__NOTOC__ Mauritz von Wiktorin (13 August 1883 – 16 August 1956) was an Austrian 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 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 ...

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 ...

. Wiktorin was discharged from the army on 30 November 1944 after the

20 July Plot The 20 July plot, sometimes referred to as Operation Valkyrie, was a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, the chancellor and leader of Nazi Germany, and overthrow the Nazi regime on 20 July 1944. The plotters were part of the German r ...

Military career

Wiktorin served as an officer in the

Austro-Hungarian army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

in the

First World War 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 ...

. After the war, he transferred to the postwar Austrian army and served as a commander and general staff officer in various units. During his service in the Austrian General Staff, he was arrested and dismissed from the army in 1935 for unauthorized contacts with German authorities. Wiktorin was enthusiastic about the

annexation of Austria The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany") arose after the 1871 unifica ...

. After the annexation, he was recalled into service and promoted to lieutenant-general of the army. In July 1938, he took command of the 20th Infantry Division. Wiktorin commanded the 20th in the

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

and attended the German–Soviet military parade in Brest-Litovsk with

Heinz Guderian Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who later became a successful memoirist. A pioneer and advocate of the "blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in the development of ...

. In May 1940, the 20th Infantry Division took part in the invasion of France. On 28 November 1940 Wiktorin took over as Commanding General of the XXVIII. Army Corps. He commanded the Corps in

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 ...

, the invasion of the Soviet Union. As part of

Army Group North Army Group North () was the name of three separate army groups of the Wehrmacht during World War II. Its rear area operations were organized by the Army Group North Rear Area. The first Army Group North was deployed during the invasion of Pol ...

Wiktorin's corps advanced through the Baltic states and was part of the forces that besieged Leningrad. In April 1942 before the main German summer offensive that year, he was replaced and transferred to the

Führerreserve The (“Leaders Reserve” or "Reserve for Leaders") was set up in the German Armed Forces during World War II in 1939 as a pool of temporarily unoccupied high-ranking military officers awaiting new assignments. The various military branches ...

. From May 1942 he was head of the military district XIII based in

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

, but was replaced by

Karl Weisenberger __NOTOC__ Karl Franz Armin Weisenberger (29 September 1890 – 28 March 1952) was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Awards * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 2 ...

in November 1944 after the assassination attempt on Hitler in the summer of 1944. Wiktorin died on 16 August 1956 in Nuremberg.

Awards and decorations

on 15 August 1940 as ''

Generalleutnant () is the German-language variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO ...

'' and commander of 20. Infanterie-Division (mot.)Fellgiebel 2000, p. 362. *

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 ...

, 1st Class (1939) * 1939 Clasp to the Iron Cross 2nd Class * 1914 Iron Cross 2nd Class (World War I award) *

Wehrmacht Long Service Award The Wehrmacht Long Service Award () was a List of military decorations of the Third Reich, military service decoration of Nazi Germany issued for satisfactory completion of a number of years in military service. History On 16 March 1936, Adolf ...

1st Class

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wiktorin, Mauritz 1883 births 1956 deaths Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Generals of Infantry (Wehrmacht) Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 2nd class Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Austrian military personnel of World War II People from Hainburg an der Donau Austro-Hungarian Army officers