Gustav Boehringer

Gustav Boehringer

Gustav Boehringer (b. 7 July 1892 in Straßburg, Reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen; d. 20 February 1974 in Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg) was a German officer of the Army of Württemberg, the Imperial German Army, the Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht, finally Generalleutnant as well as General der Pioniere (as a position, not a rank) and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the War Merit Cross during World War II.

Life

Gustav's father Theodor von Boehringer

Career

• Entered Army Service (24 Mar 1909)
• Fähnrich in the 13th Pioneer-Battalion or Württembergisches Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 13 (24 Mar 1909-8 Aug 1914)
• Detached to War School (Kriegsschule) Engers (30 Nov 1909-10 Jul 1910)
• Detached to the Military Technical Academy (1 Oct 1913-15 Jul 1914)
• In the Field as Platoon-Leader in the 13th Pioneer-Battalion (8 Aug 1914-12 Feb 1915)
• Wounded, remained with the Troop (27 Aug 1914)
• Adjutant of the 13th Pioneer-Battalion (12 Feb 1915-13 Nov 1916)
• Detached to the Royal Bulgarian Army (13 Dec 1916-15 Dec 1916)
• Staff-Officer of Pioneers with the 2nd Bulgarian Army (15 Dec 1916-13 Oct 1917)
• Company commander in the 21st Pioneer-Battalion (13 Oct 1917-21 Dec 1918)
• Detached to the Army Gas Protection School, Berlin (11 Mar 1918-18 Mar 1918)
• Detached to the Mortar-School Üsküb (14 May 1918-18 May 1918)
• Leader of the Economics-Group Sekirane (15 Apr 1918-25 May 1918)
• Company commander in the 13th Pioneer-Battalion (21 Dec 1918-17 Mar 1919)
• Adjutant of the 13th Pioneer-Battalion (17 Mar 1919-25 Jun 1919)
• Adjutant of the 13th Reichswehr-Pioneer-Battalion (25 Jun 1919-1 Oct 1920)
• Transferred into the 5th Pioneer-Battalion (1 Oct 1920-1 Jan 1922)
• Leader of the Bridging-Column of the 5th Pioneer-Battalion (1 Jan 1922-1 Feb 1923)
• Company commander in the 5th Pioneer-Battalion (1 Feb 1923-1 Oct 1924)
• Transferred into the 2nd Battery of the 1st Artillery-Regiment (1 Oct 1924-1 Oct 1925)
• Detached to Pioneer School (1 Oct 1924-1 Oct 1925)
• Transferred into the Staff of the II. Battalion of the 1st Artillery-Regiment (1 Oct 1925-1 Feb 1926)
• Transferred into the 6th Battery of the 1st Artillery-Regiment or 1. (Preußisches) Artillerie-Regiment (1 Feb 1926-1 Oct 1926)
• Hauptmann in the Staff of the I. Battalion of the 1st Artillery-Regiment (1 Oct 1926-1 Mar 1927)
• Transferred into the Staff of the III. Battalion of the 1st Artillery-Regiment (1 Mar 1927-1 Feb 1928)
• Transferred to the 9th Battery of the 1st Artillery-Regiment (1 Feb 1928-1 Mar 1928)
• Detached to the Staff of the 5th Division (1 Mar 1928-1 Apr 1928)
• While retaining his previous position, was Transferred into the 18th Mounted-Regiment (1 Apr 1928-1 Aug 1931)
• Detached to the Reichswehrministerium/RWM (1 Aug 1931-1 Oct 1931)
• Transferred into the Reichswehrministerium/RWM (1 Oct 1931-1 Sep 1934)
• Transferred into the 5th Pioneer-Battalion (1 Sep 1934-1 Oct 1934)
• Commander of Pioneer-Battalion Ulm (1 Oct 1934-15 Oct 1935)
• Commander of the 45th Pioneer-Battalion (15 Oct 1935-21 Sep 1936)
• Detached to the RKM (21 Sep 1936-6 Oct 1936)
• Chief of the Department for Pioneers and Fortresses in the Reichskriegsministerium/RKM (6 Oct 1936-4 Feb 1938)
• Chief of the Department for Pioneers and Fortresses, Oberkommando des Heeres/OKH (4 Feb 1938-12 Nov 1940)
• Commander of Special-Purpose-Pioneer-Regiment-Staff 700 (12 Nov 1940-28 Jul 1941)
• Pioneer Leader of 11th Army (28 Jul 1941-20 Aug 1942)
• General of Pioneers of Army-Group A (20 Aug 1942-22 May 1943)
• General of Pioneers of Army-Group South, later North Ukraine (22 May 1943-8 May 1945)
• In captivity (8 May 1945)

Family

Gustav was the son of Oberst Theodor von Boehringer (1855–1937) and his wife Luise Eleonore Helene von Boehringer, née Freiin von Mühlen (1868–1942). Oberleutnant Boehringer married 1921/22 his fiancée Ilse Winke (1899–1982), their son Wilfried Boehringer (b. 15 February 1923 in Ulm) became a fighter pilot of the Luftwaffe and fell on 11 February 1944 als Leutnant, when his Arado Ar 96 B-1 crashed near Saint Sulpice in France. He was buried at Mont-de-Huisnes German war cemetery (Deutsche Kriegsgräberstätte Mont d’Huisnes); final resting place: Gruft 63, Grabkammer 136. His name is also on the gravestone of the family on the Pragfriedhof in Stuttgart.

Promotions (day, month, year)

• Charakter als Fähnrich (24 March 1909)
• Fähnrich (19 November 1909)
• Leutnant (26 August 1910)
• Oberleutnant (27 January 1916)
• Hauptmann (1 April 1922)
• Major (1 December 1932)
• Oberstleutnant (1 July 1935)
• Oberst (1 January 1938)
• Generalmajor (1 February 1942)
• Generalleutnant (1 January 1944)

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross, 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 6 October 1914
  • 1st Class on 30 September 1916
• Friedrich Order, Knight 1st Class with Swords (WF3a⚔) on 30 November 1914
  • as a lower order of merit, it was to be given back when receiving the Military Merit Order
• Military Merit Order (Württemberg), Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz) on 17 August 1916 (WMV3/WM3)
• Order of Military Merit (Bulgaria), Knight's Cross with the crown (BO5mKr)
• Wound Badge (1918) in Black
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords
• Bulgarian Commemorative Medal for the War of 1915-1918 (Kriegserinnerungsmedaille 1915/1918)
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th to 1st Class, 1936
• Sudetenland Medal with the Prague Castle Bar (Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938 mit Spange „Prager Burg“)
• Repetition Clasp 1939 to the Iron Cross 1914, 2nd and 1st Class
• War Merit Cross (1939), 2nd and 1st Class
• Bulgarian Order of Bravery, III Grade, 1st Class (Militärorden für Tapferkeit, III. Klasse, I. Stufe)
• Crimea Shield (Krimschild)
• Eastern Medal (Ostmedaille)
• Order of the Star of Romania, Commander with swords
• Order of the Crown (Romania), Grand Officer with swords
• German Cross in Silver (Deutsches Kreuz in Silber) on 30. September 1942 as Generalmajor and Pionierführer of the 11th Army (11. Armee)
• Knight's Cross of the War Merit Cross with Swords on 10 September 1944 as Generalleutnant and General der Pioniere of the Heeresgruppe Nordukraine