Heinz Hellmich

Heinz Hellmich (9 June 1890 – 17 June 1944) was a German general (Generalleutnant) in the Wehrmacht during World War II and a posthumous recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.[1]

Heinz Hellmich
Born(1890-06-09)9 June 1890
Karlsruhe, Germany
Died17 June 1944(1944-06-17) (aged 54)
Cherbourg, France
Allegiance German Empire
 Weimar Republic
 Nazi Germany
Service/branchArmy
Years of service1908–44
RankGeneralleutnant
Battles/warsWorld War I
World War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

On 1 April 1942, Hellmich was appointed commander of the 141st Reserve Division. In 1943, he worked with a Soviet defector, Red Army general Andrey Vlasov, and other volunteers from the Soviet Union as "General of the Eastern Troops" (General der Osttruppen), a position he held until early January 1944.[2]

On 10 January 1944, Hellmich was moved to France and put in a command of the 243rd Infantry Division, a coastal defense division stationed in the Cotentin Peninsula. The division protected the western coast of the Cotentin Peninsula when Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy, began on 6 June 1944. Hellmich was killed by 20-millimeter cannon shells during an Allied air attack on 17 June 1944.[3]

Awards

References

Citations
  1. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 221.
  2. Strikt-Strikfeldt (1973), pg 118
  3. Citino, Robert M., "Danger Zone," World War II History, July–August 2016, p. 26.
  4. Scherzer 2007, p. 379.

Bibliography
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die 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 [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Strikt-Strikfeldt, Wilfried (1973). Against Stalin and Hitler: Memoirs of the Russian Liberation Movement, 1941–1945. New York, USA: The John Day Company. ISBN 0-381-98185-1.
Military offices
Preceded by
General der Infanterie Walter von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt		 Commander of 23. Infanterie-Division
1 June 1940 – 17 January 1942		 Succeeded by
Generalleutnant Curt Badinski
Preceded by
Generalleutnant Ulrich von Waldow		 Commander of 141. Reserve-Division
1 April 1942 – 10 December 1942		 Succeeded by
Generalleutnant Otto Schönherr
Preceded by
Position established		 General of the Eastern Troops (General der Osttruppen)
1943 – 1 January 1944		 Succeeded by
General der Kavallerie Ernst August Köstring
Preceded by
Generalmajor Hermann von Witzleben		 Commander of 243. Infanterie-Division
10 January 1944 – 17 June 1944		 Succeeded by
Generalmajor Bernhard Klosterkemper


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