Ernst-Günther Baade
Encyclopedia
Generalleutnant Ernst-Günther Baade (20 August 1897 – 8 May 1945) was a German
general serving during World War II
. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He was wounded in action and died from his injuries on the last day of World War II in Europe.
and was chosen for officer candidate training. He was commissioned as Leutnant in August 1916. In 1918 he transferred to the Western front
where he was wounded during a poison gas attack.
and Cyrenaica
.
Colonel Baade distinguished himself on 27 May 1942 by his leadership and decision making, checking an armored attack into the rear of the 15th Panzer Division. A battalion of the regiment under his command managed to infiltrate into Bir Hacheim
on the next day, defeating the British opponents after 24 hours of bitter fighting. Col. Baade was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
for these actions.
He was again wounded on 28 July 1942 at El-Alamein when his position was hit by artillery
fire, then evacuated to Rome
and Germany for a period of convalescence.
Colonel Baade was placed in charge of the defence of the Straits of Messina during the successful evacuation of German forces from Sicily
to the Italian mainland in early August 1943.
Promoted to Generalmajor, Baade assumed command of 90th Infantry Division at Monte Cassino
. He was known for his occasionally eccentric behavior, his very small staff, his frequent front line inspection visits – all which made him popular with his troops. He was one of the few general officers who earned the wearing of a Tank Destruction Badge
on his upper right sleeve for the singlehanded destruction of an enemy tank with an infantry weapon. After the retreats into northern Italy, Baade shot and killed a lower ranking SS officer who tried to give him an order, then went briefly into hiding.
Baade was wounded in the neck and lower leg by a phosphorus projectile on 24 April 1945 when his Kübelwagen was strafed by a British fighter aircraft near Neverstaven in Holstein
. Baade was taken to a hospital at Bad Segeberg
, where he succumbed to gangrene on 8 May 1945, the last day of the war.
Bibliography
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
general serving during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He was wounded in action and died from his injuries on the last day of World War II in Europe.
World War I
Ernst-Günther Baade volunteered for military service in 1914 at the age of seventeen and joined the 9th Ulanenregiment (light cavalry). Baade distinguished himself in the fighting on the Eastern FrontEastern Front (World War I)
The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...
and was chosen for officer candidate training. He was commissioned as Leutnant in August 1916. In 1918 he transferred to the Western front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
where he was wounded during a poison gas attack.
World War II
On 6 March 1942 Baade was assigned to officers active reserve (Führer-Reserve). He subsequently transferred to the 15th Panzer Division in North Africa and took command of 115th Rifle Regiment on 15 April 1942, at that time committed to action in LibyaLibya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
and Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...
.
Colonel Baade distinguished himself on 27 May 1942 by his leadership and decision making, checking an armored attack into the rear of the 15th Panzer Division. A battalion of the regiment under his command managed to infiltrate into Bir Hacheim
Battle of Bir Hakeim
Bir Hakeim is a remote oasis in the Libyan desert, and the former site of a Turkish fort. During the Battle of Gazala, the 1st Free French Division of General Marie Pierre Kœnig defended the site from 26 May-11 June 1942 against attacking German and Italian forces directed by Lieutenant-General ...
on the next day, defeating the British opponents after 24 hours of bitter fighting. Col. Baade was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
for these actions.
He was again wounded on 28 July 1942 at El-Alamein when his position was hit by artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
fire, then evacuated to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Germany for a period of convalescence.
Colonel Baade was placed in charge of the defence of the Straits of Messina during the successful evacuation of German forces from Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
to the Italian mainland in early August 1943.
Promoted to Generalmajor, Baade assumed command of 90th Infantry Division at Monte Cassino
Battle of Monte Cassino
The Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...
. He was known for his occasionally eccentric behavior, his very small staff, his frequent front line inspection visits – all which made him popular with his troops. He was one of the few general officers who earned the wearing of a Tank Destruction Badge
Tank Destruction Badge
The Tank Destruction Badge was an award given to individuals of the Wehrmacht who destroyed an enemy tank single-handedly by an hand-held weapon. Anti-tank units were not eligible for this award...
on his upper right sleeve for the singlehanded destruction of an enemy tank with an infantry weapon. After the retreats into northern Italy, Baade shot and killed a lower ranking SS officer who tried to give him an order, then went briefly into hiding.
