Helmuth von Pannwitz

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General Helmuth von Pannwitz

Helmuth von Pannwitz, born in Botzanowitz, district of Rosenberg (today Olesno Poland) Silesia (October 14, 1898 - January 16, 1947), of a Prussian noble family, was a German General who, having distinguished himself as a calvary officer during the First and the Second World War. As a 16-year-old cadet, he joined the army at the outbreak of the 1914-18 war, in the course of which he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class. On active service again in WW II, he was awarded "bars" to his previous decorations and in August 1941 was invested with the Knight's Cross and received the Oakleaves as Colonel a year later. Pannwitz was instrumental from 1942 onwards in establishing Cossack volunteer forces, the XVth Cossack Cavalry Corps (XV. Kosaken-Kavallerie-Korps) within the German Wehrmacht, which he then commanded on anti-partisan duty in Yugoslavia. Because of the respect and understanding he always showed for his troops, Von Pannwitz became so popular among his Cossack volunteers that, before the end of the war, they elected him Feldataman (that was the highest rank in the Cossack hierarchy, one that was traditionally reserved to the Tsar alone). Pannwitz surrendered on May 11, 1945 to British forces. He and his troops were subsequently handed over to Soviet forces, which is often referred to as The Betrayal of Cossacks at Lientz. Most of them perished either at the hands of the Soviet SMERSH, or committed suicide to avoid being repatriated. As Pannwitz was a German national, he was told by the British that he was not subject to repatriation to the SMERSH. Nonetheless, Pannwitz insisted that he share the fate of his men and his fellow commanders, giving himself up voluntarily to Soviet prosecution.

Von Pannwitz was executed on January 16, 1947 having been convicted by a Soviet court of spying as well as subversive and terrorist acts against the Soviet Union.

Almost fifty years later he was rehabilitated during the reign of Yeltsin on April 23,1996 on demand of his family by the Military High Prosecutor in Moscow on the grounds that no evidences for the accusations were existing. On June 28, 2001 rehabilitation was cancelled.

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References

Cossacks in the German Army, Samuel J. Newland, U.S. Army College, 1991 Frank Cass & Co.Ltd. London, ISBN 0714633518.
Die Verratenen von Yalta, Nikolai Tolstoi, 1977 Langen Müller, ISBN 3-7844-1719-1.
Erich Kern: General von Pannwitz und seine Kosaken, 1971 Verlag K.W. Schütz;
The Minister and the Massacres, Nikolai Tolstoy, 1986 Century Hutchinson Ltd. London, ISBN 0-09-164010-5.
The cost of a reputation, Ian Mitchel, 1997 Topical Books Lagavulin, ISBN 0953158101.
Die Illusion, Jürgen Thorwald, 1974 Droemer Knaur Verlag, ISBN 3-85886-029-8