Günther Krappe was a German officer in the Second World War

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 commanded the 61st Infantry Division.

Promotions

• Leutnant (22 March 1914)
• Oberleutnant
  Oberleutnant
  Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
  
   (20 May 1917)
• Hauptmann
  Hauptmann
  Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies. While "haupt" in contemporary German means "main", it also has the dated meaning of "head", i.e...
  
   (1 February 1925)
• Major
  Major (Germany)
  Major is a rank of the German military which dates back to the Middle Ages.It equates to Major in the British and US Armies, and is rated OF-3 in NATO.During World War II, the SS equivalent was Sturmbannführer....
  
   (1 April 1934)
• Oberstleutnant
  Oberstleutnant
  Oberstleutnant 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...
  
   (1 August 1936)
• Oberst
  Oberst
  Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
  
   (1 April 1939)
• Generalmajor (1 November 1942)
• Generalleutnant (1 October 1943)

Career

Entered Army Service (25 September 1912)

Fahnenjunker in the 34th Fusilier-Regiment (25 September 1912–1914)

Platoon & Company Leader (1914–1918)

Transferred into the 4th Reichswehr

Reichswehr

The Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....

-Infantry-Regiment (1 October 1919–1922)

Adjutant of II. Battalion of the 4th Infantry-Regiment (1922–1 June 1926)

Company-Chief in the 4th Infantry-Regiment (1 June 1926–1 October 1930)

Chief Intelligence Officer (Ic) in the Staff of the 2nd Division (1 October
1930–1 October 1935)

Commander of II. Battalion of the 59th Infantry-Regiment (1 October 1935–1 October
1937)

Commander of III. Battalion of the 73rd Infantry-Regiment (1 October 1937–1 July
1939)

Commander of the 1st Supplemental-Regiment, Danzig (1 July 1939–1 October 1939)

Military-Attaché

Military attaché

A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...

 in Budapest

Budapest

Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...

 (1 October 1939–30 April 1941)

Military-Attaché in Madrid

Madrid

Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...

 (1 October 1941–1 December 1942)

Führer-Reserve OKH

Oberkommando des Heeres

The Oberkommando des Heeres was Nazi Germany's High Command of the Army from 1936 to 1945. The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht commanded OKH only in theory...

 (1 December 1942–18 January 1943)

Division-Leader-Course, Panzer Troop School Wünsdorf

Panzertruppenschule II

Panzertruppenschule II was the second of two major schools set up by the German Panzerwaffe in World War II to train German armour officers to operate Panzers...

 (18 January 1943–12 February 1943)

Delegated with the Leadership of the 61st Infantry Division (12 February 1943–1 May 1943)

Commander of the 61st Infantry-Division (1 May 1943–11 December 1944)

Führer-Reserve OKH (15 December 1944–10 February 1945)

Course for Commanding Generals (4 November 1944–31 January 1945)

Delegated with the Leadership of X. Waffen SS-Corps der SS (10 February 1945–6 March 1945)

In Soviet captivity (6 March 1945–1 March 1949)

Released (1 March 1949)

Awards and decorations

• 1914 Iron Cross
  Iron Cross
  The 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....
  
   I
• 1914 Iron Cross II
• Braunschweigisches Kriegsverdienstkreuz II. Klasse
• Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
• Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. bis I. Klasse
• Spange zum EK I
• Spange zum EK II
• 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...
  
   on 11 April 1944 Generalleutnant and commander of the 61st Infantry Division.

External links

• Günther Krappe at feldgrau.com