Kessel, Mortimer von.

Kessel, Mortimer von, born 25-05-1893 in Answalde, Pommern, from a nobel family, the son of Konstantin von Kessel from Gotha, a Hauptmann in the Prussian army, and his wife Julie, born Freiin von Buddenbrock from Breslau. He was married to Dorothee, born von Kessel auf Zöbelwitz and Kutschwitz from Potsdam, the two of them rest together with their son Immo von Kessel (born 24-05-1934) in the Old Cemetery (Hildesheimerstraße) in Goslar. Mortimer joined the Imperial German Army as an officer cadet in 1914, age 20 and was commissioned as a Leutnant in the 12^th Hussar Regiment, on 22-03-1915 and was awarded the Iron Cross first  and second class in World War I. He was then allowed in the Reichswehr  in which he reached the rank of Oberstleutnant in 1937. He led a Reconnaissance Regiment during the Invasion of Poland in 1939 and was promoted to Oberst in October that year and appointed as the head of the Army Personnel Department the following month and remained in this post until January 1943, having been promoted to Generalmajor in 1942. When he was moved to the leadership reserve until 08-05-1943 when he was appointed as the commander of the 20^th Panzer Division , he succeeded General der Panzertruppe, Heinrich von Lüttwitz

   and lost this command to General der Artillerie,

Werner Marcks  .  On 01-12-1943 he was promoted to Generalleutnant, and for his defence of the Vitebsk region on the Eastern Front he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross. Then for his actions during the Soviet Summer Offensive of 1944 he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross  of the Iron Cross. He landed in the Führer Reserve (see Adolf Hitler) (did you know), until 27-12-1944 and  was appointed Commander of the VII Panzer Corps in East Prussia, succeeding General der Artillerie Ernst-Eberhard Hell,. On 01-03-1945 he was promoted to General der Panzertruppe and continued to command the Panzer Corps until he was captured by the U.S Forces and first released on 08-06-1947.

Death and burial ground of Kessel, Mortimer von.

Mortimer von Kessel retired in Goslar where he at the old age of 87 died, on 08-11-1981. Mortimer is buried with his wife Dorothee, born von Kessel, who died age 79, on 22-10-1977, on the Cemetery Hildesheimerstrasse in Goslar. Close neighbours are, Generaloberst der Panzertruppe, Oberbefehler B 2^nd Panzer Armee, Heinz Wilhelm Guderian, his sons Heinz Günther and  Kurt, the Generalmajor der Infanterie, Kommandeur von Dniepropetrovsk, Ernst Adolph, Generalleutnant der Infanterie, Chief Heeresgruppe “Kurland”, Friedrich Foertsch,  Generalmajor der Infanterie, Kommandeur der 10^th Panzer Grenadier Division  ,  Karl Kossmann. Alas elements of the division took part in atrocities against the civilian population during the invasion of Poland. Together with elements of the 17^th Infantry Division , under Generalmajor, Max Sachsenheimer , they took part in the murder of at least 14 civilians during the Division’s advance towards Sieradz and Lask. Sachsenheimer died age 63, on 02-06-1973 in Merzhausen. Generalleutant der Infanterie, Kommandeur der 404^th Infanterie Division, Adolf Hüttmann, Generalmajor der Infanterie, Kommandeur Ersatz Division in Brünn, Gustav Wagner and the SS Obergruppenführer, Reichsminister of Food and Agriculture, Walter Darré.

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