Gustav Schmidt (general)

Gustav Schmidt
Birth name	Gustav Richard Ernst Schmidt
Birth date	24 April 1894(1894-04-24)
Place of birth	Carsdorf, Kreis Querfurt, Regierungsbezirk Merseburg, Province of Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date	⚔ 7 August 1943 (aged 49)
Place of death	Between Beresowka and Belgorod near Kursk, Soviet Union
Allegiance	German Empire Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	Prussian Army Imperial German Army Freikorps Reichswehr Heer
Years of service	1913–1943
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	74th Infantry Regiment 19th Rifle Brigade 19th Panzer Division
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Poland Campaign Western Campaign Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Białystok–Minsk Battle of Smolensk (1941) Battle of Moscow Battles of Rzhev Battle of Kursk Belgorod-Khar'kov Offensive Operation
Awards	Iron Cross House Order of Hohenzollern German Cross in Gold Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Relations	∞ 1919 Maria Mayer

Gustav Richard Ernst Schmidt (24 April 1894 – 7 August 1943) was a German officer of the Prussian Army, the Imperial German Army, the Freikorps, the Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht, finally Lieutenant General of the Wehrmacht and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves in World War II.

Life

Gustav was privately tutored in his first years. From Easter 1905 to Easter 1907, he attended the Donndorf Monastery School and then the Royal Saxon State School Pforta, a humanistic Gymnasium, where he obtained his Abitur (university entrance qualification). On 10 February 1913, he joined the Infanterie-Regiment "Graf Tauentzien von Wittenberg" (3. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 20 as an officer candidate. On 14 February 1913, he was sworn-in.

• 15 September 1913 to 15 May 1914 Commanded to the war school in Glogau
• 2 August 1914 Into the field with the 1st Company/Infanterie-Regiment "Graf Tauentzien von Wittenberg" (3. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 20
• 5 December 1914 Appointed leader of the 1st Company/Infanterie-Regiment "Graf Tauentzien von Wittenberg" (3. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 20
• 17 May 1915 Appointed leader of the 11th Company/Infanterie-Regiment "Graf Tauentzien von Wittenberg" (3. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 20
• 16 October 1916 Wounded, but stayed with his unit at the Eastern Front
• 18 October 1916 Wounded again, war hospital in Kevara and Temeswar (Romania)
  • afterwards commanded to the field recruit depot 212th Infantry Division as a company leader
• 31 January 1917 Return to his 11th Company
• 19 April 1917 Appointed Ordonnanz-Offizier (orderly officer) with the regimental staff of the Infanterie-Regiment "Graf Tauentzien von Wittenberg" (3. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 20
• 26 November 1917 Appointed Ordonnanz-Offizier (orderly officer) with the XXIII. Reserve Corps
• 6 May 1918 Appointed regimental adjutant of the Infanterie-Regiment "Graf Tauentzien von Wittenberg" (3. Brandenburgisches) Nr. 20
• 1 March 1919 Joined the Freikorps "von Oven" under Colonel Georg Karl Alfred von Oven, serving first in the regimental staff, then as adjutant of the III. Battalion
  • 5 to 20 March 1919 combat in Berlin and Spandau
  • 20 March to 19 May 1919 combat in the Ruhr area
  • 21 to 31 May 1919 deployment in Leipzig, subordinated to the Freiwilliges Landesjägerkorps
• 18 October 1919 Newly sworn-in as leader of the 3rd Company/Reichswehr-Infanterie-Regiment 103
  • 6 November 1919 Granted permission to marry
  • 20 December 1919 to 20 March 1920 deployment with the Grenzschutz Ost (Memel–Tilsit)
• 12 April 1920 (another sources states 16 May) Appointed court officer with the staff of the Reichswehr-Infanterie-Regiment 6
• 27 September with effect from 1 October 1920 15th Company/5. (Preußisches) Infanterie-Regiment
• 15 September with effect from 1 October 1923 Transferred to the 5th (Prussian) Cavalry Regiment and commanded to the Experimental Command of Military District Command II
• 27 August with effect from 1 October 1924 Transferred back to the 5. (Preußisches) Infanterie-Regiment
• 1 October 1925 Transferred to the regimental staff of the 5th (Prussian) Infantry Regiment
• 1 October 1927 Regimental adjutant of the 5th (Prussian) Infantry Regiment
• 1 October 1931 Appointed commander of the 11th Company/5th (Prussian) Infantry Regiment
  • 2 August 1934 newly sworn-in
• 1 October 1934 Appointed adjutant in the staff of the Reichswehr Hamburg office
• 15 May 1935 Staff/Military District Command X (Hamburg)
• 15 October 1935 Staff/General Command X Army Corps (Hamburg)
• 12 October 1937 Appointed commander of the II. Battalion/Infanterie-Regiment 59 under Colonel Adolf Karl von Oven
• 22 September with effect from 25 September 1939 Delegated with the leadership of the 74th Infantry Regiment as successor to Kurt Schmidt
• 14 December with effect from 8 December 1939 Appointed commander of the 74th Infantry Regiment
• 8 October 1940 Appointed commander of the 19. Schützen-Brigade
  • The 19th Rifle Brigade was formed on 1 November 1940 in Military District XI as the staff for the rifle units of the 19th Panzer Division, to which it was subordinated. These were Rifle Regiments 73 and 74, whose headquarters also provided the personnel for its formation. The brigade was renamed the 19th Panzergrenadier Brigade on 5 July 1942.
• 5 January 1942 Delegated with the leadership of the 19th Panzer Division for Otto von Knobelsdorff who had fallen ill
• 12 April with effect from 1 April 1942 Appointed commander of the 19th Panzer Division

