Erich Brandenberger

Erich Brandenberger
Erich Brandenberger (left) with Erich von Manstein in 1941
Born	15 July 1892 Augsburg, German Empire
Died	21 June 1955 (aged 62) Bonn, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Army
Rank	General der Panzertruppe
Commands held	8. Panzer-Division XXIX. Armeekorps
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Erich Brandenberger (15 July 1892 – 21 June 1955) was a German general during World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

In World War I he served as an officer in the 6th Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment. When World War II began Brandenberger was Chief of the General Staff of the XXIII Army Corps (16 September 1939 - 15 February 1941) on the West Wall. He commanded 8th Panzer Division (20 February 1941 - 16 January 1943), LIX Army Corps (January — March 1943) and XXIX Army Corps (November 1943 - Jun 1944) on the Eastern Front.

In late 1944 and early 1945, he led the 7th Army on the Western Front during the German Ardennes Offensive. He surrendered to the American forces on 6 May 1945 as the commander of 19th Army.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class (21 October 1914) & 1st Class (7 September 1916)^[1]
• Clasp to the Iron Cross 2nd Class (24 December 1939) & 1st Class (15 May 1940)^[1]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 15 July 1941 as Generalmajor and commander of the 8. Panzer-Division^[2]
  • 324th Oak Leaves on 12 November 1943 as General der Panzertruppe and commander of the XXIX. Armeekorps^[2]
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (18 February 1944)

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1997, p. 71.
2. Scherzer 2007, p. 238.

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.
• Stockert, Peter (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 4 [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 4] (in German). Bad Friedrichshall, Germany: Friedrichshaller Rundblick. ISBN 978-3-932915-03-1.
• 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.
• 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.