Georg Ritter von Hengl

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class="fn" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" | Georg Ritter von Hengl
colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" |
colspan="2" style="text-align: center; font-size: 90%; border-bottom: 1px solid #aaa; line-height: 1.5em;" | File:Hengl, Georg Ritter von III.png
Birth name Georg Hengl
Birth date 21 October 1897
Place of birth Lailing near Wallersdorf, Lower Bavaria, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire
Death date 19 March 1952 (aged 54)
Place of death Sonthofen, Bavaria, West Germany
Resting place Friedhof Sonthofen (Field P/A/22)[1]
Allegiance File:Flag of the German Empire.svg German Empire
File:Flag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).png Weimar Republic
File:Flag of the NSDAP (1920–1945).svg National Socialist Germany
Service/branch File:Fahne der Bayerischen Armee.png Royal Bavarian Army
File:Iron Cross of the Luftstreitkräfte.png Imperial German Army
File:Freikorps Flag.png Freikorps (Einwohnerwehr)
File:Polizei in der Weimarer Republik.png Police
File:Flag Schutzstaffel.png SS-Verfügungstruppe
File:Balkenkreuz.png Heer
Years of service 1914–1918
1919–1921
1921–1934
1934–1935
1935–1945
Rank General der Gebirgstruppe
Battles/wars World War I
World War II
Awards Iron Cross
Hausorden von Hohenzollern
Militär-Max-Joseph-Orden
German Cross in Gold
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Relations ∞ 1921 Maria Schin

Georg Hengl, with effect from 1918 Ritter[2] von Hengl (21 October 1897 – 19 March 1952), was a German officer of the Bavarian Army, the Imperial German Army in World War I, the Einwohnerwehr, the Police, the File:SS rune.png and the Wehrmacht, finally General der Gebirgstruppe, commander of the XIX Mountain Corps and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in WWII. He was also a member and teacher/trainer of the Deutscher Skiverband (DSV).

