Smilo Walther Hinko Oskar Constantin Wilhelm Freiherr von Lüttwitz (23 December 1895 – 19 May 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 ...

and son of

Walther von Lüttwitz Walther Karl Friedrich Ernst Emil Freiherr von Lüttwitz (2 February 1859 – 20 September 1942) was a German general who fought in World War I. Lüttwitz is best known for being the driving force behind the Kapp–Lüttwitz Putsch of 1920 w ...

. After World War II he joined the

Bundeswehr The (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...

in 1957 and served as the first commander of the III Corps until his retirement in 1960.

Biography

Lüttwitz was born on 23 December 1895 in

Straßburg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin department and the official seat of the European Parliament. The cit ...

(now

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

) into a family with a long history of military service. He joined the military service during the

mobilisation Mobilization (alternatively spelled as mobilisation) is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the ...

on 3 August 1914 as an officer cadet in the 25th Division in

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...

. Lüttwitz was posted to the Eastern Front and saw combat at Tannenberg,

Courland Courland is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. Courland's largest city is Liepāja, which is the third largest city in Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland as they were ...

and Düna. He was severely wounded twice in 1915 and received the

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. He was commissioned as an officer in 1915.Williamson 2005, p 31. In 1916 Lüttwitz was transferred to a staff position with the X Corps in the Heeresgruppe Kronprinz for two years. The corps was under the command of his father General

. His father, a recipient of the

Pour le Mérite The (; , ), also informally known as the ''Blue Max'' () after German WWI flying ace Max Immelmann, is an order of merit established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. Separated into two classes, each with their own designs, the was ...

, was one of the most highly decorated generals of the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

. He returned to front line duty in 1918 as an adjutant with the ''Darmstädter Dragoner'' in the temporary occupation of Ukraine and southern Russia. By the end of World War I, he had received both classes of the Iron Cross and the

Wound Badge The Wound Badge () was a German military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was first awarded to soldiers of the Imperial German Army, German Army who were wounded during World War I. Between the worl ...

in Silver. He remained in the Weimar Republic's Army, serving in various cavalry units. After the beginning of the Nazi leadership, he joined the Panzer (armor) branch. In 1939 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and served as adjutant in the XV Army Corps. He was later commanding an infantry regiment and the 4th Rifle Brigade. He served on the Eastern Front. Later, he commanded the 26th Panzer Division in Italy, the LXXXV Army Corps and the 9th Army. During this time, he learned of the government issued orders for summary justice. He opposed it and faced a trial, but was allowed to retain command of his unit. He was released from internment in 1947. He then went to the Evangelical Academy in Friedewald. During the period of 1954 to 1957, he was the head business manager for the relief organization Order of St. John in Rolandseck. Later, he returned to the Evangelical Academy as Head of Administration. In 1957, he joined the new West German army (

) as a lieutenant general. He was appointed commanding general of the III Corps in Koblenz. He retired in 1960. In 1963, he became chairman of the board for a defense industry. In 1955, Lüttwitz was made a knight in the Order of St. John. In 1963, he took over as president of that organization. At the end of his military service, Lüttwitz received the American Legion of Merit in recognition of his service.

Awards

(1914) 2nd and 1st class * General Honor Decoration (Hesse) *

Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (), commonly referred to as the Hindenburg Cross or the German WWI Service Cross, was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, President of the German Weimar Republic, by an order dated 13 July ...

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 to 4th Class *

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 (6 October 1939) & 1st Class (27 May 1940)Thomas 1998, p. 45. *

German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repeated acts of bravery or military leade ...

in Gold on 27 October 1941 as ''

Oberstleutnant () (English: Lieutenant Colonel) is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, ...

'' and commander of the ''Schützen-Regiment'' 12Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 289. *

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords 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 ...

**Knight's Cross on 14 January 1942 as ''

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...

'' and commander of the ''Schützen-Regiment'' 12Scherzer 2007, p. 519. **426th Oak Leaves on 16 March 1944 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 the 26. Panzer-Division **76th Swords on 4 July 1944 as ''Generalleutnant'' and commander of the 26. Panzer-Division *''Rechtsritter'' (Knight of Justice) of the

Order of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg) The Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Chivalric Order of Saint John of the Hospital at Jerusalem (), commonly known as the Order of Saint John or the Johanniter Order (German: ''Johanniterorden''), is the Germans, German Protestantism, Protestant b ...

Eastern Front Medal The Eastern Medal (), officially the Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal (), was a military award of the ''Wehrmacht'' which was created by ordinance of Adolf Hitler on 26 May 1942. The Eastern Medal was awarded to any member of the ''W ...

* Great Cross of Merit with star *

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Luttwitz, Smilo Freiherr Von 1895 births 1976 deaths Military personnel from Strasbourg Military personnel from Alsace-Lorraine German Army personnel of World War I Generals of Panzer Troops Bundeswehr generals German barons Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit Lieutenant generals of the German Army