Karl Arndt (General)

Karl Arndt (born March 10, 1892 in Groß-Kauer, Glogau district , † December 30, 1981 in Balve ) was a German officer , last lieutenant general in World War II .

Life

Arndt visited in April 1908 as the students sergeant Preschool Wohlau and later the NCO School in Potsdam. On October 1, 1911, he joined the Infantry Regiment "Graf Kirchbach" (1st Lower Silesian) No. 46 of the Prussian Army . With the regiment he took part in the First World War, first as a non-commissioned officer and later as a vice sergeant and deputy officer , in which he was wounded several times. For his achievements he was awarded both classes of the Iron Cross and the Wound Badge in silver. On September 18, 1918, he fell at the western front in British captivity , was released from Arndt after the war ended on 20 March 1919th

After his return home, Arndt joined the Volkswehr Battalion V as a company officer in August 1919, where he was used as deputy company commander from December 1919 until he was taken over in the provisional Reichswehr . On February 15, 1920, he was transferred to the Reichswehr Rifle Regiment 105 and three months later to the Reichswehr Rifle Regiment 9. On October 1, 1920 he was finally transferred to the 8th Infantry Regiment . After his promotion to captain on November 1, 1928, he became chief of the 3rd Company in Frankfurt (Oder) on February 1, 1929 .

At the beginning of the Second World War, Arndt was the commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 68th Infantry Regiment of the 32nd Infantry Division . On February 15, 1940 he was appointed commander of the 511 Infantry Regiment and promoted to colonel on October 20, 1940 . On the Eastern Front , Arndt was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on January 23, 1942 , took over the leadership of the 293rd Infantry Division on January 10, 1943 and was finally promoted to Major General on March 10, 1943 . The seniority was set on April 1, 1943. On this date he was also appointed division commander. After heavy losses at Uman , his division was disbanded in November 1943 and the remnants were transferred to the 359th Infantry Division . In the meantime he had been promoted to lieutenant general on November 8, 1943. As such, he was appointed commander of this division on November 20, 1943. On July 2, 1944, he received the German Cross in Gold. In addition to this function, Arndt was LIX representative from January 17 to April 24, 1945 . Army Corps . During this time, Arndt was awarded the Oak Leaves Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on February 1, 1945 (719th award). In the last days of the war he was then on April 25, 1945 with the leadership of the XXXIX. The Panzer Corps was commissioned and ended up with the unconditional surrender of the Wehrmacht on May 8, 1945, as a US prisoner of war . Arndt was released from this on July 5, 1947.

literature

• Dermot Bradley (ed.), Karl Friedrich Hildebrand, Markus Brockmann: Die Generale des Heeres 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 1: Abberger-Bitthorn. Biblio publishing house. Osnabrück 1993. ISBN 3-7648-2422-0 . Pp. 88-89.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Ranking list of the German Imperial Army. Ed .: Reichswehr Ministry . ES Mittler & Sohn . Berlin 1930. p. 148.
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Veit Scherzer : 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 , p. 194.