higher location. History * c. 1155 – first mention of the gord and settlement of Zakroczym, property of Benedictine Monastery from Mogilno, * 8 June 1335 – Mazovian dukes Siemowit II and Trojden I renew here truce with Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, Dietric ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of The Border
The Battle of the Border () refers to the battles that occurred in the first daysThe Battle of the Border began on 1 September, but sources vary with their assignment of an end date for this phase of the campaign. The shortest period is delimited by the date of 3 SeptemberEncyklopedia Internautica, usually related to the Battle of Mława, while the longer one gives the date of the 6thEncyklopedia PWN) (the order of Edward Rydz-Śmigły to fall back) or sometimes the 7th of September (the symbolic capitulation of Westerplatte). of the German invasion of Poland in September, 1939. The series of battles ended in a German victory, as Polish forces were either destroyed or forced to retreat. Before the battle The Polish defense plan ('' Plan Zachód'') called for a defense of Poland's borders in case of invasion from Germany. Much of Poland's new industry and major population centers were located in the border area (particularly in Silesia); however, the lengthy border was ve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Werner Kempf
Werner Kempf (9 March 1886 – 6 January 1964) was a general in the German Army rising to corps-level command during World War II. Kempf is best known for commanding the Army Detachment Kempf during the Battle of Kursk. Career Kempf joined the Imperial German Army in 1905; following World War I, he served in the ''Reichswehr'' and later the ''Wehrmacht''. In October 1937 Kempf took command of the newly formed 4th Panzer Brigade; in January 1939 he was promoted to ''Generalmajor''. At the beginning of World War II in Europe, he took part in the invasion of Poland as commander of Panzer Division Kempf, which was also known as the ''Panzerverband Ostpreußen'' (Panzer Group East Prussia) of the 3rd Army under Georg von Küchler. As divisional commander, he received the capitulation of Fort Zakroczym, which was followed by Massacre in Zakroczym, at the conclusion of the Battle of Modlin. The division returned to East Prussia at the end of the Poland campaign, and Kempf was named ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Combined Arms
Combined arms is an approach to warfare that seeks to integrate different combat arms of a military to achieve mutually complementary effects—for example, using infantry and armoured warfare, armour in an Urban warfare, urban environment in which each supports the other. According to the strategist William S. Lind, combined arms can be distinguished from the concept of "supporting arms" as follows: Combined arms hits the enemy with two or more arms simultaneously in such a manner that the actions he must take to defend himself from one make him more vulnerable to another. In contrast, supporting arms is hitting the enemy with two or more arms in sequence, or if simultaneously, then in such combination that the actions the enemy must take to defend himself from one also defends himself from the other(s). Though the lower-military rank, echelon units of a combined arms team may be of similar types, a balanced mixture of such units are combined into an effective higher-echelon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Panzer Division Kempf
The Panzer Division "Kempf" (, also ''East Prussia Panzer Formation'' (de: ''Panzerverband Ostpreußen'') was an ''ad hoc'' combined arms formation consisting of regular German Army personnel and SS. It was created for operations out of East Prussia during the Invasion of Poland in 1939. The formation was generally called ''Panzer Division "Kempf"'' after General der Panzertruppe Werner Kempf assumed command, though it was only about half the strength of the other Panzer Divisions of the time. The division participated in the Battle of Mława. The SS components of the division committed war crimes against Polish Jews ( Massacre in Krasnosielc ) on September 6, 1939, and against the Polish soldiers, civilians, including Polish Jews in the Massacre in Zakroczym on September 28, 1939.Kazimierz Szczerbatko: Za życie oddane w ofierze. Zakroczym: Urząd Gminy w Zakroczymiu, 2002. . See also *List of German divisions in World War II *List of Waffen-SS divisions *List of SS personne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
