Otto Lancelle (27 March 1885 – 3 July 1941) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II and a recipient of both the Pour le Mérite and Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest military awards of German Empire and Nazi Germany, respectively. During the Interwar period, he joined the Der Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten and Nazi Party, and participated in the Beer Hall Putsch.[1]
Otto Lancelle | |
|---|---|
 Otto Lancelle in 1939 | |
| Born | 27 March 1885 Xanten, Germany |
| Died | 3 July 1941 (aged 56) Krāslava, Soviet Union |
| Allegiance |  German Empire  Weimar Republic  Nazi Germany |
| Service | Army; SA |
| Years of service | 1905–41 |
| Rank | Generalleutnant (Posthumously); SA-Oberführer (SA) |
| Commands | 121st Infantry Division |
| Battles / wars | World War I |
| Awards | Pour le Mérite 1914 Iron Cross I & II Class 1939 I & II Class House Order of Hohenzollern Prussian Life Saving Medal Order of the Zähringer Lion Merit Cross Wound Badge in Silver German Sports Badge Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Children | Kraft Lancelle |
Lancelle was killed by a sniper on 3 July 1941 at the Krāslava Bridgehead on the Daugava near Krāslava, Latvia. He was the first German general, who was killed in (de facto) Soviet territory after the attack on the Soviet Union. He was posthumously promoted to Generalleutnant and awarded the Knight's Cross.
Lancelle was first buried next to the Krāslava Lutheran Church, and later reinterred in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The Polish town of Rzgów was renamed Lancellenstätt in his honor by the occupiers from 1943 to 1945. A memorial marker on the site of his death was installed by his son Kraft in July 1994, which was removed by authorities in November 2022.[2]
Awards and decorations
edit- Pour le Mérite (9 October 1918)[3]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 27 July 1941 (posthumously) as Generalmajor and commander of 121. Infanterie-Division[3]
References
editCitations
edit- ^ Wohnungs- und Geschäftsanzeiger für Stadt- und Landkreis Merseburg. 1929, Merseburg: Rößner, 1929, p. 314, retrieved 2022-12-28
- ^ Barkāns, Elmārs (2022-11-28). "Starp vairākiem desmitiem okupekļu nogāzts arī viens nacistu intrigantam veltīts piemineklis. FOTO". Jauns.lv.
- ^ a b Scherzer 2007, p. 490.
Bibliography
edit- 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.
