Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz
| Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 December 1896 |
| Died | 9 October 1969 (aged 72) |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire .svg.png){kind=small} Weimar Republic .svg.png){kind=small} Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch | Army |
| Rank | General der Panzertruppe |
| Commands held |
2nd Panzer Division XLVII Panzer Corps |
| Battles/wars |
World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz (6 December 1896 – 9 October 1969) was a German general (General der Panzertruppe) during World War II who commanded the 2nd Panzer Division and the XLVII Panzer Corps.
Battle of the Bulge, "Nuts!"
In 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge, Lüttwitz, commander of the XLVII Panzer Corps, had surrounded the US 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne commanded by US Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe. Before launching an assault by the 26th Volksgrenadier Division against the town, Lüttwitz sent an ultimatum to the American forces. His demand for the US troops to surrender was the following:
To the U.S.A. Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne.There is only one possibility to save the encircled U.S.A. troops from total annihilation: that is the honorable surrender of the encircled town. In order to think it over a term of two hours will be granted beginning with the presentation of this note. If this proposal should be rejected one German Artillery Corps and six heavy A. A. Battalions are ready to annihilate the U.S.A. troops in and near Bastogne. The order for firing will be given immediately after this two hours term. All the serious civilian losses caused by this artillery fire would not correspond with the well-known American humanity.
He received the following reply from McAuliffe:
To the German Commander. NUTS!
McAuliffe's reply, "Nuts!" was explained to the German negotiators as the equivalent of "go to hell!"
Awards
- Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class (18 May 1915) & 1st Class (2 June 1918)[1]
- Wound Badge (1918) in Black[2]
- German Cross in Gold on 19 December 1941 as Oberstleutnant in the Schützen-Regiment 59[3]
- Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (20 September 1939) & 1st Class (1 August 1941)[1]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
- Knight's Cross on 27 May 1942 as Oberst and commander of Schützen-Regiment 59[4]
- 571st Oak Leaves on 3 September 1944 as Generalleutnant and commander of the 2. Panzer-Division[4]
- Nominated for Swords in 1945 as General der Panzertruppe and commanding general of the XXXXVII. Panzerkorps[Note 1]
Notes
- ↑ Heinrich von Lüttwitz's nomination by the troop was received by the Heerespersonalamt (HPA—Army Personnel Office) on 28 April 1945. Major Joachim Domaschk decided on 30 April: "Heeresgruppe B, postpone!" General Von Lüttwiz together with the remaining forces of the Heeresgruppe B was either taken prisoner of war or missing in action in the Ruhr Pocket on 15 April. The nomination was thus not further processed in accordance with AHA 44 Ziff. 572. The nomination list for the higher grades of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross also contains a note from 28 April 1945: "postponed". A bestowal thus didn't occur.[5]
References
Citations
- 1 2 Thomas 1998, p. 44.
- ↑ Rangliste des Deutschen Reichsheeres, p. 155.
- ↑ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 289.
- 1 2 Scherzer 2007, p. 519.
- ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 157.
Bibliography
- Berger, Florian (1999). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges [With Oak Leaves and Swords. The Highest Decorated Soldiers of the Second World War] (in German). Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-0-6.
- Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
- Reichswehrministerium, ed. (1924). Rangliste des Deutschen Reichsheeres (in German). Berlin, Germany: Mittler & Sohn Verlag. OCLC 10573418.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
- Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9.
Further reading
- R. V. Cassill (1955), The General Said "Nuts": Exciting Moments of Our History—As Recalled by Our Favorite American Slogans, New York: Birk.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Generalleutnant Vollrath Lübbe |
Commander of 2. Panzer-Division 1 February 1944 – 4 May 1944 |
Succeeded by Generalleutnant Franz Westhoven |
| Preceded by Generalleutnant Franz Westhoven |
Commander of 2. Panzer-Division 27 May 1944 – 31 August 1944 |
Succeeded by Oberst Eberhard von Nostitz |
| Preceded by General der Panzertruppe Hans Freiherr von Funck |
Commander of XLVII. Panzerkorps 4 September 1944 – April 1945 |
Succeeded by None |
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