__NOTOC__ Carl Becker (16 January 1895 – 24 March 1966) was a German general during World War II, who commanded several divisions. He was a recipient of the

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

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 ...

. Arning surrendered to the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

troops in the course of the Soviet

Prague Offensive The Prague offensive (russian: Пражская стратегическая наступательная операция, Prazhskaya strategicheskaya nastupatel'naya operatsiya, lit=Prague strategic offensive) was the last major military ...

in 1945. Convicted in the Soviet Union as a war criminal, he was held until 1955. Becker belonged to the generation of military officers of the First World War, which largely corresponded with parts of the Nazi ideology prevailed and in the second half of World War II became an important pillar of the military system.

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 e ...

(1914) 2nd Class (23 July 1915) & 1st Class (17 June 1917)Thomas 1997, p. 30. *

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 Worl ...

(1939) 2nd Class (12 October 1939) & 1st Class (10 June 1940) *

Honour Roll Clasp of the Army __NOTOC__ The Honour Roll Clasp (german: Ehrenblattspange) was a decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. There were different versions for the Army (''Heer''), Air Force (''Luftwaffe'') and Navy (''Kriegsmarine''). History The Honour Roll ...

(29 September 1941) *

German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (german: Der Kriegsorden Deutsches Kreuz), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repe ...

in Gold on 18 October 1941 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 Swe ...

'' in Infanterie-Regiment 18 *

** Knight's Cross on 29 October 1942 as ''Oberst'' and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 18 ** 829th Oak Leaves on 14 April 1945 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 253. Infanterie-DivisionFellgiebel 2000, p. 84.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Becker, Carl 1895 births 1966 deaths Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class People from Varel Military personnel from Lower Saxony