Walther Nehring (15 August 1892 – 20 April 1983) 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 ...

who commanded the

Afrika Korps The German Africa Corps (, ; DAK), commonly known as Afrika Korps, was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its Africa ...

Early life

Nehring was born on 15 August 1892 in Stretzin,

West Prussia The Province of West Prussia (; ; ) was a province of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and from 1878 to 1919. West Prussia was established as a province of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1773, formed from Royal Prussia of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonweal ...

. Nehring was the descendant of a Dutch family who had fled the Netherlands to escape religious persecution in the seventeenth century. His father, Emil Nehring, was an estate owner and officer of the

Military Reserve A military reserve, active reserve, reserve formation, or simply reserve, is a group of military personnel or units that is initially not committed to a battle by its commander, so that it remains available to address unforeseen situations or ex ...

. While Nehring was still a child the family moved to Danzig.

Career

Nehring joined the military service on 16 September 1911 in the Infanterie-Regiment 152. He became a commissioned '' Leutnant'' on 18 December 1913. On 26 October 1940 he received command of the 18th Panzer Division at

Chemnitz Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt (); ; ) is the third-largest city in the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden, and the fourth-largest city in the area of former East Germany after (East Be ...

, which he commanded during the operations

Barbarossa Barbarossa, a name meaning "red beard" in Italian, primarily refers to: * Frederick Barbarossa (1122–1190), Holy Roman Emperor * Hayreddin Barbarossa (c. 1478–1546), Ottoman admiral * Operation Barbarossa, the Axis invasion of the Soviet Uni ...

and

Typhoon A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...

. The division led by Nehring stands accused of war crimes by numerous accounts. Omer Bartov, ''Hitler's Army: Soldiers, Nazis, and War in the Third Reich'', Oxford Paperbacks, 1992 Nehring took command of the

in May 1942 and took part in the last major Axis offensive (Operation Brandung) of the Western Desert campaign and the subsequent Battle of Alam Halfa (31 August - 7 September 1942), during which he was wounded in an air raid. Between November and December 1942, he commanded the XC Army Corps, the German contingent in

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

. After North Africa, Nehring was posted to the Eastern Front where he commanded first the XXIV Panzer Corps, and then from July to August 1944 the 4th Panzer Army. Nehring then returned to the XXIV Panzer Corps in August 1944 and led the Corps until March 1945 when he was made commander of the

1st Panzer Army The 1st Panzer Army () was a German tank army that was a large armoured formation of the Wehrmacht during World War II. When originally formed on 1 March 1940, the predecessor of the 1st Panzer Army was named Panzer Group Kleist (''Panzergruppe ...

. During 1944 he was also the commanding officer of the XLVIII Panzer Corps. Following the end of the war, Nehring wrote a comprehensive history of the German panzer forces from 1916 to 1945, ''Die Geschichte der deutschen Panzerwaffe 1916 bis 1945''. He also wrote the foreword to Len Deighton's '' Blitzkrieg: From the Rise of Hitler to the Fall of Dunkirk.''

Awards

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 (27 January 1915) & 1st Class (25 November 1917) * Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (11 September 1939) & 1st Class (29 September 1939) * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords ** Knight's Cross on 24 July 1941 as ''

Generalmajor is the Germanic languages, Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central Europe, Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and R ...

'' and commander of the 18. Panzer-Division ** 383rd Oak Leaves on 8 February 1944 as ''

General der Panzertruppe ''General der Panzertruppe'' () was a General of the branch rank of the German Army (1935–1945), German Army, introduced in 1935. A ''General der Panzertruppe'' was a lieutenant general, above major general (''Generalleutnant''), commanding a ...

'' and commanding general of the XXIV. Panzerkorps ** 124th Swords on 22 January 1945 as ''General der Panzertruppe'' and commanding general of the XXIV. Panzerkorps * Bundesverdienstkreuz 1st Class (27 July 1973)

References

Citations Bibliography * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nehring, Walther 1892 births 1983 deaths Commanders of Afrika Korps People from Człuchów County Military personnel from West Prussia Generals of Panzer Troops German Army personnel of World War I Prussian Army personnel Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Crosses of Military Merit Reichswehr personnel 20th-century Freikorps personnel