Walther Lucht

Walter Lucht
Born	26 February 1882 Berlin
Died	18 March 1949 (aged 67) Heilbronn
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1901–32 1937–45
Rank	General der Artillerie
Commands held	87. Infanterie-Division 336. Infanterie Division LXVI Reservekorps LXVI. Armeekorps 11th Armee
Battles/wars	World War I Spanish Civil War World War II Battle of France Battle of the Caucasus Battle of the Bulge
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Other work	Military advisor to China

Walter Lucht (26 February 1882 – 18 March 1949) was a German general who held commands at division, corps and army levels during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. 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. Walter Lucht was captured by American forces in May 1945 and was held until 1948.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (14 October 1914)^[1]
  • 1st Class (19 October 1915)^[1]
• Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 in 1934
• Medal for the Campaign of 1936−1939 (Spain)
• Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (17 May 1940)^[1]
  • 1st Class (23 June 1940)^[1]
• Eastern Front Medal
• German Cross in Gold on 12 March 1942 as Generalmajor and commander of 87. Infanterie-Division^[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 30 January 1943 as Generalmajor and commander of 336. Infanterie-Division^[3]
  • 691st Oak Leaves on 9 January 1945 as General der Artillerie and commander of LXVI. Armeekorps^[4]
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award, 4th with 1st class
• Military Merit Cross, 3rd class with War Decoration (Austria-Hungary)
• Cruz de Guerra (Spain)
• Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary with Swords
• Commander's Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1998, p. 39.
2. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 286.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 243.
4. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 79.

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.
• 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.

External links

• Lexikon der Wehrmacht
• World War 2 Awards.com