Ernst Kaether
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Ernst Kaether was an officer in the German Army (Wehrmacht Heer) during World War II.
As a Lieutenant-Colonel (Oberstleutnant), Kaether commanded the 14th Infantry Regiment of the 5th Jäger Division. On 10 December 1942, as commander of this regiment, he received a Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
On 22 April 1945, Kaether briefly replaced Lieutenant-General (Generalleutnant) Helmuth Reymann as commander of the Berlin Defense Area and he commanded the defenses of the city of Berlin during the Battle for Berlin. Kaether was personally promoted to Major-General (Generalmajor) and then Lieutenant-General (Generalleutnant) by German dictator Adolf Hitler for this command. Prior to this, Kaether had been the Chief-of-Staff to the German Army's political commissar. [1]
However, Kaether never actually took command of Berlin's defenses. Before he could take command, Hitler cancelled his promotions and Kaether was replaced by Artillery General (General der Artillerie) Helmuth Weidling. For a brief period between Kaether and Weidling, Hitler himself took personal command of the Berlin defenses. Another newly promoted Major-General (Generalmajor), Erich Bärenfänger, was Hitler's "deputy" commander of the Berlin Defense Area during this brief period.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Beevor, Antony. Berlin: The Downfall 1945, Penguin Books, 2002, ISBN 0-670-88695-5
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Beevor, Antony. Berlin: The Downfall 1945, Penguin Books, 2002, ISBN 0-670-88695-5, Page 268
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Helmuth Reymann |
Commanders of the Berlin Defense Area (Never in actual command) 22 April 1945 |
Succeeded by Erich Bärenfänger |