Knight's Cross

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross:

Awarded for his leadership of Infanterie-Regiment 74 during the Western Campaign. His regiment would prove to be the most successful of the 19. Infanterie-Division while also suffering the fewest losses. He and his regiment particularly distinguished themselves on the 10 May 1940, the first day of the campaign, during the attacks on Dutch fortifications at the Maas near Roermond. Here eleven bunkers were proving to be a particularly troublesome obstacle for the attacking German forces. Following Schmidt’s reconnaissance, his regiment was able to seize them in cooperation with the heavy weapons in the span of just three hours. Roermond was captured the same day.

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves:

Generalleutnant Schmidt performed extremely well during the fierce defensive battles on the Eastern Front in the winter months of 1942/43. At the beginning of December 1942, the Bolsheviks tried to break through the German defensive front southeast of Toropez by any means necessary, and so the General’s 19th Panzer Division was dispatched for a counterattack in January 1943. This thrust caught the Soviets completely off-guard thanks to General Schmidt’s thorough preparation. During this attack the General directed his regiments from the foremost line, and in the combat that took place, he led them far beyond the ordered attack objective. By doing so, he closed a gap in the German frontline and cut off two Bolshevik corps that had previously advanced through the gap.

Death

Most post-war sources state, General Schmidt committed suicide on 7 August 1943 to avoid capture by the Red Army in the course of the Soviet Belgorod-Kharkov Offensive Operation (it cannot be clearly determined whether this occurred before or after capture).

"After the failure of the Kursk offensive in July 1943, the staff of the 19th Panzer Division was pushed behind enemy lines. Near the village of Beresowka, the staff was encircled. With their ammunition nearly exhausted, the married Lieutenant General Schmidt and his adjutant, First Lieutenant Köhne, took their own lives. Both noble men chose death on the front lines over captivity. The widely dispersed division continued to fight heroically under Colonel Sörgel (until Källner's arrival) and Lieutenant General Hans Gottfried Alfons Källner, unexpectedly breaking free from the encirclement on 10 August 1943."

According to the war diary of the 19th Panzer Division, however, he was killed in action during the breakthrough from the Soviet encirclement.

"On the afternoon of August 6, the two German corps commanders of the 48th and 3rd Panzer Corps decided to break through the Russian troops with their forces towards Graivoron – Akhtyrka, which was achieved with the 11th and 19th Panzer Divisions as the spearhead. During this breakthrough, the commander of the 19th German Panzer Division, Lieutenant General Gustav Schmidt, recipient of the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross, was killed on 7 August 1943 (Colonel Sörgel became the new temporary commander until his successor, Major General Hans Källner, took over)."

Family

Gustav was the son of Ernst Schmidt (d. 11 November 1932), Pastor in Carsdorf, later Naumburg, and his wife Elfriede, née Schöning. On 12 December 1919 in Greifswald, 1st Lieutenant Schmidt married his fiancée Maria Mayer (b. 11 November 1895), daughter of Dr. phil. Lic. theol. Gottlob Mayer (d. 14 February 1936 in Greifswald) and his wife Agnes, née Fischer. Maria's brother was Wehrmacht General Dr. rer. pol. Dr.-Ing. Johannes "Hans" Theodor Mayer (1893–1963), recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords in World War II. Her cousin was Generalarzt Dr. med. Hans Mayer (1896–1966), finally Senior Medical Officer (LSO) to the Wehrmacht Commander Netherlands. Gustav and Maria would have one son:

• Wolf-Diet(e)rich (b. 14 April 1923 in Greifswald)

Promotions

• 10 February 1913 Fahnenjunker (Officer Candidate)
• 1 July 1913 Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier (Officer Candidate with Corporal/NCO/Junior Sergeant rank)
• 18 October 1913 Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
• 19 June 1914 Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant) with Patent from 23 June 1912
• 16 September 1917 Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)
• 1 July 1925 Hauptmann (Captain)
• 1 May 1934 Major (29)
• 2 October 1936 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel) with effect and Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1 October 1936 (26)
• 31 May 1939 Oberst (Colonel) with effect and RDA from 1 June 1939 (23)
• 12 April 1942 Generalmajor (Major General) with effect and RDA from 1 April 1942 (75b)
• 21 January 1943 Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General) with effect and RDA from 1 January 1943 (59)

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 15 September 1914
  • 1st Class on 18 October 1915
• Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross with Swords (HOH3⚔) on 14 May 1917
• Wound Badge (1918) in Black on 14 May 1918
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords on 22 December 1934
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th to 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 2 October 1936 (18-year Service Cross)
  • 1st Class on 10 February 1938 (25-year Service Cross)
• Repetition Clasp 1939 to the Iron Cross 1914, 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 21 September 1939
  • 1st Class on 2 October 1939
• Panzer Battle Badge in Silver
• Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal on 1 August 1942
• German Cross in Gold on 26 April 1942 as Colonel and Commander of the 19th Rifle Brigade
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 4 September 1940 as Colonel and Commander of the Infanterie-Regiment 74
  • 203rd Oak Leaves on 6 March 1943 as Lieutenant General and Commander of the 19. Panzer-Division

Sources

• German Federal Archives: BArch PERS 6/909 and PERS 6/300813