Life

File:Hannover CL.IIIa der Fliegerabteilung (Artillerie) 295 b, Flugzeugführer Vizefeldwebel Johann Baur, Beobachter Leutnant Georg Hengl. Frankreich, Sommer-Herbst 1918.png
Hannover CL.IIIa of the Fliegerabteilung (Artillerie) 295 (b) at the Western Front (France) with Hans Baur as pilot and Georg Hengl as observer and, because of his higher rank, Kommandant.
File:Georg Ritter von Hengl.png
Polizei-Leutnant Ritter von Hengl
File:Hengl, Georg Ritter von VI.png
Ritter von Hengl in the uniform of the SS and the Wehrmacht
File:Generaloberst Eduard Dietl zwischen General der Gebirgstruppe Ferdinand Schörner (rechts) sowie Generalleutnant Georg Ritter von Hengl an der Eismeerfront.png
Generaloberst Eduard Dietl between General der Gebirgstruppe Ferdinand Schörner (left) and Generalleutnant Georg Ritter von Hengl at the Eismeerfront; Ritter von Hengl gave the eulogy at Dietl's funeral after his death on 23 June 1944.
File:Georg Ritter von Hengl mit seinem Sohn Georg an der Eismeerfront (Petsamo), 1943.png
Ritter von Hengl with his German Shepherd Dog and his son, who served under his command as a company commander
File:Hengl, Georg Ritter von IV.png
General der Gebirgstruppe Ritter von Hengl
File:Hengl, Georg Ritter von V.JPG
Grave, together with his wife (d. 1981) and his son Georg (d. 2008)
  • Easter 1914 Abitur (Humanistisches Gymnasium zu Neuburg an der Donau)
    • subsequently registered as student of political sciences (studiosus rerum politicarum/stud. rer. pol.)
  • War Volunteer in the Königlich Bayerisches 11. Infanterie-Regiment „von der Tann“ (04 Aug 1914-20 Sep 1914)
  • Transferred into the 9th Bavarian Reserve-Infantry-Regiment (20 Sep 1914-20 Oct 1914)
  • In the Field with the 9th Bavarian Reserve-Infantry-Regiment (20 Oct 1914-04 Nov 1914)
  • Wounded, in Hospital (04 Nov 1914-05 Mar 1915)
  • Transferred to the II. Replacement-Battalion of the 21st Bavarian Reserve-Infantry-Regiment (05 Mar 1915-14 Jul 1915)
  • Appointed Reserve-Officer-Aspirant (08 May 1915)
  • Transferred to Recruitment-Depot I of the 2nd Bavarian Jäger-Battalion (14 Jul 1915-27 Sep 1915)
  • Platoon-Leader in the 22nd Bavarian Infantry-Regiment (27 Sep 1915-06 May 1916)
  • Wounded, in Hospital (06 May 1916-18 Jul 1916)
  • Transferred to the II. Replacement-Battalion of the 22nd Bavarian Infantry-Regiment (18 Jul 1916-15 Aug 1916)
  • Transferred to the I. Replacement-Battalion of the 22nd Bavarian Infantry-Regiment (15 Aug 1916-19 Oct 1916)
  • Transferred to the 4th Bavarian Replacement-MG-Company, Hammelburg (19 Oct 1916-08 Feb 1917)
  • Platoon-Leader in the 5th Bavarian Landwehr-Infantry-Regiment (08 Feb 1917-14 May 1917)
  • Temporary Company-Leader in the 5th Bavarian Landwehr-Infantry-Regiment (14 May 1917-07 Jul 1917)
  • Company-Leader in the 5th Bavarian Landwehr-Infantry-Regiment (07 Jul 1917-03 Feb 1918)
  • Active-Officer (16 Feb 1918)
  • Observer-Training with the 1st Bavarian Flying-Replacement-Battalion (03 Feb 1918-20 Feb 1918)
  • Transferred to the Flying-Observer-School (20 Feb 1918-14 Apr 1918)
  • Transferred to the Exercise-Flying-Battalion Grafenwöhr (14 Apr 1918-14 May 1918)
  • Transferred to Army-Flight-Park 7 (14 May 1918-02 Jun 1918)
  • Detached to Flying-Battalion A 295 (02 Jun 1918-23 Jun 1918)
  • Transferred as Observer into Flying-Battalion A 295 (23 Jun 1918-28 Mar 1919)
    • as an observer officer, in addition to 115 successfully carried out artillery zeroings, he, manning the machine gun, achieved, together with his pilot, 8 aerial victories (Luftsiege) in the period from July to October 1918. His pilot in the two-seater was Vizefeldwebel Johann „Hans“ Peter Baur, who would become Flugkapitän of the Lufthansa and the personal pilot of Adolf Hitler. Hans Baur wrote in his book Mit Mächtigen zwischen Himmel und Erde (Coburg 1993):
      • “I remember one dogfight particularly well. On 17 July 1918, we were suddenly attacked by fifteen enemy machines while we were zeroing in on the sector of the front in front of Reims and Epernay. However, this unequal fight seemed too daring to us, and we first fled by flying through the clouds. The machines then turned off again and we continued our zeroing in. A short time later, six Spads, French fighter planes, turned up. We became involved in fierce dogfights. The machine guns barked, it was a murderous spectacle. My observer and I were able to shoot down four machines. It was a success that has practically never happened before. The remaining two enemy fighters fled, thinking they were dealing with the devil. [...] On the return march [after a crash landing] we met hundreds of [French] prisoners who had picked up their wounded and were carrying them in canvas tents. We still had about twenty kilometers to walk before we found a telephone from which we could call our squadron. It immediately had us picked up in a car. We looked pretty bad with blood all over our uniforms and faces. The pity of our comrades was all the greater since two crews had already died heroic deaths that day. I only stayed in the infirmary for a few days, then it started all over again. We flew two or three times a day. The flights usually lasted three and a half to four hours. Essentially, we made inquiries about infantry positions, identified artillery positions, which were then attacked by our artillery, accompanied from the plane. My observer, Lieutenant von Hengl, did an extraordinary job. As a result, in addition to the operational orders, which were generous in any case, our department leader repeatedly gave him an additional assignment that another comrade could not carry out. He successfully completed these assignments many times, so that the department commander regarded us as a specially selected crew.

