Wilhelm Bittrich
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| Wilhelm Bittrich | |
|---|---|
| 26 February 1894 — 19 April 1979 (aged 85) | |
 Wilhelm Bittrich |
|
| Nickname | Willi |
| Place of birth | Wernigerode |
| Place of death | Wolfratshausen |
| Allegiance | Germany |
| Service/branch |  Waffen SS |
| Years of service | 1914-1945 |
| Rank | Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Ritterkreuz des Eisernes Kreuz mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern |
Wilhelm Bittrich (February 26, 1894 – April 19, 1979) was an Obergruppenführer (rank equivalent to Lieutenant-General) of the German SS and a Waffen-SS General during World War II.
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[edit] Overview
Born in the town of Wernigerode in the Harz mountains of Germany, Bittrich served as an army officer and as a fighter pilot during World War I and was also a member of the Freikorps [1]. He joined the SS-Verfügungstruppe in 1934, where he served until 1939, whereupon he joined the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler. He was in command of the Deutschland Regiment during the fighting in Poland (1939) and France (1940).
He later commanded the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich and the II. SS-Panzerkorps (Hohenstaufen & Frundsberg Divisions). He is perhaps now best remembered for his contribution to the defeat of the failed allied airborne offensive Operation Market Garden which took place in the Netherlands in September of 1944. Bittrich survived the War and died in a local hospital in Wolfratshausen, Bavaria on April 19, 1979.
[edit] Postwar Prosecution
Although Bittrich claimed to have conducted himself with honor throughout his career, after his capture on May 8, 1945, by American troops, he was extradited to France on charges of having given the order to summarily execute 17 members of Résistance in Nimes. However, Bittrich is said to have not been aware of the massacre beforehand and to have acted against the Feldgendarmerie officer who authorized the killings. A French military tribunal at Marseilles found him guilty as the responsible officer of his unit and sentenced him to five years imprisonment on June 23, 1953. He was put on trial for a second time later in 1953, for war crimes, but was acquitted by the French court in Bordeaux and released in 1954.[2]
[edit] Opposition of the Nazi Party
Following operation Market-Garden in 1944, Albert Speer visited the front and had an opportunity to observe General Bittrich. Speer later wrote:
Other visits (to the front) showed me that efforts were being made on the Western Front to arrive at understandings with the enemy on special problems. At Arnhem, I found General Bittrich of the Waffen-SS in a state of fury. The day before, his Second Tank Corps had virtually wiped out a British airborne division. During the fighting the general had made an arrangement permitting the enemy to run a field hospital situated behind the German lines. But party functionaries had taken it upon themselves to kill British and American pilots, and Bittrich was cast in the role of a liar. His violent denunciation of the party was all the more striking since it came from an SS general.[3]
According to Hohne, Bittrich pledged his support to at least one plot to topple the Nazi regime when he promised Field Marshall Erwin Rommel on July 15 that he and his subordinate officers were at his command if requested so, but like many he warned that Hitler would have to be disposed of first. This condition was never met.
Bittrich is also recorded to have been known as the most sarcastic man in Germany. He is reported (unverifiable) to have been marked for death by Heinrich Himmler in the last year of the war as a result of extremely unflattering comments he made about this superior. Though it is known that his superiors several times tried to replace him by force; During Operation Market Garden in 1944, Himmler had sent "Reichsarzt-SS" Karl Gebhardt to divest him of his command and bring him back to Berlin.
After his unit had been tasked with the defense of Vienna in spring 1945, Bittrich immediately pulled his troops out of the city to avert unnecessary destruction in it despite the order to hold Vienna "to the last breath".
Bittrich was a source for Cornelius Ryan in researching A Bridge Too Far. During the interview he is reported to have been most concerned with correcting inaccurate reports that he was a skilled concert pianist. He claimed these reports stemmed from confusion with his brother.
[edit] Trivia
- In the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far Bittrich was played by Maximilian Schell.
[edit] Summary of his SS career
[edit] Dates of rank
- SS-Anwärter: July 1, 1932
- SS-Mann: July 15, 1932
- SS-Oberscharführer: September 10, 1932
- SS-Sturmführer: October 31, 1932
- SS-Obersturmführer: April 12, 1934
- SS-Hauptsturmführer: June 17, 1934
- SS-Sturmbannführer: October 1, 1936
- SS-Obersturmbannführer: January 30, 1938
- SS-Standartenführer: June 6, 1939
- SS-Oberführer: September 1, 1940
- SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS: October 19, 1941
- SS-Gruppenführer und Generaleutnant der Waffen-SS: May 1, 1943
- SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS: August 1, 1944
[edit] Notable decorations
- Iron Cross Second and First Class
- SS-Honour Ring
- Clasp to the Iron Cross Second (1939) and First (1940) Classes
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (1941)
- Oak Leaves (1944)
- Swords (1945)
- Wound Badge in Black
- Luftwaffe WWI Pilot Badge
- Cross of Honor (1934)
- German Cross in Gold (1943)
- Mentioning by name in the Wehrmachtbericht
[edit] References
- Berger, Florian, Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges. Selbstverlag Florian Berger, 2006. ISBN 3-9501307-0-5.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Horst Mühleisen: Wilhelm Bittrich. in: Ronald Smelser / Enrico Syring (Hrsg.): Die SS, Elite unter dem Totenkopf. Paderborn 2000. ISBN 3-506-78562-1
- Kershaw, Robert J. (1994): It never snows in September. Ian Allen Ltd. ISBN 0-7818-0287-3.
- Hohne, Heinz (1966): The Order of the Death's Head. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-139012-3
- Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit. Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, 2001. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.
- Ryan, Cornelius (1974): A Bridge too Far. Coronet Books/Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN 0-340-19941-5
- Speer, Albert (1970): Inside the Third Reich. Translated by Richard and Clara Winston. Macmillan. Library of Congress #70-119132
[edit] Notes
- ^ Axis History Forum • View topic - SS-General Willhelm Bittrich - Awards
- ^ New York Times, June 24, 1953:6:6
- ^ Speer (1970), p.399
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by SS-Oberstgruppenführer Paul Hausser |
Commander of 2. SS-Panzer Division Das Reich October 15, 1941 - December 31, 1941 |
Succeeded by SS-Obergruppenführer Matthias Kleinheisterkamp |
| Preceded by SS-Gruppenführer Hermann Fegelein |
Commander of 8. SS-Kavallerie-Division Florian Geyer August, 1942 - February 15, 1943 |
Succeeded by SS-Brigadeführer Fritz Freitag |
| Preceded by none |
Commander of 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen February 15, 1943 - June 29, 1944 |
Succeeded by SS-Standartenführer Thomas Müller |
| Preceded by SS-Oberstgruppenführer Paul Hausser |
Commander of II. SS-Panzer Corps October 7, 1944 - May 8, 1945 |
Succeeded by dissolved on May 8, 1945 |
