Erich Walther

class="fn" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" | Erich Walther
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:Erich Walther.png Fallschirmjäger Erich Walther
Birth name	Friedrich Erich Walther
Birth date	5 August 1903(1903-08-05)
Place of birth	Gorden, District Liebenwerda, Lower Lusatia, Province of Saxony, German Empire
Death date	26 December 1948 (aged 45)
Place of death	Soviet Special Camp No. 2 Buchenwald
Allegiance	Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	File:Polizei in der Weimarer Republik.png Police File:Luftwaffe eagle.png Luftwaffe
Years of service	1924–1945
Rank	1st Lieutenant of the State Police Generalmajor of the Luftwaffe
Commands held	2nd Parachute Panzer Division Hermann Göring
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of the Netherlands (1940) Norwegian Campaign Battle of Crete Eastern Front Battle of Sicily Battle of Monte Cassino Final battle for East Prussia
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Relations	∞ Annemarie Bassenge

Friedrich Erich Walther (5 August 1903 – 26 December 1948) was a German officer of the Police (Polizei) and the Wehrmacht, finally Generalmajor of the Luftwaffe and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords in World War II.

Chronology

File:Oberstleutnant Erich Walther und seine Mutter, Muttertag 1942, Die deutsche Landfrau.png

File:Erich Walther, Gedenken am Familiengrab.png

File:Fallschirmjäger-Kameradschaft, „Erich Walther“.png

File:Kameradschaft General Erich Walther - Fallschirmpanzerkorps Hermann Göring.png

• Joined the State Police (Landespolizei) in Berlin (01 Apr 1924)
• With the Police-Administration in Oppeln then Berlin (16 Jun 1928-24 Feb 1933)
• Platoon-Leader (Zugführer) in Special-Purpose-Police-Detachment Wecke (25 Feb 1933-31 May 1933)
  • The Polizeiabteilung z. b. V. „Wecke“ was commanded by Oberst der Landespolizei Walther Wecke and was subordinated to the Prussian Ministry of State; Minister-President of the Free State of Prussia was as of 10 April 1933 Hermann Göring.
• Platoon-Leader in Special-Purpose-Police-Group Wecke (01 Jun 1933-16 Jul 1933)
• Platoon-Leader in Special-Purpose-State-Police-Group Wecke (17 Jul 1933-11 Jan 1934)
• Platoon-Leader in State-Police-Group 'General Göring' (12 Jan 1934-30 Sep 1935)
• Company-Commander in the I. (Jäger-)Bataillon of the (Flak-)Regiment „General Göring“ (01 Jan 1935-30 Sep 1937)
  • Officially transferred into the Luftwaffe (01 Oct 1935)
• Company-Commander in the IV. (Fallschirmjäger-)Bataillon of the Regiment „General Göring“(01 Oct 1937-31 Mar 1938)
• Company-Commander in the I. Bataillon of the Fallschirm-Jäger-Regiment 1 in Stendal (01 Apr 1938-31 Mar 1939)
• With the Inspection of Parachute-Troops/L In 11/RLM (01 Apr 1939-09 Nov 1939)
• Commander of the I. Bataillon/1st Paratrooper-Regiment (10 Nov 1939-22 Apr 1942)
  • Western Campaign
  • Operation Weserübung (Unternehmen Weserübung)
  • Battle of Crete; Walther led his battalion in the heavy fighting around Heraklion and the fighting that followed on the Mediterranean island.
• Führer-Reserve OKL (22 Apr 1942-16 Sep 1942)
• Delegated with the Leadership of the 4th Paratrooper-Regiment or Fallschirm-Jäger-Regiment 4 (17 Sep 1942-31 Mar 1943)
• Commander of the 4th Paratrooper-Regiment, on September 1944 also Leader of Division-Battle-Group (Divisions-Kampfgruppe) Walther (01 Apr 1943-23 Sep 1944)
  • Operation Husky
  • Battle of Monte Cassino
  • Operation Market Garden
• Delegated with the Leadership of the 2nd Parachute-Panzer-Grenadier-Division 'Hermann Göring' (24 Sep 1944-29 Jan 1945)
  • Endkampf um Ostpreußen
• Commander of the 2nd Parachute-Panzer-Grenadier-Division 'Hermann Göring' (30 Jan 1945)
  • severly wounded in February 1945, deputized by Oberst Georg Seegers and Helmuth Hufenbach (⚔ 27 March 1945), returned to his division in early April 1945

Death

After the "liberation" on 8 May 1945, Generalmajor Walther was initially taken prisoner by the British, was later handed over to the US Americans, but was then unlawfully extradited to the NKVD on 5 November 1945. Other sources state, he was released by the British, returned to his family in Stendal (British troops took control of Stendal from the Americans on 12 June 1945, but were relieved by the Red Army on 1 July 1945), where he was arrested. One week later he was routinely sentenced to 25 years in prison and had to survive various Soviet torture camps.

