Gerd-Paul von Below

Gerd-Paul Valerian Georg Heinrich von Below
Born	30 November 1892 Strasbourg
Died	8 December 1953 (aged 61) Woikowo Prisoner-of-war camp near Moscow
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1920)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1911–20 1935–45
Rank	Generalmajor of the Reserves
Commands held	Grenadier-Regiment 374
Battles/wars	World War II Annexation of the Sudetenland Invasion of Poland Battle of the Netherlands Operation Barbarossa Siege of Leningrad Courland Pocket
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Gerd-Paul Valerian Georg Heinrich von Below (30 November 1892 – 8 December 1953) was a highly decorated Generalmajor of the Reserves in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Gerd-Paul von Below was captured by Soviet troops in May 1945 and died in captivity in 1953.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Sudetenland Medal
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (6 October 1939)
  • 1st Class (28 August 1940)
• Wound Badge (1939)
  • in Black (May 1943)
• Infantry Assault Badge
• Eastern Front Medal
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 28 February 1943 as Oberst of the Reserves and commander of the augmented Grenadier-Regiment 374^[1]

References

Citations

1. Scherzer 2007, p. 213.

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.

External links

• World War 2 Awards.com
• Ritterkreuztraeger 1939-1945
• Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 - 1945