Günther-Eberhardt Wisliceny
Encyclopedia
Günther-Eberhardt Wisliceny (5 September 1912 in Regulowken
, now Możdżany
, Giżycko County
- 25 August 1985 in Hanover
) was a German
Waffen-SS
(Lieutenant Colonel) officer. 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.
in 1933, he was posted in 1938 to the Der Führer Regiment, seeing his first action as a company commander in the Balkans in spring 1941. He spent 1941 to 1943 on the Eastern Front
and 1944 in France, fighting in all the battles of the senior SS divisions, and being wounded four times. He was awarded the Knight's Cross
for leadership of a battalion during the battles for the Kursk salient in July 1943. He received the Oak Leaves on 27 December 1944, at the Normandy invasion front. The Swords were awarded for his actions in the Ardennes
, Hungary
and Austria
. In 1945 he was handed over by the US Army to the French during investigations into his division's war crimes at Tulle
and Oradour-sur-Glane
, but was released in 1951.
His brother Hauptsturmführer
Dieter Wisliceny
served in the staff of Obersturmbannfuhrer Adolf Eichmann
. He was involved in the deportation of the Hungarian Jews in 1944. He was tried for War Crimes and executed in Bratislava
on 4 May 1948.
Mozdzany
Możdżany is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kruklanki, within Giżycko County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately east of Kruklanki, east of Giżycko, and east of the regional capital Olsztyn....
, now Możdżany
Mozdzany
Możdżany is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kruklanki, within Giżycko County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately east of Kruklanki, east of Giżycko, and east of the regional capital Olsztyn....
, Giżycko County
Gizycko County
Giżycko County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, northern Poland. It came into being on 1 January 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms of 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Giżycko, which lies east of...
- 25 August 1985 in Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
) was a German
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...
Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
(Lieutenant Colonel) officer. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
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...
. 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.
Career
Wiscliceny enlisted in the SS-Stabswache BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1933, he was posted in 1938 to the Der Führer Regiment, seeing his first action as a company commander in the Balkans in spring 1941. He spent 1941 to 1943 on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
and 1944 in France, fighting in all the battles of the senior SS divisions, and being wounded four times. He was awarded the Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield....
for leadership of a battalion during the battles for the Kursk salient in July 1943. He received the Oak Leaves on 27 December 1944, at the Normandy invasion front. The Swords were awarded for his actions in the Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. In 1945 he was handed over by the US Army to the French during investigations into his division's war crimes at Tulle
Tulle
Tulle is a commune and capital of the Corrèze department in the Limousin region in central France. It is also the episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulle...
and Oradour-sur-Glane
Oradour-sur-Glane
Oradour-sur-Glane is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Limousin region in west-central France.The original village was destroyed on 10 June 1944, when 642 of its inhabitants, including women and children, were massacred by a German Waffen-SS company...
, but was released in 1951.
His brother Hauptsturmführer
Hauptsturmführer
Hauptsturmführer was a Nazi rank of the SS which was used between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank of Hauptsturmführer was a mid-grade company level officer and was the equivalent of a Captain in the German Army and also the equivalent of captain in foreign armies...
Dieter Wisliceny
Dieter Wisliceny
Dieter Wisliceny was a member of the Nazi SS, and a key executioner in the final phase of the Holocaust.Wisliceny studied theology without obtaining a degree...
served in the staff of Obersturmbannfuhrer Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
. He was involved in the deportation of the Hungarian Jews in 1944. He was tried for War Crimes and executed in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
on 4 May 1948.
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 Gold - 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...
in Silver - 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 Class (27 July 1941)
- 1st Class (1 November 1941)
- 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 24 April 1943 as SS-HauptsturmführerHauptsturmführerHauptsturmführer was a Nazi rank of the SS which was used between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank of Hauptsturmführer was a mid-grade company level officer and was the equivalent of a Captain in the German Army and also the equivalent of captain in foreign armies...
in the III./SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment "Deutschland" - Close Combat ClaspClose Combat ClaspThe Close Combat Clasp is a German military award instituted on 25 November 1942 for achievement in hand to hand fighting in close quarters. The Close Combat Clasp was worn above the upper left uniform pocket...
in Gold- Bronze (1943)
- Silver (1 April 1944)
- Gold (31 March 1945)
- 2 Tank Destruction Badges 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...
- 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 30 July 1943 as SS-SturmbannführerSturmbannführerSturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
and commander of the III./SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment "Deutschland" - 687th Oak Leaves on 26 December 1944 as SS-ObersturmbannführerObersturmbannführerObersturmbannführer was a paramilitary Nazi Party rank used by both the SA and the SS. It was created in May 1933 to fill the need for an additional field grade officer rank above Sturmbannführer as the SA expanded. It became an SS rank at the same time...
and commander of the III./SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 3 "Deutschland" - 151st Swords on 6 May 1945 as SS-Obersturmbannführer and commander of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 3 "Deutschland"
- Knight's Cross on 30 July 1943 as SS-Sturmbannführer