Robert Martinek

Robert Martinek (2 February 1889 – 28 June 1944) was an Austrian general who served in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.

Robert Martinek
Born2 February 1889
Gratzen, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary
Died28 June 1944(1944-06-28) (aged 55)
Berezino, Belorussian SSR, Soviet Union
Allegiance Austria-Hungary (to 1918)
First Austrian Republic (to 1938)
 Nazi Germany
Service/branchArmy (Wehrmacht)
Years of service1907–38 (Austria)
1938–44 (Nazi Germany)
RankOberst (Austria)
General der Artillerie
Commands held267th Infantry Division
7th Mountain Division
XXXIX Panzer Corps
Battles/wars
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

An artillery officer of the Austro-Hungarian Army in World War I, Martinek continued to served with the Austrian Bundesheer during the interwar period.

Biography

Martinek was born on 2 February 1889 in Gratzen (now Nové Hrady, Czech Republic),[1] where his father was a brewer. Enlisting in the army of Austria-Hungary in 1907, he was promoted to Leutnant in 1910, Oberleutnant in 1914, and to Hauptmann in 1917 for outstanding bravery. Serving with the Bundesheer after World War I, he taught at (and during the 1930s, headed) the Austrian military's Artillery School, reaching the rank of Oberst by the time of the Anschluss. In Austrian service, he made a number of artillery innovations, including new ranging and firing methods as well as a namesake sight adjustment system.[2]

During World War II, he commanded the 267th Infantry Division from 5 November 1941, and the 7th Mountain Division during 1942. He was in command of the heavy concentrations of artillery in the Siege of Sevastopol as the higher artillery reserve commander of the 11th Army, which played a key role in the reduction of the fortifications of the strategic port city. On 1 December 1942 Martinek took command of XXXIX Panzer Corps, simultaneously being promoted to Generalleutnant. He was again promoted to General der Artillerie on New Year's Day 1943. For leading the corps in the retreat into eastern Belarus, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 10 February 1944.[2]

In June 1944, the XXXIX Panzer Corps was assigned to Army Group Centre in the Belorussian SSR. Shortly before the Soviet summer offensive, Operation Bagration, a battalion commander in the 12th Infantry Division raised concerns about a possible attack with Martinek, who was on a tour of inspection. Martinek agreed but in response cited the proverb "Whom God would destroy, he first strikes blind".[3] Soviet forces launched the offensive on 23 June; Martinek's corps was rapidly outflanked. Martinek was killed in an air attack on 28 June near Berezino.[2]

His notes from World War I were published as Kriegstagebuch eines Batterie-Kommandanten 1914–1918 in 1976; he was also the subject of a book by Erich Dethleffsen.[2]

Awards and decorations

References

Citations
  1. Lewis, S. J. (1985). Forgotten Legions: German Army Infantry Policy, 1918-1941. Praeger. p. 110. ISBN 9780030043697.
  2. Egger 1990, pp. 293–294.
  3. Glantz 1995, p. 219.
  4. Thomas 1998, p. 62.
  5. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 296.
  6. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 303.
  7. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 78.

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.
  • Egger, Rainer (1990). "Martinek, Robert". Neue Deutsche Biographie. 16. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot. pp. 293–294. ISBN 3-428-00197-4.
  • Glantz, David. When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler, 1995.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
  • Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9.
Military offices
Preceded by
Generalleutnant Friedrich-Karl von Wachter		 Commander of 267th Infantry Division
10 November 1941 – 1 January 1942		 Succeeded by
Generalleutnant Friedrich-Karl von Wachter
Preceded by
Generaloberst Hans-Jürgen von Arnim		 Commander of XXXIX Panzer Corps
1 December 1942 – 13 November 1943		 Succeeded by
General der Infanterie Carl Püchler
Preceded by
General der Infanterie Carl Püchler		 Commander of XXXIX Panzer Corps
18 April 1944 – 28 June 1944		 Succeeded by
Generalleutnant Otto Schünemann
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