Willibald Freiherr von Langermann und Erlencamp

Willibald Freiherr von Langermann und Erlencamp
Willibald Freiherr von Langermann und Erlencamp in 1942
Born	29 March 1890 Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire
Died	3 October 1942 (aged 52) Storozhevoye, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1910–42
Rank	General der Panzertruppe
Commands held	4th Panzer Division
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

General Willibald Karl Moritz Robert Rudolf Freiherr von Langermann und Erlencamp^[a] (29 March 1890 – 3 October 1942) was a Panzer General in the German army 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.

Career

He joined the 5th Dragoon Regiment of the Imperial German Army in 1910 and in World War I he reached the rank of Hauptmann. He was then retained in the Reichswehr where he served as a staff officer and was appointed commander of Cavalry Regiment 4 in 1935. He was promoted to Oberst in 1936 and in 1938 he was appointed as the inspector of horses and motor transport.

On 1 March 1940 he was promoted to Generalmajor, and on 7 May 1940 he was named commander of the 29th Infantry Division.^[1] For successfully crossing the Marne-Rhine Canal and advancing to the Swiss border he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 15 August 1940.

On 8 September 1940, he was given command of the 4th Panzer Division,^[1] which he led at opening stages of Operation Barbarossa. In January 1942 he was promoted to Generalleutnant and commanding general of the XXIV Panzer Corps and he led the German advance on Voronezh. On 17 February 1942 he was awarded the Oakleaves to the Knights Cross and on 1 June 1942 was promoted to General der Panzertruppe. During the summer 1942 offensive he led the corps to the Don River. On 3 October 1942, during a visit to the front at Storozhevoye, the forward trench he was visiting was attacked by Soviet soldiers and he was killed by a hand grenade.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Sudetenland Medal
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (30 May 1940)^[2]
  • 1st Class (14 June 1940)^[2]
• Panzer Badge
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 15 August 1940 as Generalmajor and commander of 29. Infanterie-Division^[3]
  • 75th Oak Leaves on 17 February 1942 as Generalmajor and commander of 4. Panzer-division^[4]
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (5 October 1942)

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
Monday, 5 October 1942	Bei den Kämpfen an der Don-Front fand der Kommandierenden General eines Panzerkorps, General der Panzertruppe Freiherr von Langermann und Erlencamp, Träger des Eichenlaubs zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, am 3. Oktober 1943 in vorderster Linie den Heldentod. Seite an Seite mit ihm fiel der Kommandeur einer ungarischen Division, Oberst Nagy, im Kampf um die Freiheit Europas.[5]	In the fighting on the Don front the commanding general of an armored corps, General of Panzer Troops Freiherr von Langermann und Erlencamp, bearer of the Oak Leaf to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, met an heroic death on 3 October 1943 on the front line. Side by side with him fell the commander of a Hungarian division, Colonel Nagy, in the struggle for the freedom of Europe.

Footnotes

• ^a Regarding personal names: Freiherr is a former title (translated as Baron), which is now legally a part of the last name. The feminine forms are Freifrau and Freiin.

References

1. Mitcham, Samuel W. (2009). Men of Barbarossa. Casemate Publishers. p. 187. ISBN 9781935149668.
2. Thomas 1998, p. 8.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 233.
4. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 58.
5. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 2, p. 309.

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.
• 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 2, 1. Januar 1942 bis 31. Dezember 1943 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 2, 1 January 1942 to 31 December 1943] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.
• Mitcham, Samuel W. (2009). Men of Barbarossa. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 9781935149668.

External links

• Lexikon der Wehrmacht
• World War 2 Awards.com