__NOTOC__ Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben (30 October 1894 – 18 June 1964) 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 ...

Biography

Schlieben joined the Prussian Army in August 1914 and served during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He served as a regimental commander with the 1st Panzer Division during the

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, Luxembour ...

in 1940. He then served as a brigade commander with the 4th Panzer Division on the Eastern Front from June 1942. In February 1943, Schlieben briefly took command of the 208th Infantry Division, before being transferred to the 18th Panzer Division in April, again as division commander. Following the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk, also called the Battle of the Kursk Salient, was a major World War II Eastern Front battle between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in southwestern Russia during the summer of 1943, resulting in ...

, the division was disbanded, and in December 1943, he was given command of the 709th Static Infantry Division, based in Normandy, France. The unit was used for occupation duties in France. The division was on the Normandy coast when the Allied invasion took place, and thus fought in the early days of the Battle of Normandy, quickly becoming trapped in the

Cotentin Peninsula The Cotentin Peninsula (, ; ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its west lie the Gu ...

. As U.S. forces sealed off the peninsula, the remnants of the division fell back on

Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...

. On 23 June 1944, Schlieben was appointed commandant of

, which the German high command had designated as a 'fortress'. Three days later, von Schlieben and over 800 other troops surrendered to Major General Manton S. Eddy, the commander of the U.S. 9th Infantry Division. He was held at Trent Park before he was transferred to

Island Farm Island Farm, also called Camp 198, was a prisoner of war camp on the outskirts of the town of Bridgend, South Wales. It hosted a number of Axis Powers, Axis prisoners, mainly German, and was the scene of the largest escape attempt by German POWs ...

on 9 August 1945. He was released on 7 October 1947. Schlieben died on 18 June 1964 in

Gießen Giessen, spelled in German (), is a town in the German state () of Hesse, capital of both the district of Giessen and the administrative region of Giessen. The population is approximately 90,000, with roughly 37,000 university students. Th ...

Sources

* Gordon A.Harrison, ''Cross Channel Attack'' * Jorge Rosado & Chris Bishop, ''German Wehrmacht Panzer Divisions'' * John Keegan, ''Six Armies in Normandy''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schlieben, Karl-Wilhelm Von 1894 births 1964 deaths People from Eisenach German Army personnel of World War I Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) German nobility Von Schlieben family German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross People from Saxe-Eisenach Military personnel from Thuringia