Gottfried Weber (general)

Gottfried Ludwig Weber (31 January 1899 – 16 August 1958) was a German general (Generalleutnant) in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany.

Gottfried Weber
Born	31 January 1899
Died	16 August 1958 (aged 59) Villach, Austria
Allegiance	German Empire  Weimar Republic  Nazi Germany  West Germany
Service/branch	Army Bundeswehr
Years of service	1917–20 1934–45 1956–58
Rank	Generalleutnant (Wehrmacht) Generalmajor (Bundeswehr)
Commands held	81. Infanterie-Division 61. Infanterie-Division 93rd Infantry Division 12th Luftwaffe Field Division XVI Army Corps
Battles/wars	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of Belgium Battle of France Battle of Dunkirk Operation Barbarossa Siege of Leningrad Courland Pocket
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Weber surrendered to the Soviet forces in May 1945 in the Courland Pocket. Convicted in the Soviet Union as a war criminal, he was held until 1955. In 1956 Weber joined the Bundeswehr, reaching the rank of a Generalmajor. He died on 16 August 1958 in an automobile collision in Villach, Austria.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (27 September 1939) & 1st Class (20 October 1939)[1]
• German Cross in Gold on 16 February 1943 as Oberst in Grenadier-Regiment 176[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 13 October 1941 as Major and commander of I./Infanterie-Regiment 162[3]
  • 490th Oak Leaves on 9 June 1944 as Generalmajor and commander of 12. Luftwaffen-Feld-Division[4]

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1998, p. 418.
2. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 498.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 355.
4. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 71.

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.
• 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.