Johann von Ravenstein

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Johann "Hans" Theodor von Ravenstein (* 1 January 1889 in Strehlen; † 26 March 1962 in Duisburg) was a German officer in the armed forces and held the final rank of lieutenant general. He fought in the First and second World Wars and was the first German general to be taken prisoner during the Second World War. After his return to Germany from war in 1948 he was active in Duisburg as a director of traffic.

Johann Theodor von Ravenstein came from a military family. First from this family, which the Prussian army occurred, was a major Johann Friedrich August von Ravenstein. Johann von Ravensteins father and Johann Friedrich August von Ravensteins son, second lieutenant Fritz von Ravenstein, joined likewise the Prussian army. Johann Friedrich August von Ravenstein fought against Napoleon and received for it the iron cross 1. Class. It was liver genuine in addition aide of Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher and fought at his side in the battle of Waterloo.

Von Ravenstein served the Grenadier-Regiment König Wilhelm I. Nr. 7 in Liegnitz 1909. He transferred soon to Ostrowo to 7. WestPrussian infantry regiment NR. 155, where he on 24 March 1909 with the 5. Company to the second lieutenant was carried. In August 1914 pulled of Ravenstein as a battalion aide into the First World War, where he fought among other things at the west front. He participated in the battle around Verdun, the battle in the Champagne and the battle to the Somme. In the year 1916 he received the knight cross medal of the royal house for the conquest of the "dead man" from Hohenzollern with swords. He was three times wounded in the First World War altogether.

Two years later the now 29 years old first lieutenant Johann von Ravenstein during the German spring offensive 1918 the command over the Ith battalion of the Fuesilier regiment of stone-cutter NR. 37 hand over. On 27 May 1918 he broke through the opposing front line with the battalion with Soissons. After it had defeated the notorious Chemin of the Dames, he succeeded, with 10 soldiers, to conquer the Aisne bridge with Bourg intact. His troops took 1500 prisoners and captured 32 cannons, 30 machine guns as well as large quantities of further war material. Von Ravenstein received for it the highest Prussian honor, which became Pour le Mérite.

On 31 March 1920 he left the army and attended a university, where he studied political science. Later he became an electrician in a company in Duisburg and worked in the administration of the city Duisburg. In 1934 he decided to rejoin the army on which it in spring as a major that II. Battalion 60. Infantry regiment joined. On 1 October 1936 he was promoted to the lieutenant colonel and on 1 August 1939 to colonel. Ravenstein at the beginning of the Second World War was at the Poland campaign (1939) and in the west campaign (1940) takes part a little later, whereupon he received the knight cross of the iron cross on 2 June 1940 against. After the invasion of Greece in April 1941 he was promoted to major general. In the time of 20 May by 29 November 1941 he commanded the 21st German armored division in North Africa. On 1 October 1941 he was appointed the lieutenant general. He was taken imprisoned on 29 November 1941 in Capuzzo in the proximity of Tobruk by New Zealanders, after he had capitulated. He was the first German general to be taken prisoned during the Second World War. He was a POW from 1941 to 1948 in Quebec, Canada.

Johann von Ravenstein died on 26 March 1962 in Duisburg at the age of 74 years.