Eckhard von Geyso

Eckhard von Geyso (born May 25, 1891 in Charlottenburg , † July 16, 1982 in Berlin ) was a German major general in World War II.

Life

origin

Eckhard was the eldest son of the district administrator of the Jauser district Konstantin von Geyso (1861–1927) and his wife Elisabeth, born Freiin von Hohenhausen and Hochenhaus (* 1860).

Military career

Geyso entered on June 18, 1910 as a two-year-old volunteer with the prospect of promotion to the Queen Elisabeth Guard Grenadier Regiment No. 3 of the Prussian Army and advanced to lieutenant by mid-November 1911 . During the First World War , he mostly served in staff positions. On June 18, 1915 he became an orderly officer in the Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 262. From September 3, 1916 to February 20, 1917, he was adjutant of the 1st battalion of this regiment and rose to first lieutenant at the end of January 1917 . He then was regimental adjutant until February 8, 1918, before serving as leader of the 10th company of the regiment for a few weeks. On March 3, 1918, he became an orderly officer at the General Command of the XIV Army Corps . For his achievements Geyso had both classes of the Iron Cross , the Honor Cross III. Class of the Princely House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords and the Lippe War Merit Cross awarded.

After the war he initially remained in this service position, but was then as a company commander in the in the on 19 April 1919 Demobilization located Grenadier Regiment "King William I" (2nd West Prussian) No. 7 added. On July 9, 1919, he was transferred to the Reichswehr Rifle Regiment 57 of the Reichswehr and on February 20, 1920, he was transferred as a company officer to the 12th Reichswehr Rifle Regiment. From January 1, 1921, Geyso served in the 8th Infantry Regiment : first as a company officer in the 8th Company, from October 1, 1921 with the 6th Company, from October 1, 1923 as a regimental adjutant (with promotion to captain on May 1 1924), and finally from April 1, 1927 to September 30, 1932 as head of the 4th ( MG ) company. From October 1, 1932 to September 30, 1933 he was Rittmeister with the 10th (Prussian) Cavalry Regiment , then with the staff of Military District Command VIII in Breslau , where he was promoted to major on January 1, 1934 and from 1. Was adjutant from October 1934 to May 1, 1935. He was then transferred to the Crossen Infantry Regiment, later 29th Infantry Regiment, as commander of the 2nd Battalion, where he became a lieutenant colonel on August 1, 1936 . On November 10, 1938 he was commander of the 1st Battalion of the Border Infantry Regiment 121. On February 1, 1939, he was promoted to colonel .

A few days after the start of the war, on September 5, 1939, he was given the command of the 121st Infantry Regiment, and on October 24, 1939, he was appointed commander . Geyso fought with this regiment during the raid on Poland , France and Greece and from June 1941 on in the southern section of the front in Russia. On October 18, 1941, he was the first member of the 50th Infantry Division to receive the German Cross in Gold . After the heavy fighting in the first attack on Sevastopol in the winter of 1941-42, he was on 20 February 1942 to 12 April 1942 in the Führerreserve the OKH commanded. On April 21, 1942, he became the commander of the 489 infantry regiment of the 269th Infantry Division that fought on Lake Ladoga . On September 1, 1942, he was relieved and transferred to the Döberitz military training area as commander . On October 1, 1942, he was promoted to major general .

On July 1, 1943, he became the commander of the 709th Infantry Division , a so-called "Fortress Division" of the "15th Infantry Division". Welle ”, which started in December 1942 with the LXXXIV. Army Corps in Normandy . Serious illness made it necessary to stay in a hospital from December 10, 1943, as a result of which he was reassigned to the OKH leadership reserve until March 20, 1944. Then he came to the military district command Bohemia and Moravia , where on June 1, 1944, he took over the Grenadier Replacement and Training Division 193 in Prague , which consisted of replacement troops . In April 1945, the division was assigned to the "Moser" corps group in the area of ​​the 4th Panzer Army , which was formed on April 12th under the command of General Artillery Willi Moser . In the last weeks of the war, Geysos Division fought in this unit in retreat battles from the Oder to Dresden .

With the surrender on May 9, 1945, Geyso was taken prisoner by the Soviets , from which he was only released on October 8, 1955. He died on July 16, 1982 in Berlin.

literature

• Dermot Bradley (ed.), Karl-Friedrich Hildebrand, Markus Rövekamp: The Generals of the Army 1921–1945. The military careers of the generals, as well as the doctors, veterinarians, intendants, judges and ministerial officials with the rank of general. Volume 4: Fleck – Gyldenfeldt. Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1996, ISBN 3-7648-2488-3 , pp. 270-271.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Briefadeligen houses. 1916. Tenth year, Justus Perthes, Gotha 1915, p. 270.
2. ↑ Reichswehr Ministry (Ed.): Ranking list of the German Reichsheeres. Mittler & Sohn, Berlin 1924, p. 164.