__NOTOC__ Gustav von Vaerst (19 April 1894 – 10 October 1975) was a German general 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 ...

. He was the last commander of the

5th Panzer Army 5th Panzer Army () was the name of two different German armoured formations during World War II. The first of these was formed in 1942, during the North African campaign and surrendered to the Allies at Tunis in 1943. The army was re-formed in F ...

, which was trapped in Northern Tunisia, between 28 February and 9 May 1943. He surrendered with his army to the British and Americans and was held in captivity until his release in 1947.

Awards and decorations

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 ...

(1914) *:

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 ...

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vaerst, Gustav Von 1894 births 1975 deaths People from Meiningen People from Saxe-Meiningen Generals of Panzer Troops German Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United Kingdom Reichswehr personnel Military personnel from Thuringia German Army generals of World War II