Baade was wounded in the neck and lower leg by a phosphorus projectile on 24 April 1945 when his Kübelwagen was strafed by a British fighter aircraft near Neverstaven in Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
. Baade was taken to a hospital at Bad Segeberg
Bad Segeberg
Bad Segeberg is a German town of 16,000 inhabitants, located in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, capital of the district Segeberg. It is situated approximately northeast of Hamburg, and west of Lübeck.It is famous for its annual Karl-May-Festival...
, where he succumbed to gangrene on 8 May 1945, the last day of the war.
Awards
- Wound BadgeWound BadgeWound Badge was a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied...
in Silver - Infantry Assault BadgeInfantry Assault BadgeThe Infantry Assault Badge was a German war badge awarded to Waffen SS and Wehrmacht Heer soldiers during WWII. This decoration was instituted on December 20th 1939 by the Oberstbefehlshaber des Heeres, Generalfeldmarschall von Brauchitsch...
- Tank Destruction Badge for Individual CombatantsTank Destruction BadgeThe Tank Destruction Badge was an award given to individuals of the Wehrmacht who destroyed an enemy tank single-handedly by an hand-held weapon. Anti-tank units were not eligible for this award...
- CuffbandCuff titleA cuff title is a form of insignia placed on the sleeve, near the cuff of German military and paramilitary uniforms, most commonly seen in the Second World War but also seen postwar....
"Afrika" - German CrossGerman CrossThe German Cross was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 17 November 1941 as an award ranking higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross respectively ranking higher than the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords but below the Knight's Cross of the War Merit...
in Gold on 2 November 1941 as OberstleutnantOberstleutnantOberstleutnant is a German Army and Air Force rank equal to Lieutenant Colonel, above Major, and below Oberst.There are two paygrade associated to the rank of Oberstleutnant...
in the I./Reiter-Regiment 22 - 1914 Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
2nd and 1st Class - 1939 clasp to the Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
2nd and 1st Class - Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and SwordsKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
- Knight's Cross on 27 June 1942 as Oberst and commander of Schützen-Regiment 115
- 402nd Oak Leaves on 22 February 1944 as Oberst and leader of the 90. Panzergrenadier-Division
- 111th Swords on 16 November 1944 as Generalleutnant and commader of the 90. Panzergrenadier-Division "Adiatisches Küstenland"
- Mentioned twice in the WehrmachtberichtWehrmachtberichtThe Wehrmachtbericht was a daily radio report on the Großdeutscher Rundfunk of Nazi Germany, published by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht regarding the military situation on all fronts of World War II....
(8 February 1944, 27 May 1944)
Footnotes and references
CitationsBibliography
- Atkinson, Rick (2007). The Day of Battle - The War in Sicily and Italy 1943 - 1944. ISBN 978-0-316-72560-6.
- Berger, Florian (2000). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges (in German). Wien, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 3-9501307-0-5.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-PeerWalther-Peer FellgiebelWalther-Peer Fellgiebel was a German officer in the Wehrmacht, serving during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership...
(2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945 (in German). Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5. - Hapgood, David & Richardson, David (1984). Monte Cassino. New York: Congdon & Weed, Inc. ISBN 0-86553-105-6.
- Mitcham, Samuel W. (2007). Rommel's Desert Commanders — The Men Who Served the Desert Fox, North Africa, 1941–42. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-3510-9.
- Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.
- Plehwe, Friedrich-Karl von (1998). Das eigenständige Leben des Generals Ernst-Günther Baade. Schäuble, Rheinfelden. ISBN 3-87718-249-6.
- Schaulen, Fritjof (2003). Eichenlaubträger 1940 - 1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe I Abraham - Huppertz (in German). Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 3-932381-20-3.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
- Helden der Wehrmacht III - Unsterbliche deutsche Soldaten (in German). München, Germany: FZ-Verlag GmbH, 2007. ISBN 978-3-924309-82-4.