Kurt Freiherr von Liebenstein

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Karl Otto Kurt Freiherr von Liebenstein (born February 28, 1899 in Horb am Neckar , † August 2, 1975 in Jebenhausen ) was a major general in the Wehrmacht and later in the Bundeswehr .

Life

Kurt, offspring of the old noble Liebenstein family , attended the humanistic Karls-Gymnasium in Stuttgart . On December 20, 1916, during the First World War , he joined the Württemberg Army , completed several months of basic training and then an ensign course . On February 16, 1918, he was promoted to lieutenant and served as platoon leader in the "König" dragoon regiment (2nd Württembergisches) No. 26 at the front. In September 1918 he was taken prisoner by the English , from which Liebenstein was released at the end of December 1919. After his release he remained in active service and was accepted into the Reichswehr , where between 1920 and 1930 he found various jobs as a platoon leader in the 18th Cavalry Regiment and was posted to the Hanover cavalry school for two years .

From October 1930 he completed a further two-year training as a leader's assistant in the staff of the 7th Division , which was followed by a general staff course at the War Academy in Berlin-Moabit . In May 1933 he was promoted to captain as well as various assignments as a clerk and group leader in the Army General Staff , in the Foreign Armies Poland department, and from March 1937 to the start of the war as an assistant to the military attaché in Paris . He maintained close contact with his uncle Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg , who was a military attaché in London from 1933 to 1937 .

During the attack on Poland Liebenstein served again in the general staff, then he was assigned to the Ia of the 17th Infantry Division , and in February 1940 appointed Ia of the 10th Panzer Division . From October 1940 he was Chief of the General Staff of the 2nd Panzer Army under Colonel General Guderian . In this function he received the German Cross in Gold on January 26, 1942 .

From June 1942 he was commander of the 6th Panzer Regiment in the Caucasus, from October to December 1942 commander of the 3rd Panzer Grenadier Brigade and finally commander of the 164th Light Africa Division under Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in Tripoli and Tunisia . In March 1943 he was promoted to major general , on May 10, 1943 he was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross . Two days later his division was destroyed near Tunis and Liebenstein was taken prisoner by the British .

A few days after his arrival in Trent Park , a special camp for generals north of London, he joined a small group around Wilhelm von Thoma who believed the war was lost, and expressed disparaging views on Hitler and National Socialism, and in particular the war crimes committed against the Eastern Front condemned.

According to the assessment of the British secret service , which eavesdropped on the prisoners around the clock and prepared extensive dossiers, Liebenstein had a broader political horizon than many other generals and was distinguished by a pronounced sense of humor. a. directed against the Nazi regime . His critical views certainly did not only grow in captivity. He spoke fluent French and good English and was considered a staunch aristocrat , albeit less conceited than his friend Friedrich von Broich . He rejected any form of dictatorship and showed himself to be an admirer and connoisseur of English and French culture, especially women, food and wine. He was benevolent towards the Italians and blamed Mussolini for their downfall. He proved to be a talented artist and spent a lot of time painting watercolors.

After his return from captivity in April 1947, Liebenstein initially worked as an entrepreneur and from 1950 as head of the traffic office in Göppingen . On May 1, 1956, he was taken over as major general in the Bundeswehr and appointed commander of Defense Area V (Stuttgart). On December 31, 1960, after completing the first development phase of the Bundeswehr, he retired from active service due to old age. Liebenstein was awarded the Great Cross of Merit of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for his services to building up the Bundeswehr .

literature

  • Dermot Bradley (Ed.): 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 7: Knabe – Luz. Biblio Verlag, Bissendorf 2004, ISBN 3-7648-2902-8 , pp. 513-514.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Dermot Bradley (ed.): The military careers of the generals and admirals of the Bundeswehr 1955–1997. Volume 3, ISBN 978-3-7648-2382-5 , pp. 72f.
  2. ↑ a b c d e Cf. Munzinger archive
  3. ↑ a b c d e Cf. Sönke Neitzel : Abgehört. German generals in British captivity 1942–1945. Propylaea, 2005, ISBN 978-3-549-07261-5 , pp. 459f.
  4. ↑ Details on the history of the division in: Georg Tessin : Associations and troops of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen SS in the Second World War 1939–1945. Volume 7, Biblio-Verlag, Bissendorf 1979, ISBN 3-7648-1173-0 , pp. 140f.
  5. ↑ Sönke Neitzel 2005; P. 36f. and 459f.
  6. ↑ Cf. Frank Nägler: The Bundeswehr 1955 to 2005: Flashbacks, Insights, Perspectives. Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, 2007, ISBN 978-3-486-57958-1 , p. 68.
personal data
SURNAME Liebenstein, Kurt Freiherr von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Liebenstein, Karl Otto Kurt Freiherr von (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Major General of the Wehrmacht and later of the Bundeswehr
DATE OF BIRTH February 28, 1899
PLACE OF BIRTH Horb am Neckar
DATE OF DEATH 2nd August 1975
Place of death Jebenhausen