Werner von Gilsa

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Werner Albrecht Freiherr von und zu Gilsa (born March 4, 1889 in Berlin ; † May 9, 1945 in Teplitz ( suicide )) was a German officer , most recently general of the infantry and last combat commander of Dresden .

origin

Werner comes from the Althessian noble family from and to Gilsa . His parents were Major General Karl Werner von und zu Gilsa (February 3, 1854 - May 27, 1913) and his wife Leonie Agathe Kunigunde Charlotte Amalie von Wallmoden (February 19, 1862 - October 22, 1937).

Life

He joined the Guard Fusilier Regiment as an ensign on March 19, 1908 and was promoted to lieutenant on August 19, 1909 . After the beginning of the First World War he was used as a platoon commander and from October 11, 1914 as a company commander in his regiment. On December 10, 1914, Gilsa joined the regimental staff as an orderly officer and was a regimental adjutant from February 1, 1915.

From September 1, 1934, he was a lieutenant colonel in the Wehrmacht . As a colonel , Gilsa was in 1936 in command of the Olympic Village in Berlin. From October 1, 1936 to January 31, 1941 he was regimental commander in Infantry Regiment 9 of the 23rd Infantry Division and from April 1, 1941 to April 4, 1943, commander of the 216th Infantry Division . From June 11, 1943, he led the LXXXIX as General of the Infantry from July 1, 1943 . Army Corps in the Netherlands.

On November 23, 1944, he was recalled because he had declared his resignation as an assessor at the People's Court at the first trial against the generals on July 20, 1944 . Initially on leave because of alleged health problems, he received his "frontline probation" and was appointed "combat commandant" of Dresden with effect from March 15. In order to ensure that the population remained in the city, Gilsa ordered that “every man, every woman, as well as girls and boys from the age of 14 onwards” had to take part in daily entrenchment work. After the Red Army's final offensive began , Gilsa participated in a relief attack on the enclosed city of Bautzen , with which he exceeded his powers. After the fall of Berlin he was ordered to evacuate the "Dresden Fortress" and to retreat into the mountains with his troops. Gilsa ordered the Elbe bridges to be destroyed, but the Blue Wonder remained unscathed and enabled the Red Army to follow up quickly. On May 9, 1945, Gilsa committed suicide near Teplitz .

Awards

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Rolf-Dieter Müller : The military importance of Dresden in the spring of 1945 and the effects of the Allied air raids. In: Rolf-Dieter Müller, Nicole Schonherr, Thomas Widera: The Destruction of Dresden February 13th to 15th, 1945: Expert opinion and results of the Dresden Historical Commission to determine the number of victims , V&R unipress GmbH, Göttingen 2010, p. 92 ff. Preview
  2. ↑ a b c d Ranking list of the German Imperial Army , Mittler & Sohn Verlag, Berlin, p. 132
  3. ↑ 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. 336.
personal data
SURNAME Gilsa, Werner von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gilsa, Werner Albrecht Freiherr von und zu
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German officer, general and last combat commandant of Dresden
DATE OF BIRTH March 4, 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH May 9, 1945
Place of death Teplitz