Heinz Greiner (12 August 1895 – 19 November 1977) was a German 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 ...

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 a recipient of the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves 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 lower in precedence than the Grand C ...

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 ...

Career

During

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...

Greiner reached divisional level command. The division was destroyed in the Soviet

Operation Bagration Operation Bagration () was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (), a military campaign fought between 22 June and 19 August 1944 in Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Byelorussia in the Eastern ...

in the summer of 1944, along with much of Army Group Centre. Greiner was transferred to Italy where he took command of the 362nd Infantry Division. Losses were so heavy in the division in Italy that a bit of doggerel made the rounds: :''The division of Greiner'' :''Gets chopped ever finer'' :''Until roll call's a one liner'' :''That simply says: Greiner.''Ellis, John. ''Brute Force'' p.115

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) 2nd Class (4 December 1914) & 1st Class (25 November 1918) *

Clasp to the Iron Cross Clasp, clasper or CLASP may refer to: * Book clasp, fastener for a book cover * Folding clasp, a device used to close a watch strap * Lobster clasp, fastener for jewellery * Wrist clasp, a dressing accessory * Medal bar, an element in militar ...

(1939) 2nd Class (4 October 1939) & 1st Class (20 October 1939) *

** Knight's Cross on 22 September 1941 as Colonel (''Oberst'' ) and commander of Grenadier Regiment 499. ** 572nd Oak Leaves on 5 September 1944 as Major-General ''(Generalleutnant)'' and commander of the 362nd Infantry Division

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Greiner, Heinz 1895 births 1977 deaths 20th-century Freikorps personnel German Army personnel of World War I German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) Military personnel from Bavaria People from Amberg Military personnel from the Kingdom of Bavaria Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves German Army generals of World War II