Friedrich Erich Walther died on 26 December 1948 in a Russian gulag (Speziallager Nr. 2 Buchenwald) due to starvation and pulmonary tuberculosis. His family was only informed after 1990 and the German partial reunification. His body had disappeared (cremated and buried in a mass grave), but the family placed a memorial plaque at the gravesite of his parents.

Family

Walther was survived by his wife Dr. med. Annemarie, née Bassenge (1909-2002) and his two sons, among them Wolf (d. 28 May 2015 on Crete during a commemorative memorial for German Fallschirmjäger). Both Annemarie and Wolf were later members of the OdR and the Paratroopers' Association "Erich Walther" Berlin (Fallschirmjäger-Kameradschaft, „Erich Walther“) as well as the Kameradschaft General Erich Walther – Fallschirmpanzerkorps Hermann Göring.

Promotions

Police

• Polizei-Aspirant/-Anwärter (1 April 1924)
  • Police candidate in Berlin
• Polizei-Wachtmeister / NCO (1 July 1925)
• Polizei-Leutnant / 2nd Lieutenant (16 June 1928)
• Polizei-Oberleutnant / 1st Lieutenant (21 March 1933)

Wehrmacht

• Hauptmann / Captain (1 October 1935)
• Major (19 June 1940)
• Oberstleutnant / Lieutenant Colonel (1 January 1942)
• Oberst / Colonel (20 April 1942)
• Generalmajor (30 January 1945)

Awards and decorations

• Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th and 3rd Class
• Parachutist Badge (Fallschirmschützenabzeichen der Luftwaffe){{#invoke:Footnotes|sfn|template=sfn}}|preview=Page using Template:Sfn with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ignore-err | loc | p | page | pages | postscript | pp | ps | ref | Ref }}
• Sudetenland Medal with the Prague Castle Bar (Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938 mit Spange „Prager Burg“)

WWII

• Iron Cross (1939), 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class (18 April 1940)
  • 1st Class (26 April 1940){{#invoke:Footnotes|sfn|template=sfn}}|preview=Page using Template:Sfn with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ignore-err | loc | p | page | pages | postscript | pp | ps | ref | Ref }}
• Cuffband "Crete" (Ärmelband „Kreta“){{#invoke:Footnotes|sfn|template=sfn}}|preview=Page using Template:Sfn with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ignore-err | loc | p | page | pages | postscript | pp | ps | ref | Ref }}
• Narvik Shield (Narvikschild){{#invoke:Footnotes|sfn|template=sfn}}|preview=Page using Template:Sfn with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ignore-err | loc | p | page | pages | postscript | pp | ps | ref | Ref }}
• Wound Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen 1939) in Black{{#invoke:Footnotes|sfn|template=sfn}}|preview=Page using Template:Sfn with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ignore-err | loc | p | page | pages | postscript | pp | ps | ref | Ref }}
• German Cross in Gold on 31 March 1942 as Major and Commander of the I. Bataillon/Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 1{{#invoke:Footnotes|sfn|template=sfn}}|preview=Page using Template:Sfn with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ignore-err | loc | p | page | pages | postscript | pp | ps | ref | Ref }}
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
  • Knight's Cross on 24 May 1940 as Major and Commander of the I./Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 1{{#invoke:Footnotes|sfn|template=sfn}}|preview=Page using Template:Sfn with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ignore-err | loc | p | page | pages | postscript | pp | ps | ref | Ref }}
  • 411th Oak Leaves on 2 March 1944 as Oberst and Commander of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 4{{#invoke:Footnotes|sfn|template=sfn}}|preview=Page using Template:Sfn with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ignore-err | loc | p | page | pages | postscript | pp | ps | ref | Ref }}
  • 131st Swords on 1 February 1945 as Oberst and Leader (Führer) of Fallschirm-Panzergrenadier-Division 2 "Hermann Göring"{{#invoke:Footnotes|sfn|template=sfn}}|preview=Page using Template:Sfn with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ignore-err | loc | p | page | pages | postscript | pp | ps | ref | Ref }}

Further reading

German sources

• Franz Thomas / Günter Wegmann: Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939–1945, Teil II: Fallschirmjäger, Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück 1986 (in German)
• Walther-Peer Fellgiebel: Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile (in German), Podzun-Pallas, Wölfersheim 2000, ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6
  • English: 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, expanded edition, 2000
• Klaus D. Patzwall / Veit Scherzer: Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941–1945 Geschichte und Inhaber, Band II (in German), Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt 2001, ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8
• Veit Scherzer: 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 (in German), Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag, Jena 2007, ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2