Lothar Rendulic

Dr. jur.
Lothar Rendulic

Dr. Lothar Rendulic
Born (1887-10-23)23 October 1887
Wiener Neustadt, Lower Austria, Austria-Hungary now Austria
Died 17 January 1971(1971-01-17) (aged 83)
Fraham near Eferding, Upper Austria, Austria
Allegiance Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary (to 1918)
Austria First Austrian Republic (to 1938)
 Nazi Germany
Service/branch Austro-Hungarian Army
Austrian Army
Heer
Years of service 1910–38 (Austria)
1938–45 (Germany)
Rank Oberst (Austria)
Generaloberst (Germany)
Commands held 14. Infanterie-Division
52. Infanterie-Division
XXXV. Armeekorps
2. Panzer-Armee
20. Gebirgs-Armee
Heeresgruppe Kurland
Heeresgruppe Süd
Heeresgruppe Nord
Heeresgruppe Ostmark
Battles/wars

World War I

World War II
Awards Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern

Lothar Rendulic (23 October 1887 – 17 January 1971)[1][2] was an army group commander in the German Army during World War II. Rendulic was one of three Austrians who rose to the rank of Generaloberst (senior general) in the Wehrmacht.

He was tried at Nuremberg in 1948 and, though acquitted of deliberate scorched earth tactics during the withdrawal through Lapland, was convicted of killing hostages in Yugoslavia and imprisoned. After his release in 1951 he took up writing.

Early life and career

Rendulic was born in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, to a Croatian family (the Croatian spelling of the surname is Rendulić). His father Lukas Rendulic was a colonel in the Austro-Hungarian army. Rendulic studied law and political science at universities in Vienna and Lausanne; in 1907, he was admitted to the Theresian Military Academy. In August 1910, Rendulic was commissioned a lieutenant in the Austro-Hungarian Army. He served during World War I from 1914 to 1918. In 1916 Rendulic married Nella Zöbl.

Following the war, Rendulic studied law at the University of Vienna and in 1920 received his doctorate in law (a Dr. iur. in German). He joined the newly formed Austrian Armed Forces and in 1932 joined the banned Austrian Nazi Party. From 1934, Rendulic served in the diplomatic corps as a military attaché to France and United Kingdom, with an office in Paris. In 1936 he was put on the temporary inactive list because of his early membership in the Nazi Party, which was considered unbecoming for an Austrian officer and diplomat.

World War II

Rendulic was called to the German Army, the Wehrmacht, in 1938, after the annexation of Austria to Germany. He served as acting general officer in command of the 14th Infantry Division (23 June – 10 October 1940), general in command of the 52nd Division (1940–1942), and general in command of the XXXV Corps (1942–1943). He participated as the XXXV corps commander in the battle of Kursk.

Yugoslavia

From 1943 to 1944, Rendulic commanded the 2nd Panzer Army during World War II in Yugoslavia. Early in 1944, the Adolf Hitler ordered Rendulic to devise a plan to capture Yugoslav partisan leader Josip Broz Tito. In the resultant raid on Drvar on 25 May 1944, German paratroopers stormed partisan headquarters in Drvar (western Bosnia) looking for Tito but ultimately failed to capture him, suffering heavy casualties.

Finland and Norway

Following the death of General Dietl in June 1944, Rendulic commanded the 20th Mountain Army and all German troops stationed in Finland and Norway. Following the war, Rendulic was accused of ordering the destruction of the Finnish town of Rovaniemi in October 1944, allegedly as revenge against the Finns for making a separate peace with the Soviet Union.

Eastern Front

In 1945, Rendulic served as the commander-in-chief of Army Group Kurland (Army Group Courland) on the Eastern Front. By that time, the army group had been cut off in the Courland Pocket. Shortly thereafter, Rendulic served briefly as commander-in-chief of Army Group North, then located in northern Germany. He then returned to commanding Army Group Courland, and finally commanded Army Group South, soon renamed Army Group Ostmark, in Austria and Czechoslovakia.

