Hans Kreysing

Hans Kreysing (17 August 1890 – 14 April 1969) was a German general who commanded the 3rd Mountain Division and the 8th Army. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.

Hans Kreysing
Born	17 August 1890 Göttingen, German Empire
Died	14 April 1969 (aged 78) Oldenburg, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire  Weimar Republic  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Army (Wehrmacht)
Years of service	1909–1945
Rank	General der Gebirgstruppe
Commands held	3rd Mountain Division; XVIII Army Corps; 8th Army
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords

Life and career

Hans Kreysing was born in Göttingen in Lower Saxony on 17 August 1890. He entered the German Army in October 1909, later joining a Jäger battalion. After service in World War I he remained in the army, and at the outbreak of World War II was in command of the 16th Infantry Regiment. From October 1940 to August 1943 he commanded the 3rd Mountain Division, serving in Norway, Lapland and the Eastern Front. Continuing on the Eastern Front, Kreysing led the XVII Army Corps from November 1943 to April 1944, when he took command of the 8th Army,[1] which surrendered to Allied troops in Austria in May 1945.

Kreysing ended the war with the rank of General of Mountain Troops (German: General der Gebirgstruppe).[1]

Awards

• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) II. and I. Class (24 November 1939)[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
  • Knight's Cross on 29 May 1940 as Oberst (Colonel) and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 16[3]
  • 183rd Oak Leaves on 20 January 1943 as Generalleutnant and commander of the 3. Gebirgs-Division[3]
  • 63rd Swords on 13 April 1944 as General der Gebirgstruppe and commanding general of the XVII. Armeekorps[3]

References

Citations

1. Lucas 1980, p. 214.
2. Thomas 1997, p. 410.
3. Scherzer 2007, p. 475.

Bibliography

• Lucas, James (1980). Alpine Elite: German Mountain Troops of World War II. Jane's Publishing. ISBN 0531037134.
• 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.