August Wittmann | |
---|---|
Born | 20 July 1895 |
Died | 29 March 1977 | (aged 81)
Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
Service/ | Army (Wehrmacht) |
Rank | Generalleutnant |
Unit |
390th Field Training Division 3rd Mountain Division 117th Jäger Division 1st Mountain Division |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
August Wittmann (20 July 1895 – 29 March 1977) was a general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
August Wittmann was born in Munich on 20 July 1895. He entered the Bavarian Army as a volunteer shortly after the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, joining a Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment. Commissioned lieutenant in 1917, he left the army in December 1918. He then served with the Bavarian State Police until 1935. [1]
In October 1935 Wittmann rejoined the army and was given command of a Gebirgs (mountain) artillery battalion, rising to lead an artillery regiment three years later. [1] In June 1941, during the battle of Crete, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his leadership of a mountain artillery regiment. [2] Becoming a divisional commander from February 1943, he commanded the 390th Field Training Division [3] and then the 3rd Mountain Division on the Eastern Front, [4] followed by the 117th Jäger Division [5] and the 1st Mountain Division in the Balkans and Austria. He surrendered with his unit in May 1945. [6]
Wittmann ended the war as a Generalleutnant, after promotion to this rank in April 1944. [4]