On 7 May 1945, following the Soviet Prague Offensive, Lothar Rendulic surrendered Army Group Ostmark to the 71st Division of the U.S. Army in Austria.[3]

War crimes trial

Lothar Rendulic is sentenced in the Hostage Case USHMM No 16808

After his surrender, Lothar Rendulic was interned and tried in the Hostages Trial at Nuremberg, because of his involvement in the Wehrmacht's reprisals against civilians in Yugoslavia and the scorched earth policy in Lapland. On 19 February 1948 he was found guilty of war crimes and sentenced to twenty years in prison, although he was cleared of charges concerning the scorching of Lapland. This sentence was later reduced to ten years, and on 1 February 1951 Rendulic was released from the military prison in Landsberg am Lech in Bavaria.

After his release, he worked as an author and was involved in local politics in Seewalchen am Attersee, in the Salzkammergut region of Austria. He died at Fraham near Eferding, Austria, on 17 January 1971.

Summary of military career

Dates of rank

Notable decorations

 Austria-Hungary

 Nazi Germany

Works

See also

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Lothar Rendulić (1965): Soldat in stürzenden Reichen. Munich: Damm, p. 73 and 292. His birth date is sometimes erroneously mentioned as 23 November 1887.
  2. ↑ Rudolf Neck, Adam Wandruszka, Isabella Ackerl (ed.) (1980): Protokolle des Ministerrates der Ersten Republik, 1918–1938, Abteilung VIII, 20. Mai 1932 bis 25. Juli 1934. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Staatsdruckerei, p. 649.
  3. ↑ 71st Division Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop find the German Army Group South
  4. 1 2 3 Scherzer 2007, p. 623.
  5. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 355.
  6. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 71.
  7. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 47.
  8. 1 2 Thomas 1998, p. 196.
  9. ↑ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 374.
  10. ↑ Patzwall 2004, p. 13.

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. 
  • 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. 
  • Patzwall, Klaus D. (2004). Das Goldene Parteiabzeichen und seine Verleihungen ehrenhalber 1934–1944—Studien der Geschichte der Auszeichnungen. Band 4 [The Golden Party Badge and its Honorary Presentations 1934–1944—Studies of the History of the Awards Volume 4] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-50-2. 
  • Schaulen, Fritjof (2005). Eichenlaubträger 1940 – 1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe III Radusch – Zwernemann [Oak Leaves Bearers 1940 – 1945 Contemporary History in Color III Radusch – Zwernemann] (in German). Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 978-3-932381-22-5. 
  • 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. 
Military offices
Preceded by
Generalleutnant Peter Weyer		 Commander of 14. Infanterie-Division
15 June 1940 – 6 October 1940 		Succeeded by
Generalleutnant Friedrich Fürst
Preceded by
Generaloberst Hans-Jürgen von Arnim		 Commander of 52. Infanterie-Division
10 October 1940 – 1 November 1942 		Succeeded by
Generalleutnant Rudolf Peschel
Preceded by
General der Artillerie Rudolf Kämpfe		 Commander of XXXV Armeekorps
1 November 1942 – 15 April 1943 		Succeeded by
General der Infanterie Friedrich Wiese
Preceded by
Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model		 Commander of 2. Panzer-Armee
14 August 1943 – 24 June 1944 		Succeeded by
General der Infanterie Franz Böhme
Preceded by
Generaloberst Eduard Dietl		 Commander of 20. Gebirgs-Armee
25 June 1944 – 15 January 1945 		Succeeded by
General der Gebirgstruppen Franz Böhme
Preceded by
none		 Commander of Heeresgruppe Kurland
15 January 1945 – 27 January 1945 		Succeeded by
Generaloberst Heinrich von Vietinghoff
Preceded by
Generalfeldmarschall Ferdinand Schörner		 Commander of Heeresgruppe Nord
27 January 1945 – 12 March 1945 		Succeeded by
Generaloberst Walter Weiß
Preceded by
Generaloberst Heinrich von Vietinghoff		 Commander of Heeresgruppe Kurland
12 March 1945 – 5 April 1945 		Succeeded by
General Carl Hilpert
Preceded by
General der Infanterie Otto Wöhler		 Commander of Heeresgruppe Süd
6 April 1945 – 30 April 1945 		Succeeded by
Command renamed Heeresgruppe Ostmark 30 April 1945
Preceded by
none		 Commander of Heeresgruppe Ostmark
30 April 1945 – 7 May 1945 		Succeeded by
dissolved on 8 May 1945
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