Günther-Eberhardt Wisliceny

Günther-Eberhardt Wisliceny
Born (1912-09-05)5 September 1912
Regulowken
Died 25 August 1985(1985-08-25) (aged 72)
Hanover
Allegiance  Nazi Germany
Service/branch Waffen SS
Years of service 1933–45
Rank Obersturmbannführer
Service number NSDAP #1,187,703
SS #41,043
Unit SS-PzGrenRgt 3 "Deutschland"
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Close Combat Clasp in Gold
Relations Dieter Wisliceny (brother)

Günther-Eberhardt Wisliceny (5 September 1912 in Regulowken, now Możdżany, Giżycko County - 25 August 1985 in Hanover) was a German Waffen-SS Obersturmbannführer. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Career

Wiscliceny enlisted in the SS-Stabswache Berlin in 1933, he was posted in 1938 to the Der Führer Regiment, seeing his first action as a company commander in the Balkans in spring 1941. He spent 1941 to 1943 on the Eastern Front and 1944 in France, fighting in all the battles of the senior SS divisions, and being wounded four times. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for leadership of a battalion during the battles for the Kursk salient in July 1943. He received the Oak Leaves on 27 December 1944, at the Normandy invasion front. The Swords were awarded for his actions in the Ardennes, Hungary and Austria. In 1945 he was handed over by the US Army to the French during investigations into his division's war crimes at Tulle and Oradour-sur-Glane, but was released in 1951.

His brother Hauptsturmführer Dieter Wisliceny served in the staff of Obersturmbannfuhrer Adolf Eichmann. He was involved in the deportation of the Slovak, Greek and Hungarian Jews in 1942-1944. He was tried for war crimes and executed in Bratislava on 4 May 1948.[1]

Awards

Notes

  1. According to Von Seemen as commander of the III./SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 3 "Deutschland".[7]
  2. No evidence of the award can be found in the German Federal Archives. The award was unlawfully presented by SS-Oberstgruppenführer Sepp Dietrich. The date is taken from the announcement made by the 6. SS-Panzerarmee. The sequential number "151" was assigned by the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR). Wisliceny was member of the AKCR.[12]

References

Citations

  1. Berger 2004, p. 555.
  2. 1 2 Thomas 1998, p. 448.
  3. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 517.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Berger 2004, p. 508.
  5. 1 2 Scherzer 2007, p. 790.
  6. Fellgiebel 2000, pp. 449, 508.
  7. Von Seemen 1976, p. 362.
  8. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 94.
  9. Von Seemen 1976, p. 53.
  10. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 48.
  11. Von Seemen 1976, p. 20.
  12. Scherzer 2007, p. 185.

Bibliography

  • Berger, Florian (1999). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges [With Oak Leaves and Swords. The Highest Decorated Soldiers of the Second World War] (in German). Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-0-6. 
  • Berger, Florian (2004). Ritterkreuzträger mit Nahkampfspange in Gold [Knight's Cross Bearers with the Close Combat Clasp in Gold] (in German). Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-3-7. 
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. 
  • Krätschmer, Ernst-Günther (1999). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Waffen-SS [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Waffen-SS]. Coburg, Germany: Nation Europa Verlag. ISBN 978-3-920677-43-9. 
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. 
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. 
  • Von Seemen, Gerhard (1976). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 : die Ritterkreuzträger sämtlicher Wehrmachtteile, Brillanten-, Schwerter- und Eichenlaubträger in der Reihenfolge der Verleihung : Anhang mit Verleihungsbestimmungen und weiteren Angaben [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 : The Knight's Cross Bearers of All the Armed Services, Diamonds, Swords and Oak Leaves Bearers in the Order of Presentation: Appendix with Further Information and Presentation Requirements] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7909-0051-4. 
  • Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9. 
  • Frey, Gerhard; Herrmann, Hajo: Helden der Wehrmacht III - Unsterbliche deutsche Soldaten (in German). München, Germany: FZ-Verlag GmbH, 2007. ISBN 978-3-924309-82-4.

External links

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