Hans-Georg Benthack

Hans-Georg Benthack
Born	2 March 1894 Hamburg
Died	17 August 1973 (aged 79) Hamburg
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1919)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1914–19 1936–45
Rank	Generalmajor
Commands held	Festungs-Division Kreta
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Białystok–Minsk
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Hans-Georg Benthack (2 March 1894 – 17 August 1973) was a highly decorated Generalmajor 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.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (27 May 1917)
  • 1st Class (4 May 1919)
• Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg (20 July 1916)
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (20 November 1934)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (3 October 1939)
  • 1st Class (5 June 1940)
• Army Anti-Aircraft Badge
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class (4-year Service Medal): 1 April 1937.
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 10 May 1945 as Generalmajor and commander of Festungs-Division Kreta^{[1][Note 1]}

Notes

1. Unlawful presentation of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross to Hans-Georg Benthack by the Dönitz Government after 8 May 1945. This can be verified by the radio communication dated on 21 May 1945. The presentation date was backdated by Walther-Peer Fellgiebel.^[2]

References

Citations

1. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 110.
2. Scherzer 2007, p. 120.

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

• Hans-Georg Benthack @ Axis Biographical Research at the Wayback Machine (archived October 28, 2009)
• Ritterkreuztraeger 1939-1945
• Special Camp 11