Karl Eglseer

Karl Eglseer (5 July 1890 – 23 June 1944) was a general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the XVIII Corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Eglseer was killed in an air crash in Austria on 23 June 1944.

Karl Eglseer
Born5 July 1890
Bad Ischl, Upper Austria, Austria-Hungary
Died23 June 1944(1944-06-23) (aged 53)
near Rettenegg, Nazi Germany now Austria
Allegiance Austria–Hungary
First Austrian Republic
 Nazi Germany
Service/branchArmy
Years of service1908–38
1938–44
RankOberst (Austria)
General (Germany)
Commands held4th Mountain Division
114th Jäger Division
XVIII Corps
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Life and career

Karl Eglseer was born in Bad Ischl in Upper Austria on 5 July 1890. He entered the Austro-Hungarian Army in August 1908 as an ensign, serving in World War I. Remaining in the Austrian Bundesheer after 1918, he transferred to the Wehrmacht after the Anschluss with Germany in 1938.[1]

In October 1940 he was promoted to command the 4th Mountain Division, serving in Army Group South on the Eastern Front.[1] In October 1941 he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his leadership of the division.[2] Eglseer then led the 714th Infantry Division[lower-alpha 1] in Yugoslavia from February 1943 to December 1943, when he became commander of the XVIII Army Corps on the Northern sector of the Eastern Front.[1]

On 23 June 1944 the aircraft carrying Eglseer, as well as Generals Dietl, von Wickede and Rossi, crashed in the Styria region of Austria. There were no survivors.[3] At the time of his death Eglseer held the rank of General of Mountain Troops.[1]

Awards
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Nazi Germany

References

Citations
  1. Lucas 1980, p. 212.
  2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 143.
  3. Heinemann, Smelser & Syring 1997, p. 107.
  1. Renamed the 114th Jäger Division in April 1943.

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.
  • Heinemann, Winfried; Smelser, Ronald; Syring, Enrico (1997). Die Militärelite Des Dritten Reiches: 27 Biographische Skizzen [The military elite of the Third Reich. 27 biographical sketches] (in German). Berlin: Ullstein. ISBN 978-3548332208.
  • Lucas, James (1980). Alpine Elite: German Mountain Troops of World War II. Jane's Publishing. ISBN 0531037134.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Military offices
Preceded by
none		 Commander of 4. Gebirgs-Division
23 October 1940 – 1 October 1941		 Succeeded by
Oberst Karl Wintergerst
Preceded by
Oberst Karl Wintergerst		 Commander of 4. Gebirgs-Division
November 1941 – 22 October 1942		 Succeeded by
Generalleutnant Hermann Kreß
Preceded by
Generalleutnant Josef Reichert		 Commander of 114th Jäger Division
20 February 1943 – 1 December 1943		 Succeeded by
Generalleutnant Alexander Bourquin
Preceded by
General der Gebirgstruppe Franz Böhme		 Commander of XVIII Gerbirgskorps
10 December 1943 – 23 June 1944		 Succeeded by
General der Infanterie Friedrich Hochbaum
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