Kurt Lottner

Kurt Lottner
Born	30 October 1899 Hamm
Died	15 March 1957 (aged 57) Bad Schwartau
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1917–45
Rank	Generalmajor
Commands held	Infanterie-Regiment 111 Kampfkommandant of Lübeck
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Crimean Campaign (1941–1942) Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942) Operation Büffel
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Kurt Lottner (30 October 1899 – 15 March 1957) was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht 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. Kurt Lottner was Kampfkommandant of Lübeck in April/May 1945. On 2 May, British troops prepared to conquer Lübeck. Lottner, NSDAP-Kreisleiter Bernhard Clausen, mayor Otto-Heinrich Drechsler (1895-1945 (suicide)), Police chief Walther Schröder (1902-1973) and officers in place agreed that a fight against the advancing 11th Armoured Division was hopeless and senseless. They gave orders to remove the explosive charges already put in place at bridges and harbour facilities.^[1][2]

Lottner was taken Prisoner of war by British troops May 2, 1945, held in Island Farm and was released in 1947.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Wound Badge (1939)
  • in Black
  • in Silver
• Infantry Assault Badge
• German Cross in Gold (7 October 1943)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 14 October 1943 as Oberst and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 111^[3]

External links

• Lexikon der Wehrmacht
• World War 2 Awards.com
• specialcamp11

References

Citations

1. Gerhard Meyer (Hrsg.):Lübeck 1945 - Tagebuchauszüge von Arthur Geoffrey Dickens. (diary excerpts) Lübeck 1986, p. 96, ISBN 3-7950-3000-5.
2. Antjekathrin Graßmann (ed.): Lübeckische Geschichte. 2. ed. Schmidt-Römhild, Lübeck 1989, ISBN 3-7950-3203-2, p. 730.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 242.

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.
• 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.

• Arthur Geoffrey Dickens: Lübeck Diary. Victor Gollancz Ltd., London 1947