Gustav Freiherr von Liebenstein

Gustav Freiherr von Liebenstein
Born	25 April 1891 Rastatt
Died	17 January 1967 (aged 73) Munich
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1919)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Kaiserliche Marine  Reichsmarine  Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1909–19 1936–45
Rank	Kapitän zur See of the Reserves
Unit	SMS Victoria Louise SMS Stettin SMS Rostock torpedo boats S-24, G-92 and S-62
Commands held	torpedo boats V-6 and V-3 1. Sperrbrecherflottille 2. Landungsdivision
Battles/wars	World War I Battle of Dogger Bank Battle of Skagerrak World War II Battle of the Atlantic Allied invasion of Sicily
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Dipl.-Ing. Gustav Adolph Ludwig Wilhelm Freiherr von Liebenstein^{[Note 1][Note 2]} (25 April 1891 – 17 January 1967) was a highly decorated Kapitän zur See of the Reserves in the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (9 April 1940)^[1]
  • 1st Class (27 July 1940)^[1]
• Minesweeper War Badge^[1]
• German Cross in Gold on 22 August 1943 as Fregattenkapitän of the Reserves in the 2. Landungs-Flottille^[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 3 September 1943 as Fregattenkapitän of the Reserves and chief of 2. Landungsdivision and sea transport chief of the Strait of Messina^[3]
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (20 August 1943)

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
20 August 1943	Bei der Versorgung Siziliens und der späteren Rückführung der dort kämpfenden Verbände haben sich zum Transport eingesetzte Einheiten der Kriegsmarine unter der Führung des Fregattenkapitäns Freiherr von Liebenstein in unermüdlichem Einsatz besonders bewährt.[4]	In the supply of Sicily and the subsequent return of those units fighting there, naval units of the Kriegsmarine deployed for transportation under the command of Frigate Captain Freiherr von Liebenstein, working tirelessly have particularly proven themselves.

Notes

1. In German an engineer's degree is called Diplom-Ingenieur (abbreviated Dipl.-Ing.)
2. Regarding personal names: Freiherr is a former title (translated as Baron), which is now legally a part of the last name. The feminine forms are Freifrau and Freiin.

References

Citations

1. Dörr 1996, p. 10.
2. Patzwall ann Scherzer 2001, p. 278.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 238.
4. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, p. 545.

Bibliography

• Dörr, Manfred (1996). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Überwasserstreitkräfte der Kriegsmarine—Band 2: L–Z [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Surface Forces of the Navy—Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2497-6.
• 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.
• 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.
• Range, Clemens (1974). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kriegsmarine [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Navy]. Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-87943-355-1.
• 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.
• Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, 1. Januar 1942 bis 31. Dezember 1943 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 2, 1 January 1942 to 31 December 1943] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.

External links

• World War 2 Awards.com
• Deustsches Marinearchiv