Leo Leixner (1908–1942) was an Austrian journalist and war correspondent. He is known for his boo
''From Lemberg to Bordeaux''
a first-hand account of war in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, the Low Countries, and France, 1939–40, 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 ...

Early life and education

Leo Leixner, a schoolteacher's son, was born in Thörl-Maglern, Austria, on March 26, 1908, and graduated in 1918 from the German National Real Gymnasium in Villach. He studied German Literature at the University of Graz and received his Doctor of Philosophy in 1932, with a dissertation entitled ''Mohammed in German Poetry''.

Journalist and war correspondent

After 1933, Leixner wrote for ''

Der Angriff ''Der Angriff'' (in English "The Attack") was the official newspaper of the Berlin ''Gau'' of the Nazi Party. Founded in 1927, the last edition of the newspaper was published on 24 April 1945. History The newspaper was set up by Joseph Goebb ...

'' newspaper, and was assigned to the Vienna office. He also wrote for the '' Völkischer Beobachter'' and other Nazi publications. On August 22, 1939, Leixner volunteered for 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 ...

. His most popular book was the illustrated
From Lemberg to Bordeaux
Front Experiences of a War Reporter'' (1941).

Death

Leixner was killed on 14 August 1942 in

Krasnodar Krasnodar, formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern Russia, with a population of 1,154,885 residents, and up to 1.263 millio ...

-Kuban (Russia). He was shot through the head while crossing the

Kuban River The Kuban is a river in Russia that flows through the Western Caucasus and drains into the Sea of Azov. The Kuban runs mostly through Krasnodar Krai for , but also in the Karachay–Cherkess Republic, Stavropol Krai and the Republic of Adygea. ...

in an inflatable boat. He was awarded an

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 ...

First Class on the day of his death.Leo Leixner on Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e. V.
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Books

*''Von Lemberg bis Bordeaux: Fronterlebnisse eines Kriegsberichters''
''From Lemberg to Bordeaux: Front Experiences of a War Reporter''
by Leo Leixner. 11 editions published between 1941 and 1942 in German and held by 71

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...

member libraries worldwide) *''Generaloberst

Eugen Ritter von Schobert Eugen Siegfried Erich Ritter von Schobert (13 March 1883 – 12 September 1941) was a German general during World War II. He commanded the 11th Army during Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. Schobert died when his observati ...

; Lebensbild eines deutschen Armeeführers'' by Leo Leixner. Four editions published in 1942 in German and held by 13 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leixner, Leo 1908 births 1942 deaths People from Villach-Land People from the Duchy of Carinthia German Army soldiers of World War II German military writers German Army personnel killed in World War II Austrian war correspondents Deaths by firearm in the Soviet Union Deaths by firearm in Russia Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939), 1st class Austrian military personnel killed in World War II