Clemens Betzel

Clemens Betzel (born June 9, 1895 in Ulm ; † March 27, 1945 near Danzig ) was a German lieutenant general in World War II .

Life

Betzel occurred on the beginning of the First World War on August 6, 1914 as an ensign in the 1st Foot Artillery Regiment "vacant Bothmer" the Bavarian army one. During the war he rose to first lieutenant until September 1918 and was awarded both classes of the Iron Cross . After the end of the war, Betzel was accepted into the Reichswehr and used in the 7th (Bavarian) Driving Department, then 7th (Bavarian) Artillery Regiment , where he was promoted to captain on May 1, 1928 . On September 30, 1930, due to an annulled marriage, he was no longer able to leave the Reichswehr in the officer corps .

In 1933 Betzel joined the Sturmabteilung (SA), where he made it up to Obersturmbannführer .

With the mobilization on August 26, 1939 on the occasion of the Second World War, Betzel was made available to the army and was given the command of the II. Division of the 93rd Artillery Regiment in the XVI. Army corps with which Betzel participated in the attack on Poland and the campaign in the west . On April 1, 1940 he was promoted to major z. V. promoted and on April 1, 1941, an active officer again as a lieutenant colonel with seniority from April 1, 1940. He also led his department in the German-Soviet War , where on December 5, 1941 he led the 103rd artillery regiment of the 4th Panzer Division took over. Betzel became commander of the regiment and was promoted to colonel on April 1, 1942. He held this post until February 28, 1944, when he was transferred to the Army Reserve's Reserve . From March 15, 1944, he was assigned to the 10th Division Leader Course and on May 1, 1944 was entrusted with the leadership of the 4th Panzer Division. On July 1, 1944, Betzel was promoted to major general and became division commander. On September 5, 1944, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for the combat performance of his division . He led the division until March 27, 1945, when he was shot at by Soviet volley guns near Danzig. Previously, Betzel received his promotion to Lieutenant General on January 1, 1945 and on March 11, 1945 he was awarded the oak leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (774th award).

literature

Wolfgang Keilig : The generals of the army. Podzun-Pallas-Verlag, Friedberg 1983, p. 32.

Individual evidence

^ Christian Hartmann: Wehrmacht in the Eastern War: Front and Military Hinterland 1941/42 . Walter de Gruyter, 2012, ISBN 978-3-486-70226-2 , p. 154 ( google.de [accessed on August 3, 2019]).
↑ Veit Scherzer : The knight's cross bearers 1939-1945. The holders of the Iron Cross of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and armed forces allied with Germany according to the documents of the Federal Archives . 2nd Edition. Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, Ranis / Jena 2007, ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2 .
^ Samuel W. Mitcham : German Order of Battle: 291st-999th Infantry divisions, named infantry divisions, and special divisions in World War II . Stackpole Books, 2007, ISBN 978-0-8117-3437-0 , pp. 142 ( google.de [accessed on August 3, 2019]).

personal data
SURNAME	Betzel, Clemens
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German Lieutenant General in World War II
DATE OF BIRTH	June 9, 1895
PLACE OF BIRTH	Ulm
DATE OF DEATH	March 27, 1945
Place of death	Danzig

[1] Christian Hartmann: Wehrmacht in the Eastern War: Front and Military Hinterland 1941/42 . Walter de Gruyter, 2012, ISBN 978-3-486-70226-2 , p. 154 ( google.de [accessed on August 3, 2019]).

[Scherzer-2] Veit Scherzer : The knight's cross bearers 1939-1945. The holders of the Iron Cross of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and armed forces allied with Germany according to the documents of the Federal Archives . 2nd Edition. Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, Ranis / Jena 2007, ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2 .

[3] Samuel W. Mitcham : German Order of Battle: 291st-999th Infantry divisions, named infantry divisions, and special divisions in World War II . Stackpole Books, 2007, ISBN 978-0-8117-3437-0 , pp. 142 ( google.de [accessed on August 3, 2019]).