Günther Pape
Encyclopedia
Günther Pape was a German
Generalmajor serving during World War II
and recipient of the coveted Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
The Bundeswehr
of the Federal Republic of Germany
underwent a series of internal discussion and controversies which led to the "Generalkrise" (Crisis of the Generals) in August 1966. Among other issues, the discussion was centred about the inner leadership of the Bundeswehr and the hierarchy of command between the Federal Ministry of Defence
and the Bundeswehr. The Inspector of the Luftwaffe Generalleutnant Werner Panitzki and Minister of Defence Kai-Uwe von Hassel
resigned on 12 August 1966. Inspector General of the Bundeswehr Generalleutnant Heinrich Trettner
resigned the next day followed shortly by Generalmajor Günther Pape, who resigned out of loyalty to his commanding officers.
mentioned in the addendum of the Wehrmachtbericht
on 20 December 1944.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Generalmajor serving during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and recipient of the coveted Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
of the Federal Republic of Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
underwent a series of internal discussion and controversies which led to the "Generalkrise" (Crisis of the Generals) in August 1966. Among other issues, the discussion was centred about the inner leadership of the Bundeswehr and the hierarchy of command between the Federal Ministry of Defence
Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany)
The Federal Ministry of Defence is a top-level federal agency, headed by the Federal Minister of Defence as a member of the Cabinet of Germany...
and the Bundeswehr. The Inspector of the Luftwaffe Generalleutnant Werner Panitzki and Minister of Defence Kai-Uwe von Hassel
Kai-Uwe von Hassel
Kai-Uwe von Hassel was a German politician from Schleswig-Holstein associated with the CDU party.Von Hassel was born in Gare, German East Africa ....
resigned on 12 August 1966. Inspector General of the Bundeswehr Generalleutnant Heinrich Trettner
Heinrich Trettner
Heinrich "Heinz" Trettner was a German general serving during World War II and from 1964 to 1966 Inspector General of the Bundeswehr. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
resigned the next day followed shortly by Generalmajor Günther Pape, who resigned out of loyalty to his commanding officers.
Awards
- Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
(1939) 2nd and 1st Class - German CrossGerman CrossThe German Cross was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 17 November 1941 as an award ranking higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross respectively ranking higher than the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords but below the Knight's Cross of the War Merit...
in Gold (23 January 1942) - Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak LeavesKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
- Knight's Cross on 10 February 1942 as MajorMajor (Germany)Major is a rank of the German military which dates back to the Middle Ages.It equates to Major in the British and US Armies, and is rated OF-3 in NATO.During World War II, the SS equivalent was Sturmbannführer....
and commander of Krad-Schützen-Bataillon 3 - 301st Oak leaves on 15 September 1943 as OberstOberstOberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
and commander of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 394
- Knight's Cross on 10 February 1942 as Major
- Honour Roll Clasp of the ArmyHonour Roll Clasp of the ArmyThe Honour Roll Clasp of the Army or Ehrenblatt des Heeres was a Decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. The total number awarded was 4,556. -History:...
(5 December 1944)
mentioned in the addendum of the Wehrmachtbericht
Wehrmachtbericht
The Wehrmachtbericht was a daily radio report on the Großdeutscher Rundfunk of Nazi Germany, published by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht regarding the military situation on all fronts of World War II....
on 20 December 1944.
Reference in the Wehrmachtbericht
| Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
|---|---|---|
| 20 December 1944 (addendum) | Im Raum von Budapest haben sich in den harten Abwehrkämpfen die Panzergrenadierdivision 'Feldherrnhalle' unter Führung des Generalmajors Pape und die 13. Panzerdivision unter Führung des Generalmajors Schmidhuber, deren Offiziere, Unteroffiziere und Mannschaften zum größten Teil der SA entstammen, durch hervorragende Tapferkeit und Angriffsschwung ausgezeichnet. | The Panzergrenadierdivision 'Feldherrnhalle' under the leadership of Generalmajor Pape and the 13. Panzerdivision under the leadership of Generalmajor Schmidhuber Gerhard Schmidhuber Gerhard Schmidhuber was a German major general. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves... , whose officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers are largely comprised from the SA, distinguished themselves by showing exceptional bravery and attacking spirit, in the vicinity of Budapest. |