Friedrich Weber (general)

Friedrich Weber
Born	31 March 1892 Chateau-Salins
Died	2 September 1972 (aged 80)
Allegiance	Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany (to 1945)
Rank	Generalleutnant
Commands held	Infanterie-Regiment 481 256. Infanterie-Division 334. Infanterie-Division 131. Infanterie-Division Festungs-Division
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Friedrich Weber was born on 31 March 1892 in Chateau-Salins as the son of an Imperial notary.

Having served in Freikorps Epp, Weber married in 1924, and had four sons.

Beginning in 1931, Weber commanded the 13. Minenwerfer-Kompanie in Regensburg. In 1935, in Deggendorf, he became commander of the III. Bataillon, 20. Infanterie-Regiment 20.

Since the invasion of Poland, Oberstleutnant Weber was commander of Infanterie-Regiment 481, which he also led into the Netherlands. For entering the fortress Rotterdam on May 17, 1940, Weber received a Ritterkreuz. In July, he pleaded with Gauinspekteur Ganninger to inform the Gauleiter about his advance. In October, he was promoted to the rank of Oberst.^[1]

By June 1941, Weber served in the Soviet Union. In January 1942, he took command of the 256. Infanterie-Division.^[2]

Beginning in November 1943, Generalmajor Weber commanded the Silesian 298. Infanterie-Division in the Soviet Union. In January 1944, he took command of the 131. Infanterie-Division that was to hold a line at Vitebsk.

He was promoted to the rank of Generalleutnant in 1944.^[3]

In December 1944, Weber was commander of Festungs-Division Warschau.

Relief of Command

He was relieved of his command on 25 January 1945 for his role in the unauthorized evacuation of the Polish capital.^[3]

From May 8, 1945 until June 26, 1947, Weber was a US prisoner of war.^[4]

In 1951, Weber became headmaster of Volkshochschule Deggendorf. In 1961, he turned heads as founder of the Zeitgeschichtliches Bildungszentrum Schloss Egg.

Weber also presided over the Deggendorf Waffenring.

He died on 2 September 1972.

Awards

• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 8 June 1940 as Oberstleutnant and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 481^[5][6]

References

Citations

1. Anna Rosmus Hitlers Nibelungen, Samples Grafenau 2015, pp. 230f
2. Anna Rosmus Hitlers Nibelungen, Samples Grafenau 2015, pp. 277f
3. Mitchem 2010, p. 287.
4. Anna Rosmus Hitlers Nibelungen, Samples Grafenau 2015, p. 279
5. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 437.
6. Scherzer 2007, p. 769.

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.
• Mitchem, Samuel W. Jr. (2010). Blitzkrieg No Longer: The German Wehrmacht in Battle, 1943. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-84884-302-8.
• 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 Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.