Walter Poppe
Encyclopedia
Walter Fritz Rudolf Poppe (8 August 1892 in Kassel
- 17 August 1968), born in Kassel
, served as a Generalleutnant during the Second World War leading the 59th Infantry Division, subordinate to Georg-Hans Reinhard's LXXXVIII.Armeekorps.
He had initially joined the army on January 20, 1914, and served as a Leutnant
in World War I
.
On January 12, 1942, he succeeded Wilhelm Wetzel
as command of the 255th Infantry Division between the Eastern Front and France
until it was disbanded in October 1943, at which point he succeeded Otto Lasch
as command of the 217th Infantry Division on the Eastern Front, until it was also disbanded a month later on November 15.
He participated in Operation Market Garden
, leading the 59th Infantry Division where he led his troops across a river crossing between Breskens
and Flushing
. After the war he was credited as a 'Military Advisor' on the 1974 film A Bridge Too Far even though he had died in 1968.
By war's end, he held command of the 467th Infantry Division.
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
- 17 August 1968), born in Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, served as a Generalleutnant during the Second World War leading the 59th Infantry Division, subordinate to Georg-Hans Reinhard's LXXXVIII.Armeekorps.
He had initially joined the army on January 20, 1914, and served as a Leutnant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
On January 12, 1942, he succeeded Wilhelm Wetzel
Wilhelm Wetzel
Wilhelm Wetzel was a highly decorated General der Infanterie in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
as command of the 255th Infantry Division between the Eastern Front and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
until it was disbanded in October 1943, at which point he succeeded Otto Lasch
Otto Lasch
Otto Lasch was a German general in the Wehrmacht.Otto Lasch was born in Pleß as son of the high master forrester of the Prince of Pless in Silesia. Lasch after graduation took part in World War I in the Jäger-Battalion „Fürst Bismarck“ Nr. 2 in Kulm . After 1918 he joined the police and in 1935...
as command of the 217th Infantry Division on the Eastern Front, until it was also disbanded a month later on November 15.
He participated in Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....
, leading the 59th Infantry Division where he led his troops across a river crossing between Breskens
Breskens
Breskens is a harbour town on the Westerschelde in the municipality of Sluis in the province of Zeeland, in the south-western Netherlands. Its population is 4,280 ....
and Flushing
Flushing, Netherlands
Vlissingen is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an important harbour for centuries. It was granted city rights in 1315. In the 17th century...
. After the war he was credited as a 'Military Advisor' on the 1974 film A Bridge Too Far even though he had died in 1968.
By war's end, he held command of the 467th Infantry Division.
Dates of rank
- Leutnant ohne Patent: 20 January 1914 (Granted Patent on 22 June 1912)
- OberleutnantOberleutnantOberleutnant 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...
: 18 August 1917 - HauptmannHauptmannHauptmann 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 April 1925 - MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
: 1934 - 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...
: 1 October 1936 - OberstOberstOberst 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 June 1939 - Generalmajor: 1 April 1942
- Generalleutnant: 1 January 1943
Commands Held
- Inf.Regt.465 1 September 1939
- 255 Inf.Div. 12 January 1942
- 217 Inf.Div. (m.d.F.b.) Oct - 15 November 1943
- 364 Inf.Div. 15 December 1943 - 21 January 1944
- 77.Inf.Div. 1 February 1944 - 25 April 1944
- 59.Inf.Div. 5 July 1944 - Feb.45
- 467.Inf.Div. April45
Awards
- Iron Cross Second ClassIron 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....
- Iron Cross First ClassIron 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....
- Wound Badge (1918)Wound 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 Black - Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
- German Cross in GoldGerman 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...
- May 30, 1942 - Mentioned 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 November 1943) - his ribbon bar may have been EK2,EH3bX,HH,BO5
Reference in the Wehrmachtbericht
| Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
|---|---|---|
| 8 November 1943 | In diesen mit unverminderter Heftigkeit andauernden schweren Abwehrkämpfen haben sich die fränkisch-sudetendeutsche 183. Infanteriedivision unter Führung von Generalleutnant Dettling und die ostpreußische 217. Infanteriedivision unter Führung von Generalleutnant Poppe besonders ausgezeichnet. | In these continuously heavy defensive battles with unreduced fierceness, the franconian-sudeten 183rd Infantry Division under the leadership of Generalleutnant Dettling and the east prussian 217th Infantry Division under the leadership of Generalleutnant Poppe distinguished themselves exceptionally. |
Sources
- Generalleutnant Walter Poppe. Article at Lexicon der Wehrmacht website
- Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, 1. Januar 1942 bis 31. Dezember 1943. Köln: Geschellschaft für Literatur und Bildung mbH, 1989. ISBN 3-89340-004-4
- Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit. Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, 2001. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.