Wandel, Martin.

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Wandel, Martin, born 15-04-1892 in Berlin joined the Army on 16-04-1910, age 18, as a Fahnenjunker with the 1. Oberschlesisches Feldartillerie-Regiment „von Clausewitz“ Nr. 21 . Promoted to Leutnant on 18-08-1911 he was on the battlefields of the first war and received both the Iron Crosses   or bravery. Wandel was lucky to stay in the new, 100.000 men, Reichswehr and served with the Signal Corps in Breslau until 1924. From 1925 assigned as Chief of the 3rd battalion of the 2nd Prussian Artillery Regiment in Stetin until 1929. Then he was transferred to the Staff of the Artillery leader II in Stettin and promoted to Major on 01-10-1931. An Oberstleutnant from 01-10-1934 and from 15-10-1935 he became the Chief of Staff of the Inspection of the Artillery. Promoted to Oberst on 01-04-1937 and commander of the war school Arko 105 in Potsdam. He became a Generalmajor from 01-04-1941 and appointed as commander of the 121st Infantery Division  in the East of Russia, he replaced Generalleutnant, Otto Lancelle.

  Later involved in battles in North of Russia, Wandel was awarded with the Knight Cross of the Iron Cross on 23-11-1941 and promoted to Generalleutnant on 01-10-1942. He lost the command of the 121st on 10-11-1942 to General, Helmuth Priess and from 01-12-1942 assigned as commanding General of the XXIV Panzer Corps in the south of the Eastern Front. Helmuth Priess was killed in battle, age 47, on 21-10-1944 near Hasenrode, East Prussia.

Death and burial ground of Wandel, Martin.

  

Martin Wandel was killed in action on 14-01-1943, age 50, near Rossosch, as there command post was run over by the Russian forces.

The Ostrogozhsk–Rossosh Offensive was an offensive of the Voronezh Front on the Eastern Front of World War II against the Hungarian 2nd Army under command of Lieutenant General Jenő Major and partially Italian 8th Army, under command of General Italo Gariboldi as part of the Voronezh–Kharkov Offensive.

The offensive is better known as part of Operation Little Saturn, made in support of the Stalingrad encirclement. The offensive was supported from the south by the right flank of the Soviet 6th Army under command of General Lieutenant Fyodor M Kharitonov and the 3rd Tank Army of Pavel Rybalko

After the destruction of his Army, Lieutenant General Jenő Major became Inspector-General of the Hungarian Army in Germany. He avoided extradition to Hungary and lived the remainder of his life in West Germany. He died on 13-01-1972, aged 80, in Sonthofen, Bavaria.

In 1943, Gariboldi was in Italy when King Victor Emmanuel III and Marshal Pietro Badoglio ousted dictator Benito Mussolini and then signed an armistice with the Allies. Like many members of the Italian military, Gariboldi was made a prisoner of war (POW) by the Germans. In 1944, he was condemned to death as a traitor.

Later in 1944, Gariboldi was released from prison by the Allies. He died in Rome, on 09-02-1970., age 90. His son, Mario Gariboldi, followed his father in a military career.

General Lieutenant Fyodor M Kharitonov’s army took part in the successful Battle of Stalingrad but died soon after on 28, 1943, age 44, due to illness.

General Martin Wandel has a grave of honour in his birth town Berlin on the Burgtor cemetery, where his wife Harriet Isabel Anneliese Carmen, born von Rège, who died age 80 on 18-06-1984, is buried. Harriet von Rege was a daughter of WWI Generalmajor Harry von Rege who is buried in the same family grave. Von Rege’s wife Alice, born von Lübeck, after his death married WWI Generalmajor Vicco von der Lühe from a nobel family . who died age 88 on 02-01-1952 in Wotersen.

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Message(s), tips or interesting graves for the webmaster:    robhopmans@outlook.com

 

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