Heinrich Kittel
Heinrich Kittel (born October 31, 1892 in Gerolzhofen , † March 5, 1969 in Ansbach ) was a German officer, most recently lieutenant general and commandant of the fortress Metz in World War II . He is known to have been informed about mass shootings and extermination camps during the war .
Life
Kittel began his military career in 1911 when he joined the Royal Bavarian 2nd Infantry Regiment "Crown Prince" , with which he also took part in the First World War . He finished this as a first lieutenant and company commander in the 703rd Infantry Battalion, which was deployed with the Asia Corps in the Middle East.
In the Reichswehr he served in the 20th (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment from 1920 to 1931 , interrupted by training as a pilot's assistant . He was then transferred to the Army Weapons Office. In 1936 he returned to the service as battalion commander and received command of the 42nd Infantry Regiment of the 46th Infantry Division when mobilizing for the attack on Poland in August 1939 . With this he also took part in the western campaign in the following year . In May 1941, he was replaced and in the Führerreserve offset the OKH, in August, the Northern Army Group allocated.
From May 1942, Kittel, who had recently been promoted to major general, was deployed as combat commander in various locations in the southern part of the Eastern Front, including in Stalino , Rostov-on-Don , Zaporozhye , Krivoy Rog , Uman , Tarnopol , Lemberg and, most recently, Krakow . In November 1944, during the Battle of Metz, he was appointed commander of the Metz Fortress and commander of the 462nd People's Grenadier Division . As such, he was wounded and taken prisoner on November 21, 1944, from which he was released in 1947.
Kittel was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and the German Cross in Gold. His younger brother, Major General Friedrich Kittel , was also a Knight's Cross holder.
Knowledge of the Holocaust
After Kittel became a prisoner of war in 1944, he was transferred to the officers' camp in Trent Park , which was systematically wiretapped by the British secret service. There the following statements of him have come down to us:
"In Upper Silesia they simply slaughtered people like a factory"
"They were gassed in a large hall"
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Hans Michael Kloth: The posthumous confession of the Nazi generals . In: "Spiegel Online" from January 2, 2006.
- ↑ a b Wolfram Wette : Honor rabble . In: "Die Zeit", No. 42/2005 of October 13, 2005
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kittel, Heinrich |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German officer, most recently lieutenant general in World War II |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 31, 1892 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Gerolzhofen |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 5th 1969 |
| Place of death | Ansbach |