Walter Wessel (General)

Walter Wessel (born April 21, 1892 in Lautenthal , † July 20, 1943 in Morano Calabro , Italy ) was a German officer , most recently Lieutenant General in World War II .

Life

POWs shot in the ditch, Ciepielów, September 9, 1939

At the beginning of the Second World War, Wessel took part in the attack on Poland as commander of the 15th Infantry Regiment . There he ordered the Ciepielów massacre , in which around 250 Polish prisoners of war were murdered. He later fought with the regiment in France and took part in the war against the Soviet Union . Most recently, Wessel worked as a lieutenant general in the staff of the inspector of the armored forces in the army high command . During an inspection trip to Italy, he was killed in an accident.

Awards

Iron Cross (1914) 2nd and 1st class
Wound badge (1918) in black
Clasp for the Iron Cross, 2nd and 1st class
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with oak leaves
- Knight's Cross on August 15, 1940
- Oak leaves on February 17, 1942 (76th award)

Individual evidence

↑ ^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. 781.

personal data
SURNAME	Wessel, Walter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German officer, most recently lieutenant general in World War II
DATE OF BIRTH	April 21, 1892
PLACE OF BIRTH	Lautenthal
DATE OF DEATH	July 20, 1943
Place of death	Morano Calabro , Italy

[Scherzer-1] 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. 781.