Ralph Graf von Oriola

Ralph Graf von Oriola
Born	9 August 1895 Hirschberg, German Empire
Died	28 April 1970 (aged 74) Nuremberg
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1914–45
Rank	Generalleutnant
Commands held	72. Infanterie-Division 299. Infanterie-Division XIII. Armeekorps
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Białystok–Minsk Battle of Smolensk (1941) Battle of Moscow Operation Bagration Vitebsk–Orsha Offensive
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Ralph Georg Edgar Joachim Eddo Graf von Oriola^[a] (9 August 1895 – 28 April 1970) was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the XIII. Armeekorps. 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. Ralph Graf von Oriola was captured by American troops in 1945 and was released in 1948.

He married twice, firstly to Elisabeth Trampe-Agner (born Leipzig, 12 April 1893) and secondly to Edith Gertrud Müller (born Witten, Ruhr, 12 June 1909).

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Wound Badge (1914)
  • in Black
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Eastern Front Medal
• German Cross in Gold (22 November 1941)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 December 1943 as Generalleutnant and commander of 299. Infanterie-Division^[1][2]
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on (28 December 1943)

Footnotes

• ^a Regarding personal names: Graf is a title, translated as Count, not a first or middle name. The female form is Gräfin.

References

Citations

1. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 330.
2. Scherzer 2007, p. 578.

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.

External links

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