Walther Grosse (military historian)

Walther Grosse (born January 1, 1884 in Marienburg ; † September 20, 1969 in Müllheim (Baden) ) was a German officer , most recently major general in World War II, as well as an economist and military historian .

Life

After graduating from high school, Grosse joined the pioneer battalion “Fürst Radziwill” (East Prussian) No. 1 in Königsberg on March 18, 1903 as a flag junior . There he was appointed ensign on October 18, 1903 , and his promotion to lieutenant on August 18, 1904 . As such, he graduated from the Military Technical Academy from October 1, 1906 to September 30, 1908 . During his assignment to the Prussian War Academy , which lasted from October 1, 1911 to July 21, 1914, Grosse became first lieutenant on August 18, 1912 .

After he had been transferred to the 5th West Prussian Infantry Regiment No. 148 on February 17, 1914 , Grosse took to the field as a company commander at the outbreak of the First World War . At the beginning of the Battle of Tannenberg , Grosse was badly wounded and taken prisoner by the Russians . At the end of 1917 he managed to escape. After his return home, Grosse initially served on the General Staff of the Deputy General Command of the XX. Army Corps before he was appointed battalion commander in Infantry Regiment No. 401 on October 1, 1918 . Almost three weeks later, Grosse took over the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Warmian Infantry Regiment No. 151 . After the end of the war and the return of the association to his home country, Grosse was deployed to the East Prussian border guard from January 11, 1919 to March 31, 1920 . With this date Grosse arbitration under presentation of the character as a Major from active service.

He then became editor of the Königsberger Allgemeine Zeitung . At the same time he studied economics at the Albertus University in Königsberg . 1923 doctorate he became Dr. rer. pole. He was particularly interested in East Prussian military history . Grosse was considered the best expert on the East Prussian troops .

On July 1, 1930, he was hired as an L officer in the 1st (Prussian) Pioneer Battalion. In the following years he was u. a. Pioneer officer at the headquarters of the Königsberg fortifications and founded a fortress museum, the holdings of which were partially saved. On May 2, 1945, Grosse was taken prisoner of war , from which he was released in 1947.

After the Second World War he wrote biographies of soldiers.

Awards

• Prussian shield in 1969

Works

• East Prussian soldiers: pictures from 7 centuries, 1936.
• Leader over the East Prussian battlefields. Koenigsberg 1939.
• The garrisons in the Wehlau district. Digital copy (Wehlau district community) (PDF; 5.2 MB)
• The Battle of Gumbinnen. The fighting in East Prussia from August 17th to 20th, 1914. Tilsit 1939.
• A colorful life. Munich.

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 4: Fleck-Gyldenfeldt. Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1996, ISBN 3-7648-2488-3 , pp. 445-446.
• Wolfgang Keilig : The Generals of the Army 1939–1945 . Podzun-Pallas-Verlag, Friedberg 1983, ISBN 3-7909-0202-0 .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Robert Albinus: Königsberg Lexicon. Würzburg 2002, ISBN 3-88189-441-1 .