Ludwig Kübler
Encyclopedia
General Ludwig Kübler was a German
General
of the Mountain Troops during World War II
who was executed as a war criminal in Yugoslavia.
and the humanist Ludwig Gymnasium in Munich
. He graduated in 1908 with top grades and turned down a place at the prestigious Maximilianeum
for a career in the military and joined the 15th Royal Bavarian Infantry Regiment "King Friedrich August of Saxony" as a cadet on 20 July 1908. From 1 October 1909 until 14 October 1910 he attended the War School in Munich at which he was placed fifth out of 166 students in his year. On 23 October 1910 he was commissioned as a leutnant.
and around St Quentin
as commander of a machine gun
platoon. On 24 September a serious injury from shell splinters left a conspicuous large scar on his face. Although the injury had not completely healed he returned on 13 January 1915 to his regiment, which took part in the Battle of the Somme. In his first months on the front Kübler earned the Iron Cross
1st and 2nd class (16 September and 17 November 1914). From the 21st September 1915 he was the adjutant of his regiment and remained so for most of the war. On 18 August 1918 he was appointed a battalion commander in his regiment and promoted to the rank of Hauptmann
. After the war he was retained in the Reichswehr
. He was then a staff officer in the Army Department (T1) of Truppenamt
for a few years. From 1925-1926 he was at the General Staff of Group Command 1 in Berlin
. In the autumn of 1933 he was on the staff of the 7th Division of the Reichswehr in Munich and on 1 October 1934 was appointed the Chief of Staff of the VII Army Corps. On 1 June 1935 he was commander of the Mountain Brigade.
At the start of World War II
he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
for his role in the Polish campaign. Then on 1 December 1939 he was promoted to Generalleutnant. As commanding general of the new XXXXIX Mountain Army Corps he was earmarked to lead the cancelled conquest of Gibraltar
and was then in the summer of 1941 involved in the attack in southern Russia
and was transferred from General der Infanterie to General der Gebirgstruppe
. He was then appointed commander of the 4th Army. His performance did not meet Adolf Hitler
's expectations and he was moved to the leadership reserve and did not receive another command until the summer of 1943 and a year later he was appointed commander of LXXXXVII Army Corps. Shortly before the end of the war he was wounded and captured in Yugoslavia, where together with his successor Generalleutant Hans von Hößlin he was sentenced to death in 1947 by a Yugoslav court. He was hanged in Ljubljana
on 18 August 1947, like his younger brother, Generalleutnant Joseph Kübler (1896–1947), who was also hanged in Belgrade
on 26 February 1947.
In May 1964 the barracks in Mittenwald
in Bavaria
were named after General Kübler. In November 1995 Volker Rühe
, then the German Minister of Defence, changed the name "General-Kübler-Kaserne" into "Karwendel-Kaserne".
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
General
General (Germany)
General is presently the highest rank of the German Army and Luftwaffe . It is the equivalent to the rank of Admiral in the German Navy .-Early history:...
of the Mountain Troops 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...
who was executed as a war criminal in Yugoslavia.
Early life
His father was the physician Wilhelm Kübler and he had six brothers and two sisters. In 1895 he enrolled in elementary school in Forstenried which he left after three years, he then attended the Gymnasium in RosenheimRosenheim
Rosenheim is a town in Bavaria at the confluence of the rivers Inn and Mangfall. It is seat of administration of the district of Rosenheim, but is not a part of it.-Geography:...
and the humanist Ludwig Gymnasium in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. He graduated in 1908 with top grades and turned down a place at the prestigious Maximilianeum
Maximilianeum
The Maximilianeum, a palatial building in Munich, was built as the home of a gifted students' foundation and has also housed the Bavarian Landtag since 1949.The principal was King Maximilian II of Bavaria, who started the project in 1857...
for a career in the military and joined the 15th Royal Bavarian Infantry Regiment "King Friedrich August of Saxony" as a cadet on 20 July 1908. From 1 October 1909 until 14 October 1910 he attended the War School in Munich at which he was placed fifth out of 166 students in his year. On 23 October 1910 he was commissioned as a leutnant.
