Helmuth von Pannwitz
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| Helmuth von Pannwitz | |
|---|---|
| 14 October 1898 – 16 January 1947 (aged 48) | |
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| Place of birth | Botzanowitz, Silesia |
| Place of death | Moscow |
| Allegiance | Germany |
| Years of service | 1914 - 1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands held | XVth Cossack Cavalry Corps |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit dem Eichenlaub |
Helmuth von Pannwitz (October 14, 1898 – January 16, 1947) was a German General who distinguished himself as a cavalry officer during the First and the Second World Wars.
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[edit] Early Life
Pannwitz was born into a family of Prussian nobility in Botzanowitz, Silesia, now part of Olesno. As a 16-year-old cadet, he joined the army at the outbreak of the 1914-18 war, in the course of which he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class.
[edit] World War II
On active service again in World War II, he was awarded "bars" to his previous decorations and in August 1941 was invested with the Knight's Cross and received the Oakleaves as Colonel a year later. Pannwitz was instrumental from 1942 onwards in establishing Cossack volunteer forces, the XV. Kosaken-Kavallerie-Korps within the German Wehrmacht, which he then commanded on anti-partisan duty in Yugoslavia.
Because of the respect and understanding he always showed for his troops, Pannwitz became so popular among his Cossack volunteers that, before the end of the war, they elected him Feldataman (that was the highest rank in the Cossack hierarchy, one that was traditionally reserved to the Tsar alone).
[edit] Aftermath
Pannwitz surrendered on May 11, 1945 to British forces. His troops were subsequently handed over to Soviet forces, which is often referred to as The Betrayal of Cossacks at Lienz. Most of them perished either at the hands of the Soviet SMERSH, or committed suicide to avoid being repatriated. As Pannwitz was a German national, he was told by the British that he was not subject to repatriation to the SMERSH. Nonetheless, Pannwitz insisted that he share the fate of his men and his fellow commanders, giving himself up voluntarily to Soviet prosecution.
[edit] Execution
Pannwitz was executed in Moscow on January 16, 1947, having been convicted by a Soviet court of spying as well as subversive and terrorist acts against the Soviet Union.
[edit] Legacy
Almost fifty years later on April 23, 1996 during the presidency of Boris Yeltsin, members of the Pannwitz family petitioned for a posthumous verdict of acquittal of the 1946 conviction. The Military High Prosecutor in Moscow subsequently determined that no evidence existed for the original charges. On June 28, 2001, however, exoneration was set aside in a ruling that disputed jurisdiction of the 1996 proceedings.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Cossacks in the German Army, Samuel J. Newland, U.S. Army College, 1991 Frank Cass & Co.Ltd. London, ISBN 0714633518.
- Die Verratenen von Yalta, Nikolai Tolstoi, 1977 Langen Müller, ISBN 3-7844-1719-1.
- Erich Kern: General von Pannwitz und seine Kosaken, 1971 Verlag K.W. Schütz;
- The Minister and the Massacres, Nikolai Tolstoy, 1986 Century Hutchinson Ltd. London, ISBN 0-09-164010-5.
- The cost of a reputation, Ian Mitchel, 1997 Topical Books Lagavulin, ISBN 0953158101.
- Die Illusion, Jürgen Thorwald, 1974 Droemer Knaur Verlag, ISBN 3-85886-029-8
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