Karl Freiherr von Thüngen
| Karl Freiherr von Thüngen | |
|---|---|
| Born |
26 June 1893 Mainz, Grand Duchy of Hesse, German Empire |
| Died |
24 October 1944 (aged 51) Brandenburg-Görden Prison, Province of Brandenburg, Free State of Prussia, Nazi Germany |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire (to 1918).svg.png){kind=small} Weimar Republic (to 1933).svg.png){kind=small} Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch | Heer |
| Rank | Generalleutnant |
| Commands held |
18th Panzer Division Inspector of the army in Berlin |
| Battles/wars |
World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Lieutenant General Karl Freiherr von Thüngen (26 June 1893 – 24 October 1944) was a German army officer who was the inspector of the army in Berlin and was executed after the failed July 20 Plot in 1944.
He was born in Mainz. After service in World War I he served in the Reichswehr.
In World War II he served on the Eastern Front, in 1942 and 1943 with the 18th Panzer Division. On 6 April 1943 he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
On 20 July 1944, he was appointed by the conspirators as the commander of the defense group III (Berlin) as the successor to the arrested General Joachim von Kortzfleisch.<ref name=PlottingHitler'sDeath>Joachim Fest (1994). Plotting Hitler's Death: The German Resistance to Hitler, 1933–1945. Weidenfield & Nicholson. ISBN 0-297-81774-4.</ref> He did not follow the conspirators orders and later took part in the interrogation of Major Hans-Ulrich von Oertzen, a supporter of the plot under his command.
He was nevertheless subsequently arrested by the Gestapo. He was dismissed from the army by the court of honor and was then tried by the People's Court, sentenced to death by Roland Freisler on 5 October 1944 and shot by firing squad in Brandenburg-Görden Prison on 24 October 1944.
Awards and decorations
- Iron Cross (1914)
- 2nd Class
- 1st Class
- Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
- Iron Cross (1939)
- 2nd Class
- 1st Class
- German Cross in Gold (18 October 1941)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 April 1943 as Generalleutnant and commander of 18. Panzer-Division
References
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by General der Panzertruppen Walther Nehring |
Commander of 18. Panzer-Division 26 January 1942 – July 1942 |
Succeeded by General der Nachrichtentruppen Albert Praun |
| Preceded by General der Nachrichtentruppen Albert Praun |
Commander of 18. Panzer-Division 24 August 1942 – 15 September 1942 |
Succeeded by Generalleutnant Erwin Menny |
| Preceded by Generalleutnant Erwin Menny |
Commander of 18. Panzer-Division February 1943 – 1 April 1943 |
Succeeded by Generalleutnant Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|