Adolf Kurt Ernst Strauß (6 September 1879 – 20 March 1973) was a German officer who served in the Prussian Army, the Imperial German Army, the Reichswehr, and later as a general in the Heer of Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht during World War II.
Adolf Strauß | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 6 September 1879 Schermcke, Kreis Wanzleben, Regierungsbezirk Magdeburg, Province of Saxony, German Empire |
| Died | 20 March 1973 (aged 93) Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, West Germany |
| Allegiance |  German Empire Weimar Republic  Nazi Germany |
| Service |  German Army |
| Years of service | 1898–45 |
| Rank |  Generaloberst |
| Commands | 9th Army |
| Battles / wars | World War I
|
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
As commander of the II Army Corps, Strauß participated in the German Invasion of Poland. On 30 May 1940, he was appointed commander of the 9th Army in France. Strauß participated in Operation Barbarossa with Army Group Centre. In January 1942 he was replaced in command of the 9th Army by Walter Model following the initial breakthrough of the Soviet forces during commencement of the Rzhev Battles.[1] He died on 20 March 1973 in Lübeck.
As with all German armies on the Eastern Front, Strauß's 9th Army implemented the criminal Commissar Order.[2]
Adolf Strauß is mentioned by author Sven Hassel in his work of fiction Wheels of Terror.
Decorations
edit- Iron Cross (1914) 1st and 2nd class
- Hanseatic Cross, Bremen and Lübeck
- Military Cross of Merit, Principality of Lippe
- Military Merit Cross (Austria), 3rd class with War Decoration
- Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross with Swords
- Wound Badge (1918) in Black
- Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
- Wehrmacht Long Service Award, 4th with 1st class
- Clasp for Iron Cross, 1st and 2nd class
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 27 October 1939 as General der Infanterie and commanding general of the II. Armeekorps[3]
- Mentioned four times in the Wehrmachtbericht on 6 August 1941 (extra), 7 August 1941, 18 October 1941 (extra) and 19 October 1941
References
editCitations
edit- ^ Ian Kershaw Hitler 1936–1945: Nemesis 2001 0141925817 "Within the following three weeks Generals Helmuth Förster, Hans Graf von Sponeck, Erich Hoepner, and Adolf Strauß were sacked, FieldMarshal von Leeb was relieved of his command of Army Group North, and FieldMarshal von Reichenau died ...
- ^ Stahel 2015, p. 28.
- ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 414.
Bibliography
edit- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 – Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 – The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Mitcham, SW (2010) : Men of Barbarossa ISBN 978-1-935149-15-6
- Stahel, David (2015). The Battle for Moscow. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-08760-6.
