Gustav-Adolf von Zangen

Gustav-Adolf von Zangen
Born	7 November 1892 Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse, German Empire
Died	1 May 1964 (aged 71) Hanau, Hesse, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1910–45
Rank	General der Infanterie
Commands held	15th Army 17th Infantry Division
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Battle of the Bulge Battle of the Scheldt Operation Market Garden Operation Blackcock
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Gustav-Adolf von Zangen (7 November 1892 – 1 May 1964) was a German general and the commander of the German 15th Army in the Netherlands in 1944 during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Career

Zangen was born in Darmstadt in the Grand Duchy of Hesse. He was a veteran of World War I, receiving the honour of the Iron Cross and reached the rank of first lieutenant by the end of the Great War. He had earlier in WWII commanded 17th Infantry Division in Russia, a Corps in France in 1943 and an Army detachment in Italy before being appointed to command the 15th Army on the Western Front. Having occupied the Pas de Calais during the 1944 campaign in France, Zangen was forced to evacuate his army, together with remnants of other divisions, across the Scheldt to the island of Walcheren and South Beveland. There, they were attacked during the Battle of the Scheldt 2 October-8 November 1944.^[1]

He deployed his force against the Allied advance into the Netherlands. On 24 October 1944 his headquarters in Dordrecht were bombed by the RAF. During the Ardennes offensive starting 16 December 1944, his 15th Army was tasked with fixing the British and U.S. forces north of the Bulge. see also Operation Blackcock, Operation Grenade.

Zangen was taken prisoner of war in April 1945 in the Ruhr Pocket.^[2]

• 1938 - 1941 : Commanding Officer 88th Regiment
• 1941 - 1943 : General Officer Commanding 17th Division
• 1943 : General Officer Commanding LXXXIV Corps
• 1943 : General Officer Commanding LXXXVII Corps
• 1943 : General Officer Commanding Army Detachment von Zangen, Italy
• 1943 - 1944 :General Officer Commanding Lower Alps Zone, Italy
• 1944 : General Officer Commanding 15th Army, the Netherlands

He died in 1964 in Hanau.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (13 September 1914)^[3]
  • 1st Class (19 March 1915)^[3]
• Wound Badge (1914)
  • in Black
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th to 1st Class
• West Wall Medal
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (9 November 1939)^[3]
  • 1st Class (15 May 1940)^[3]
• Eastern Front Medal
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 15 January 1942 as Oberst and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 88 and leader of the 17. Infanterie-Division^{[4][Note 1]}
  • 647th Oak Leaves on 5 November 1944 as General der Infanterie and acting commander of the 15. Armee^[6]

Notes

1. According to Scherzer as commander of Infanterie-Regiment 88.^[5]

References

Citations

1. Veterans Affairs Canada. The Battle of the Scheldt.
2. www.lexicon-der-wehrmacht.de
3. Thomas 1998, p. 468.
4. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 455.
5. Scherzer 2007, p. 802.
6. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 92.

Bibliography

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.