Georg

Ritter Ritter (German for "knight") is a designation used as a title of nobility in German-speaking areas. Traditionally it denotes the second-lowest rank within the nobility, standing above " Edler" and below "" (Baron). As with most titles and desig ...

von Hengl (21 October 1897 – 19 March 1952) was a general in the

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

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

who commanded the XIX Mountain Corps. He was a recipient of the

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 preceden ...

. During World War I, he had served in the '' Luftstreitkrafte'' and shot down a total of 7 aircraft between July and October 1918. From 1921 to 1934, he also served in the German police, reaching the rank of ''

Hauptmann () is an officer rank in the armies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is usually translated as ''captain''. Background While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has, and originally had, the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literall ...

''. Georg Ritter von Hengl was captured by Allied troops in May 1945 and was released in 1947.

Life and career

World War I

Hengl joined the German Army as an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in 1914, aged 16, serving initially in the 21st Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment near

Ypres Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...

in 1914. The following year saw him transferred to the Eastern Front to serve in Russia. In October 1915, he was transferred south to the Serbian sector. He transferred back to France in 1916, to serve near

Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...

; on 23 March he was promoted into the officer's ranks as a ''

Leutnant () is the lowest junior officer rank in the armed forces of Germany ( Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High German «locum ...

''. He then returned to duties in Russia. After requesting a transfer to aviation duty, he started

aerial observer Aerial may refer to: Music * ''Aerial'' (album), by Kate Bush, and that album's title track * "Aerials" (song), from the album ''Toxicity'' by System of a Down Bands * Aerial (Canadian band) * Aerial (Scottish band) * Aerial (Swedish band) ...

's training on 23 February 1918. Upon graduation, he was posted to the

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria ( ; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German Empire in 1871, the kingd ...

's FA(A) 295. His usual pilot in the two-seater

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

aircraft was Johann Baur. The duo were credited with six confirmed aerial victories together, beginning with a double victory over SPADs on 17 July 1918 over Courton Wood. The aircrew of Hengl and Baur were shot down behind British lines during the

Third Battle of the Aisne The Third Battle of the Aisne () was part of the German spring offensive during World War I that focused on capturing the Chemin des Dames Ridge before the American Expeditionary Forces arrived completely in French Third Republic, France. It w ...

; however, they were rescued from captivity by troopers from

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Province of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, two other histo ...

. The pair would score another four victories in October 1918, with Hengl scoring a seventh while part of the crew for another pilot. Georg Hengl emerged from World War I having been awarded both classes of the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

and the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern. His native

also bestowed the

Military Order of Max Joseph The Military Order of Max Joseph () was the highest military order (decoration), order of the Kingdom of Bavaria. It was founded on 1 January 1806 by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, the first king of Bavaria. The order came in three classes: ...

upon him; one of the entitlements of this decoration was an award of lifetime nobility for him, signified by the addition of the phrase "Ritter von" to one's name. Georg Hengl thus became George Ritter von Hengl.The Aerodrome website: page on Hengl (Retrieved 16 February 2013)
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Inter-war and World War II

In 1919, Hengl left the army and entered the police. Recalled for military service, in 1936, he was given command of a battalion of the 99th Gebirgsjager Regiment, leading this unit in the first campaigns of

. For much of the war, Hengl was stationed on the Arctic front against the Soviet Union. Initially he commanded the 137th Gebirgsjager Regiment, receiving the

in August 1941. From March 1942 to October 1943 he commanded the 2nd Mountain Division, and then the XIX Mountain Corps until April 1944. In February 1945 he was designated to take over command of LIX Army Corps on the Eastern Front, but he did not take up the post. Hengl ended the war with the rank of General of Mountain Troops ().

Awards and decorations

on 25 August 1941 as ''

Oberstleutnant () (English: Lieutenant Colonel) is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, ...

(lieutenant colonel)'' and commander of Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 137.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hengl, Georg Ritter Von 1897 births 1952 deaths People from Dingolfing-Landau Military personnel from the Kingdom of Bavaria Generals of Mountain Troops Luftstreitkräfte personnel German World War I flying aces Knights of the Military Order of Max Joseph Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Liberty, 1st Class Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States Military personnel from Bavaria 20th-century Freikorps personnel