Between wars

  • Transferred to Volkswehr-Flying-Battalion Schmalschägl (28 Mar 1919-19 Apr 1919)
  • Wounded in the fighting at Dachau against the Communists of the Bavarian Soviet Republic, in Hospital (19 Apr 1919-08 Jul 1919)
  • Transferred to Flying-Squadron 121 (08 Jul 1919-01 Oct 1919)
  • Transferred Processing-Office 1 Schleißheim (01 Oct 1919-15 Oct 1919)
  • Transferred to Territorial-Defence Bavaria (Einwohnerwehr Bayern) (15 Oct 1919)
  • With the Staff of Territorial-Defence Bavaria, Staff of Oberstleutnant Kriebel (15 Oct 1919-01 Mar 1921)
  • Transferred to Police Service (01 Mar 1921)
  • Unit-Officer with the State-Police Augsburg (01 Mar 1921-15 Jul 1921)
  • Course-Director with the State-Police Augsburg (15 Jul 1921-14 Oct 1922)
  • Sports-Officer with the Command of the State-Police Augsburg (14 Oct 1922-06 Oct 1924)
  • Leader of Watch-Command Niederschönenfeld (06 Oct 1924-27 Jan 1925)
  • Ski-Instructor of the State-Police Bavaria (27 Jan 1925-09 May 1930)
  • Detached as Instructor of the Selection-Courses for the Olympics at Munich (09 May 1930-01 Oct 1930)
  • Transferred to the Protection-Police Munich, Personnel-Advisor with Section-Command II, Munich (01 Oct 1930-01 Jun 1932)
  • Leader of the 4th Police-Unit of Protection-Police Munich (MG Company) (01 Jun 1932-01 Oct 1933)
  • Leader of the 4th Unit of the State-Police Munich (01 Oct 1933-07 Jul 1934)
  • Transferred into the SS-VT (01 Jul 1934)
  • Commander of 13th [IG]/Political Alarm Unit
  • Commander of SS-Standarte 2 „Deutschland“ (07 Jul 1934-15 Oct 1935)
  • Transferred into Army Service (15 Oct 1935)
  • Commander of 4th (MG) Company of the 100th Mountain-Infantry-Regiment (15 Oct 1935-06 Oct 1936)
  • Commander of III. Battalion of the 99th Mountain-Infantry-Regiment & Mountain-Leader (06 Oct 1936-10 May 1939)
  • Special Leave (Round Trip of Africa) (10 May 1939-10 Aug 1939)

WWII

  • Commander of III. Battalion of the 99th Mountain-Infantry-Regiment & Mountain-Leader (10 Aug 1939-24 Feb 1940)
  • Commander of the 137th Mountain-Infantry-Regiment (24 Feb 1940-02 Mar 1942); Operation Weserübung
    • Here follows an excerpt describing Hengl’s Knight’s Cross action: “On the 29 June 1941, the Gebirgs-Korps Norway began its attack against the Russian border positions from the area east of Petsamo. During this operation the successful breakthrough against the heavily occupied (and defended to the last man) bunker line commanded by Oberstleutnant von Hengl was of extraordinary importance for the further successful attack of the whole Gebirgskorps.”
  • Delegated with the Leadership of the 2nd Mountain-Division (02 Mar 1942-20 Apr 1942)
  • Commander of the 2nd Mountain-Division (20 Apr 1942-23 Oct 1943)
  • Delegated with the Leadership of XIX. Mountain-Corps (23 Oct 1943-01 Jan 1944)
  • Commanding General of XIX. Mountain-Corps (01 Jan 1944-21 Apr 1944)
  • Detached to ther Personnel Office, OKH (21 Apr 1944-05 May 1944)
  • Chief of the NS-Guidance-Staff in OKH (15 May 1944-25 Jan 1945)
    • Chef des NS-Führungsstabes (Heer) im Oberkommando des Heeres as successor of Ferdinand Schörner
  • Delegated to take command of LIX. Army-Corps but was taken ill & command did not become effective (25 Jan 1945-08 May 1945)
    • On 7 May 1945, the Kampfgruppe Hengl delivered the final bloody battles against the invading US troops in the mountain region "Wilder Kaiser"
  • In Captivity (8 May 1945-1947)
  • Released (1947)[3]