First World War and the inter war period
At the beginning of the First World War he was serving with the 15th Royal Bavarian Infantry Regiment "King Friedrich August of Saxony" at the Western Front and was involved in September 1914 fighting in LorraineLorraine (province)
The Duchy of Upper Lorraine was an historical duchy roughly corresponding with the present-day northeastern Lorraine region of France, including parts of modern Luxembourg and Germany. The main cities were Metz, Verdun, and the historic capital Nancy....
and around St Quentin
Saint-Quentin, Aisne
Saint-Quentin is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France. It has been identified as the Augusta Veromanduorum of antiquity. It is named after Saint Quentin, who is said to have been martyred here in the 3rd century....
as commander of a machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
platoon. On 24 September a serious injury from shell splinters left a conspicuous large scar on his face. Although the injury had not completely healed he returned on 13 January 1915 to his regiment, which took part in the Battle of the Somme. In his first months on the front Kübler earned the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The 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....
1st and 2nd class (16 September and 17 November 1914). From the 21st September 1915 he was the adjutant of his regiment and remained so for most of the war. On 18 August 1918 he was appointed a battalion commander in his regiment and promoted to the rank of Hauptmann
Hauptmann
Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies. While "haupt" in contemporary German means "main", it also has the dated meaning of "head", i.e...
. After the war he was retained in the Reichswehr
Reichswehr
The Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....
. He was then a staff officer in the Army Department (T1) of Truppenamt
Truppenamt
The Truppenamt or 'Troop Office' was the cover organisation for the German General Staff from 1919 through until 1933 when the General Staff was re-created. This subterfuge was deemed necessary in order for Germany to be seen to meet the requirements of the Versailles Treaty...
for a few years. From 1925-1926 he was at the General Staff of Group Command 1 in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. In the autumn of 1933 he was on the staff of the 7th Division of the Reichswehr in Munich and on 1 October 1934 was appointed the Chief of Staff of the VII Army Corps. On 1 June 1935 he was commander of the Mountain Brigade.
Second World War
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...
he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
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...
for his role in the Polish campaign. Then on 1 December 1939 he was promoted to Generalleutnant. As commanding general of the new XXXXIX Mountain Army Corps he was earmarked to lead the cancelled conquest of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
and was then in the summer of 1941 involved in the attack in southern Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and was transferred from General der Infanterie to General der Gebirgstruppe
General der Gebirgstruppe
General der Gerbirgstruppe was a rank of German Army General introduced by the Wehrmacht in 1940....
. He was then appointed commander of the 4th Army. His performance did not meet Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's expectations and he was moved to the leadership reserve and did not receive another command until the summer of 1943 and a year later he was appointed commander of LXXXXVII Army Corps. Shortly before the end of the war he was wounded and captured in Yugoslavia, where together with his successor Generalleutant Hans von Hößlin he was sentenced to death in 1947 by a Yugoslav court. He was hanged in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
on 18 August 1947, like his younger brother, Generalleutnant Joseph Kübler (1896–1947), who was also hanged in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
on 26 February 1947.
In May 1964 the barracks in Mittenwald
Mittenwald
Mittenwald is a German municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria.-Geography:Mittenwald is located approx. 16 kilometers to the south-east of Garmisch-Partenkirchen...
in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
were named after General Kübler. In November 1995 Volker Rühe
Volker Rühe
Volker Rühe is a German politician affiliated with the CDU. He served as German Defence minister from April 1, 1992, succeeding Gerhard Stoltenberg during the first government of a reunified Germany in the fourth cabinet of Chancellor Kohl, to the end of the fifth Kohl Cabinet on October 27, 1998...
, then the German Minister of Defence, changed the name "General-Kübler-Kaserne" into "Karwendel-Kaserne".
Promotions in the Imperial Army, Reichswehr and Wehrmacht
- 16 October 1908 - Fahnenjunker
- 20 February 1909 - Ensign
- 23 October 1910 - Lieutenant
- 9 July 1915 - First Lieutenant
- 18 August 1918 - Captain
- 1 August 1928 - Major
- 1 April 1932 - Lieutenant Colonel
- 1 July 1934 - Colonel
- 1 January 1938 - Major General
- 1 December 1939 - Lieutenant-General
- 1 August 1940 - General of the Infantry
- 24 November 1941 - General of the mountain troops
Commands
- 1935- 1936 98th Mountain Regiment
- 1936- 1938 Mountain Brigade
- 1938- 1940 1st Mountain Division (Poland and France)
- 1940- 1941 XXXXIX Mountain Corps (Eastern Front)
- 1941- 1942 4th Army (Eastern Front)
- 1942- 1945 LXXXVII Mountain Corps (Yugoslavia)