Postel, Georg-Wilhelm.

Postel, Georg Wilhelm, born 25-04-1896 in Zittau ; joined the Infantry Regiment “Graf Schwerin” (3rd Pomeranian) No. 14 on 20-08-1914, age 18, as a Fahnenjunker, but was transferred after a short time to the Infantry Regiment No. 134, with whom he became a Leutnant  on 29-09-1915,  participated in the First World War. Georg Wilhelm was awarded both classes of the Iron Cross.  In the formation of the 100,000-man Army of the Reichswehr  Postel was taken over in the 10th (Saxon) Infantry Regiment and used as a company officer. With effect from 01-04-1925, he was promoted to Leutnant. in October 1926  Postel served in the staff of the 4th Division and went through the Führer Generalstabsoffizieren. training. He then took over the 8th Machine Gun company of the 11th (Saxon) Infantry Regiment in October 1928, and eventually became captain in November 1930. In this capacity, he remained for many years, most recently from December 1935 as a Major. Postel was then used from April 1936 as a teacher at the War School Munich and promoted there on 01-01-1939 to Oberstleutnant

At the beginning of the World War II in 1939, Postel led the 2nd Battalion of the 109th Infantry Regiment of the 25th Infantry Division ,under command of Generalleutnant Christian Hansen 

was from 11-01-1940 battalion commander in the 433rd Infantry Regiment and from 30-04-1940 in the Infantry Regiment 364 of the 161st Infantry Division , under command of Generalleutnant Hermann Wilck,  where he distinguished himself with his unit in the campaign in France. On 05-07-1940, therefore, he was given the regimental leadership, which he retained until 24-08-1942. Hermann Wick died age 81 on 10-06-1967 in Berlin-Steglitz.

On 01-12-1941, Georg Wilhelm was promoted to Oberst   with his seniority was set to 01-11-1940. During the heavy defensive fighting in the winter of 1941/42 in the Rshew area, he and his regiment had a decisive share in the defensive successes there, for which he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross

  on 09-08-1942. At the end of August 1942 he resigned his command of the Infantry Regiment 364 and was transferred to the Führer Reserve.  On 01-01-1943 he was promoted to Generalmajor and also appointed commander of the 320th Infantry Division  succeeding Generalleutnant Karl Maderholz . Maderholz survived the war and died age 74 on 27-03-1964 in Munich. On 14-02-1943, he was called by name in the Wehrmacht report: “An infantry division withdrawn from advanced bases has in nine days of heavy fighting under the exemplary leadership of its division commander Generalmajor Georg-Wilhelm Postel pierced strong enemy forces, destroyed and then reached their own lines.” With his division he took part in the fighting for Kharkov and in the winter of 1943/44 in the withdrawal battles to the Dnieper. On 01-09-1943 he was promoted to Generalleutnant. On 19-01-1944, he was again named by name in the Wehrmacht report: “In the battles in the southern section of the eastern front, the Silesian 320th Infantry Division under the leadership of Generalleutnant Postel has particularly distinguished.” For the services of the 320th Infantry Division at Cherkassy in early 1944, he was awarded on 28-03-1944 with the Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross. The divisional emblem was a red gateway with pointed roofs, an alternative emblem was a red heart on a red edged white circular background. The 320th Infantry Division was formally disbanded on 09-10-1944 and reformed as the 320th Volksgrenadier Division on 27-10-1944. It absorbed the partially formed 588th Volksgrenadier Division and remnants of other shattered units. The new Volksgrenadier Division, commanded by General Ludwig Kirschner, fought at Krakow in January 1945 and was battered. Reduced to the strength of a Kampfgruppe, The size of the Kampfgruppe varied from a few companies (200 men) to a division (12,000 men). The group usually had a strength of a regiment (3,000 men). In general, during an offensive action, the armored division was deployed in three Kampfgruppe: one around the tank regiment with some infantry battalions, one around the artillery regiment with some infantry battalions and one around the reconnaissance battalion, supplemented with motorized units.

it continued resistance against Red Army forces in Upper Silesia until it was trapped in the Deutsch-Brod cauldron and forced to surrender. Its final commander, after a brief tenure of a few days during February by Generalmajor Rolf Scherenberg , had been Generalmajor Emmanuel von Kiliani. General Kirschner was a recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves . Kirschner was killed on 11-02-1945, age 40  in Saybusch, Poland. Generalmajor Scherenberg survived the war and died 10-06-1961 (aged 64) and Generalmajor  von Kiliani also survived the war and died 22-11-1974, age 76.

On 16-07-1944, Postel took over leadership the XXX. Army Corps in Romania. After the fall of Romania, he went there on 30-08-1944 in Russian captivity. On 31-08-1944, he was named in addition to the Wehrmachtsbericht: “In the southern section of the Eastern Front, the XXX Army Corps, led by Generalleutnant Postel with the 306th Infantry Division, 15th Infantry Division  under command of Generalmajor Rudolf Sperl   and 13th Panzer Division under command of Generalleutnant Hans Tröger,   in superior fighting against superior superior enemy forces heroically defeated. Generalmajor Rudolf Sperl survived the war and died age  on 23-10-1981, age 83, in Karlsruhe and Generalleutnant Hans Tröger also survived the war and died 21-01-1982, aged 85, in Schwangau, In 1939/40, the XXX Army Korps carried out border surveillance at the German West Border and then took part in the Battle of France and the Balkan campaign. From June 1941, it fought for three years on the Eastern Front, first in the south, then north and center to move south again after the Battle of Stalingrad. In 1944, the Corps retreated to Romania, where it was destroyed during the Jassy–Kishinev Offensive in August 1944. A second deployment followed as the 30th Army Corps z.bV. in the Netherlands in 1944/45.

Death and burial ground of Postel, Georg-Wilhelm..

Georg Wilhelm Postel was taken prisoner by the Red Army on 30-08-1944 after the capitulation of Romania. Convicted as a war criminal in the Soviet Union, he was sentenced to 25 years of forced labour in 1949. Postel died in custody on 20-09-1953, age 57 of tuberculosis. He was interred in the prisoner of war cemetery in Shakhty, Row 3, Grave 14.

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