Post-war

After the war, Hengl wrote in the foreword to the book "General Dietl – Das Leben eines Soldaten" (1951) by Gerda Luise Dietl and Oberst a. D. Kurt Herrmann:

"Narvik and Dietl were well known among the entire population. (...) May this book keep the memory of Generaloberst Dietl alive among the German people and especially among young people! He was among the best."[4]

Death

After having survived the war and captivity, General der Gebirgstruppe a. D. Georg Ritter von Hengl died on a ski tour in the Allgäu Alps near Sonthofen on 19 March 1952 at the age of only 54.

Family

Polizei-Leutnant Ritter von Hengl married on 19 April 1921 his fiancée Maria Schin (1899–1981). Their son Georg Hengl (b. 27 April 1922 in Augsburg; d. 28 May 2008) also joined the Gebirgsjäger, the light infantry part of the alpine or mountain troops (Gebirgstruppe). He was promoted to Leutnant on 1 April 1941, to Oberleutnant on 1 May 1943 and finally in Spring 1944 to Hauptmann. Among other awards, he received the Iron Cross (both classes), the Infantry Assault Badge (Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen) in Silver and the German Cross in Gold on 1 May 1945 as commander of the 9. Kompanie/Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 136/2. Gebirgs-Division.

Promotions

Bavarian Army/Imerial German Army

  • War Volunteer (4 August 1914)
  • Unteroffizier der Reserve/Reserve NCO (24 April 1915)
  • Reserve Officer Candidate/Aspirant (8 May 1915)
  • Vizefeldwebel der Reserve/Reserve Vice-Sergeant (12 July 1915)
  • Leutnant der Reserve (27 March 1918)
  • Leutnant (active officer, backdated to 16 February 1918)

Police

  • Polizei-Leutnant (1 March 1921)
  • Polizei-Oberleutnant (19 December 1923)
  • Polizei-Hauptmann/Police Captain (1 June 1931)

SS-VT

Wehrmacht

  • Hauptmann (15 October 1935)
  • Major (1 March 1936)
  • Oberstleutnant/Lieutenant Colonel (1 April 1939)
  • Oberst/Colonel (17 December 1941)
  • Generalmajor (1 April 1942)
  • Generalleutnant (21 January 1943)
  • General der Gebirgstruppe (1 January 1944)

Awards and decorations

WWII

Gallery

  • Georg Ritter von Hengl, Military Order of Max Joseph.jpg
  • Georg Ritter von Hengl II.jpg
  • Georg Ritter von Hengl IIb.jpg
  • Hengl, Georg Ritter von VII.jpg
  • Hengl, Georg Ritter von II.jpg
  • Hauptmann Georg Hengl (1922-2008).jpg
  • R.-Kaltenegger-Flechsig-Buch-ueber-General-der-Gebirgstruppe-Georg-Ritter-von-Hengl-Ritterkreuztraeger-1.jpg
  • Georg Ritter von Hengl, Geleitwort 1951.png

References

  1. ↑ Hengl, Georg Ritter von, ww2gravestone.com
  2. ↑ Regarding personal names: Ritter (de) is a title of German nobility (Deutscher Adel), translated approximately as Knight, not a first or middle name, but connected with the surname, for example Generalfeldmarschall Robert Ritter von Greim, not Ritter Robert von Greim. There is no equivalent female form.
  3. ↑ General der Gebirgstruppe Georg Ritter von Hengl
  4. ↑ See also: Roland Kaltenegger, Generaloberst Dietl – Der Held von Narvik, Universitas, 1997
  5. ↑ Militär-Max-Joseph-Orden, Complete List of all WW1 Ritterkreuz MMJO recipients
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