Wilhelm Bittrich

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Wilhelm Bittrich
26 February 1894 - 19 April 1979
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Nickname Willi
Place of birth Wernigerode
Place of death Wolfratshausen
Allegiance Germany
Years of service 1914-1945
Rank Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS
Awards Ritterkreuz des Eisernes Kreuz mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern

Wilhelm 'Willi' Bittrich (February 26, 1894 – April 19, 1979) was a Obergruppenführer (rank equivalent to Lieutenant-General) of the German SS and a Waffen-SS General during World War II.

Born in the town of Wernigerode in the Harz mountains of Germany, Bittrich served as an army officer and as a fighter pilot during World War I. He joined the SS-Verfügungstruppe in 1934, where he served until 1939, whereupon he joined the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler. He was in command of the Deutschland Regiment during the fighting in Poland (1939) and France (1940).

He later commanded the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich and the II. SS-Panzerkorps (Hohenstaufen & Frundsberg Divisions). He is perhaps now best remembered for his contribution to the defeat of the failed allied airborne offensive Operation Market Garden which took place in the Netherlands in September of 1944.

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[edit] Postwar Prosecution

Although Bittrich conducted himself with honor throughout his career, after his capture on May 08, 1945 by American troops, he was extradited to France on charges of permitting hangings, pillage and arson. French military tribunal at Marseilles found him guilty and sentenced him to 5 years imprisonment on June 23, 1953 (Source: NYT 24 Jun 1953:6:6). He was put on trial for a second time later in 1953, for war crimes, but was acquitted by the French court in Bordeaux and released in 1954.

[edit] Criticism of the Nazi Party

Following operation Market-Garden in 1944, Albert Speer visited the front and had an opportunity to observe General Bittrich. Speer later wrote, "Other visits (to the front) showed me that efforts were being made on the Western Front to arrive at understandings with the enemy on special problems. At Arnhem, I found General Bittrich of the Waffen-SS in a state of fury. The day before, his Second Tank Corps had virtually wiped out a British airborne division. During the fighting the general had made an arrangement permitting the enemy to run a field hospital situated behind the German lines. But party functionaries had taken it upon themselves to kill British and American pilots, and Bittrich was cast in the role of a liar. His violent denunciation of the party was all the more striking since it came from an SS general."

According to Hohne, Bittrich pledged his support to at least one plot to topple the Nazi regime, but like many warned that Hitler would have to be disposed of first. This condition was never met. Bittrich is also recorded to have been known as the most sarcastic man in Germany. He is reported (unverifiable) to have been marked for death by Heinrich Himmler in the last year of the war as a result of extremely unflattering comments he made about this superior. Bittrich is said to have avoided the consequences by refusing to leave the front and remaining with his troops, claiming the situation demanded his personal attention.

Bittrich was a source for Cornelius Ryan in researching "A bridge too far". During the interview he is reported to have been most concerned with correcting inaccurate reports that he was a skilled concert pianist. He claimed these reports stemmed from confusion with his brother

[edit] Summary of his SS career

[edit] Dates of rank

[edit] Notable decorations

[edit] References

  • Robert J. Kershaw (1994). It never snows in September. Ian Allen Ltd. ISBN 0-7818-0287-3.
  • Heinz Hohne (1966). 'The Order of the Death's Head'. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-139012-3
  • Cornelius Ryan (1974). 'A Bridge too Far'. Coronet Books/Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN 0-340-19941-5
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