Karl Wilhelm Dietrich Ernst von Dewitz genannt von Krebs, born 06-08-1887 in Berlin,
son of the Prussian Major Ernst von Dewitz-Krebs (* 1851)
and his wife Sabine, born von Puttkamer from the house of Hettin (* 1864). Karl attended high schools in Hanau and Gotha.
After passing his Abitur in Gotha in the spring of 1905, Karl studied law at the University of Lausanne and the Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg. In 1906 he was enrolled in the Corps Saxo-Borussia Heidelberg.
Since 03-01-1927, Dewitz was married to Erika von Bauer, daughter of Fritz von Bauer and his wife Ruth, born Countess von Schlieffen. With her he had a son and a daughter. Günther von Dewitz was his older brother.In the spring of 1907, Dewitz joined the Guards Jaeger Battalion of the Prussian Army in Potsdam
as an ensign. He was promoted to lieutenant in March 1908 and was employed as an adjutant from the end of January 1913. At the beginning of the First World War, he and his battalion broke through to Ostend in Belgium. He then fought in the Vosges. On 21-11-1914, Karl was promoted to first lieutenant. At the end of 1915, Dewitz was wounded
and had to spend a long time in the hospital. After he was fit for field service again, he returned to his battalion on February 23. There he was promoted to Hauptman on 18-04-1916 and shortly afterwards he became company commander. At the end of September 1916, he was transferred to the staff of the newly formed 222nd Infantry Division as an orderly officer. However, Dewitz only stayed there for about three weeks and was then transferred to the General Staff of the VIII Army Corps.
This was followed by further general staff assignments, with the 18th Infantry Division, the General Staff of the Army and the general commands of the VI, XVIII, XIV and III Army Corps. Most recently, Dewitz was a member of the staff of the 75th Reserve Division. For his work during the war, he was awarded both classes of the Iron Cross,
the Wound Badge in Black, the Knight’s Cross 2nd Class of the Order of Albert with Swords,
and the Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg,
as well as the Military Merit Cross 3rd Class with War Decoration by the allied Austrians and the Knight’s Cross of the Military Merit Order by the Bulgarians. ![]()
After the end of the war, Dewitz was briefly assigned to the general staff of the 43rd Reserve Division and on 16-01-1919, he was transferred back to the main battalion, which was undergoing demobilization. He then joined the Potsdam Free Corps, commanded by Colonel Franz Ritter von Epp.
and was transferred to the Provisional Reichswehr on 01-05-1920. He was initially a company commander in the 3rd Reichswehr Jäger Battalion,
then in the 5th Reichswehr Infantry Regiment. When the new 100,000-man army “Reichswehr”
was formed, Dewitz became a company commander in the 9th (Prussian) Infantry Regiment. On 01-04-1927, he was assigned to the Berlin command post and after his transfer there on 01-02-1928, he served on its staff. In this position, Dewitz was promoted to Major on 01-02-1929, and as such was transferred back to the 9th Infantry Regiment on 01-03-1929. After serving on the staff of the 3rd Battalion, Dewitz was transferred to Gumbinnen on 01-10-1930, and commanded the 3rd Battalion of the 1st (Prussian) Infantry Regiment until 31-03-1934. There he was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 01-06-1933. Dewitz was then a member of the staff of the Küstrin commandant’s office and the Küstrin border section command from April 1 to September 30, 1934, and from 15-10-1935 to 30-04-1936. On 30-04-1936, Dewitz retired from active service as a Oberst and was subsequently entrusted with the role of training manager for Berlin I as an E-officer.
At the beginning of World War II, Dewitz was given command of the 323rd Infantry Regiment. The regiment fought in the Vosges
and took part in the ceremonial entry into Berlin in 1940 with its division. After that, Dewitz no longer had any front-line commands. On 01-06-1941, he was reactivated and promoted to Major gGneral on 01-08-1941. From mid-December 1941, he was commander of Division No. 191 and the 191st Reserve Division that emerged from it. He was in the Führer Reserve
from 01 to April 05-04-1943 and was then appointed Commander-in-Chief West. From August 1, he was commander of the Brod military training area in Croatia.
Death and burial ground of Karl Wilhelm Dietrich Ernst von Dewitz genannt von Krebs.
During the retreating battles of the German troops, von Dewwitz was taken prisoner of war in Yugoslavia in October 1944. Under duress, he wrote to an officer under his command demanding that he vacate his position. The officer reported the incident.
In March 1945, Dewitz was exchanged for other prisoners and brought before a military court. In order to defend himself, he would have had to confess to Adolf Hitler.
He refused to do so because he was convinced that Hitler was personally responsible for the military defeat and the collapse of the Reich. The Reich Military Court sentenced him to death, but sent a request for clemency for Dewitz to Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel.
Keitel refused. On 19-04-1945, age 57, when the American troops were already within earshot, Dewitz was shot by members of the Hitler Youth in Torgau.
Karl Wilhelm Dietrich Ernst von Dewitz genannt von Krebs was buried at the Bornstedter Friedhof, Potsdam, Stadtkreis/region Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany. Ribbeckstraße 40, 14469 Potsdam.











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