Fritz Bayerlein

Fritz Bayerlein

Fritz Bayerlein
Born (1899-01-14)14 January 1899
Würzburg, German Empire
Died 30 January 1970(1970-01-30) (aged 71)
Würzburg, West Germany
Allegiance  German Empire (to 1918)
 Weimar Republic (to 1933)
 Nazi Germany
Service/branch Army
Years of service 1917–45
Rank Generalleutnant
Commands held 3rd Panzer Division
Panzer Lehr Division
LIII Army Corps
Battles/wars

World War I

World War II

Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords

Fritz Hermann Michael Bayerlein (14 January 1899 – 30 January 1970) was an officer in the German Army during World War II. He initially served as a staff officer, including with Erwin Rommel in the Afrika Korps. He then commanded the 3rd Panzer Division, the Panzer Lehr Division and LIII Army Corps in the European theatre. Bayerlein was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, awarded by Nazi Germany for extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

World War II

Rommel, Bayerlein (center), and Albert Kesselring.

Bayerlein served as a staff officer of General Heinz Guderian for the invasion of Poland and the Battle of France. In Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, during June 1941, Bayerlein was assigned to Guderian's Panzer Group 2 staff. After the Battle of Kiev, Bayerlein was transferred to Generaloberst Erwin Rommel's staff. Bayerlein was moved to the Führerreserve in August 1942, then reassigned to the Afrika Korps as Chief of Staff.

He served as a staff officer under the command of Generalmajor Walter Nehring beginning in March 1942 upon Nehring's transfer to Africa. Later, he served under Erwin Rommel and Wilhelm von Thoma. When Rommel left Tunisia in March 1943 after the failed attack during the Battle of Medenine (Operation Capri), Bayerlein was appointed German liaison officer under the new commander, Italian Giovanni Messe. He was sent to Italy before the German troops in Tunisia surrendered on 12 May 1943. Bayerlein was sent to the Eastern Front in October 1943, to lead the 3rd Panzer Division, which was surrounded at Kirovograd. Bayerlein led a breakout through the Soviet encirclement.

He was reassigned to command the Panzer Lehr Division, which moved to Normandy on June 7. During the Allied Operation Cobra, Allied bombing near Saint-Lô decimated the division. The remnants of the Panzer Lehr Division slipped out of the Falaise pocket and moved east toward Vire in August 1944. The division next took part in the Ardennes Offensive, in December 1944, as part of the XLVII Panzer Corps; Bayerlein was relieved of command following the failed offensive. He took command of the LIII Army Corps in February 1945 and surrendered to the U.S. Army in the Ruhr Pocket on 19 April 1945.

After the war

Bayerlein was a prisoner of war from April 1945 through April 1947. During this time, he and many other generals in Allied captivity wrote the European battle histories for the U.S. Army Historical Division. Bayerlein was released on 2 April 1947. He wrote about military subjects and continued his work for the Historical Division. He died in 1970.

Awards

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 Thomas 1997, p. 29.
  2. ↑ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 29.
  3. 1 2 3 Scherzer 2007, p. 207.

Bibliography

  • 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. 
  • 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. 
  • Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6. 
  • Willmott, H.P. (1984). June 1944. New York, NY: Blandford Press. 
  • Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 3, 1 January 1944 to 9 May 1945] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2. 
Military offices
Preceded by
General der Panzertruppe Walther Nehring		 Acting Commander of Afrika Korps
31 August 1942 		Succeeded by
General der Panzertruppe Gustav von Vaerst
Preceded by
Generalleutnant Franz Westhoven		 Commander of 3. Panzer-Division
25 October 1943 – 5 January 1944 		Succeeded by
Oberst Rudolf Lang
Preceded by
none		 Commander of Panzer-Lehr-Division
10 January 1944 – August 1944 		Succeeded by
Oberst Rudolf Gerhardt
Preceded by
Oberst Paul Freiherr von Hauser		 Commander of Panzer-Lehr-Division
September 1944 – 15 January 1945 		Succeeded by
Generalmajor Horst Niemack
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