Theodor Kretschmer

Theodor Kretschmer (born November 26, 1901 in Burghaun ; † December 5, 1986 in Schlitz ) was a German officer , most recently major general in World War II . On March 8, 1945, as major general and commander of the 17th Panzer Division, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross .

Life

Kretschmer began his military career in 1919 as a volunteer in the Guard Cavalry Rifle Division . In the Reichswehr he was promoted to lieutenant on January 1, 1924 in the motor vehicle division 5 . From October 1, 1938 he was with the General Staff of the XVI. Army Corps (Wehrmacht) . From the beginning of the Second World War he was deployed in the Army High Command (OKH). From June 10, 1940, he was in Panzer Division 65 . On July 8, 1940 he was used again in the OKH. On April 1, 1941, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. On May 1, 1942, he was given command of Panzer Regiment 36 of the 14th Panzer Division . From August 16, 1942, he headed a department in the Army Personnel Office . He was promoted to colonel on October 1, 1942. On November 1, 1944, he was assigned to the 16th Panzer Division for training as a division commander. On February 1, 1945 he became the commander of the 17th Panzer Division . From May 11, 1945 to November 10, 1955 he was a Soviet prisoner of war . He was one of the last people to return home . In 1958 he lived in his native Burghaun.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd class
• Iron Cross (1939) 1st class
• German cross in gold
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

literature

• Wolfgang Keilig : The Generals of the Army 1939–1945 . Podzun-Pallas-Verlag, Friedberg 1983, ISBN 3-7909-0202-0 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Walther-Peer Fellgiebel : The bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939-1945 - The holder of the highest award of the Second World War of all parts of the Wehrmacht . Dörfler Verlag, Eggolsheim 2004, ISBN 3-7909-0284-5 , p. 225 .
2. ↑ Wolfgang Keilig: The Generals of the Army 1939-1945. Friedberg 1983, p. 187.