Walter Weiß

Walter Weiß
Walter-Otto Weiß (2nd from left)
Born	5 September 1890 Tilsit, Province of East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire now Sovetsk, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russian Federation
Died	21 December 1967 (aged 77) Aschaffenburg, Bavaria, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Years of service	1908–45
Rank	Generaloberst
Commands held	26. Infanterie Division Second Army Army Group North
Battles/wars	First World War Second World war
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

General Walter-Otto Weiß, also spelt Weiss, was a Wehrmacht High Command officer in the Second World War. In 1945 he became Commander in Chief of Army Group North on the Eastern Front. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade with Oak Leaves was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Career

Weiss was born in Tilsit, East Prussia^[1] and joined the Army on 19 March 1908. At the beginning of the Second World War, during the Polish Campaign, he was given command of I. Armee-Korps, holding the position chief of the general staff, and was promoted to Generalmajor on 1 September. On 15 December 1940 he took command of the 97. Leichten Division, and on 15 January 1941 command of the 26. Infanterie-Division. This Division was subordinated to Army Group Centre and participated in Operation Barbarossa. Promoted to Generalleutnant on 1 January 1942, Weiss took command of the XXVII. Armee-Korps on 1 July 1942. Again promoted on 1 September 1942, to General der Infanterie, Weiss led the German 2nd Army on the Eastern Front from 3 February 1943 on. He received command of Heeresgruppe Nord on 12 March 1945. At the end of the war he was taken prisoner and held in American captivity until 1948.

1938 - 1939 Commanding Officer 1st Regiment
1939 - 1940 Chief of Staff I Corps
1940 - 1941 General Officer Commanding 97th Light Division
1941 - 1942 General Officer Commanding 26th Division
1942 - 1943 General Officer Commanding XXVII Corps
1943 - 1945 General Officer Commanding 2. Armee, Eastern Front
1945 Commander in Chief Army Group North, Eastern Front
1945 In reserve
1945 - 1948 Prisoner of War

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (9 September 1914)^[2]
  • 1st Class (15 December 1915)^[2]
• Austrian Military Merit Cross 3rd Class with war decoration
• Gallipoli Star
• The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung 4th to 1st Class
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (19 September 1939)^[2]
  • 1st Class (2 October 1939)^[2]
• Eastern Front Medal
• Officer Cross of the Bulgarian Order of Military Merit with Swords
• German Cross in Gold on 19 February 1943 as General der Infanterie and commanding general of the XXVII. Armeekorps^[3]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 12 September 1941 as Generalmajor and commander of the 26.Infanterie-Division^[4]
  • 646th Oak Leaves on 5 November 1944 as Generaloberst and Commander-in-Chief of the 2. Armee^[4]
• Mentioned twice in the Wehrmachtbericht (6 April 1944 and 2 November 1944)

Reference in the Wehrmachtbericht

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	English translation
6 April 1944	Verbände des Heeres und der Waffen-SS haben unter dem Oberbefehl des Generalobersten Weiß und unter der Führung der Generale der Infanterie Hoßbach und Mattenklott nach tagelangen harten Angriffskämpfen durch die Pripjetsümpfe bei ungewöhnlichen Geländeschwierigkeiten den feindlichen Ring um Kowel gesprengt und damit ihre Kameraden aus der Umklammerung befreit.[5]	Units of the Army and the Waffen-SS have, under the High Command of Generaloberst Weiß and under the leadership of Generals of the Infantry Hoßbach and Mattenklott, after days of harsh fighting through the Pripyat Marshes at rough terrain, broken the enemy ring at Kowel and by that our comrades were freed from the clutch.

References

Citations

2. Thomas 1998, p. 429.
3. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 504.
4. Scherzer 2007, p. 776.
5. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 74.

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.
• Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 3, 1 January 1944 to 9 May 1945] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.

External links

• "Lexikon der Wehrmacht". Walter Weiß. Retrieved 19 January 2008.