General of the Artillery, Wilhelm Stemmermann.

15-09-2017

Wilhelm Stemmermann, born 23 October 1888  joined the Württemberg Army on 26 June 1908 as a flag-youngster. He came to Badisches Fußartillerie-Regiment No. 14. On this he was promoted to lieutenant on 19 November 1909. As such, he was then employed as a battery officer in the Badisches Fußartillerie-Regiment No. 14.  During the First World War, he was initially an artillery officer. On January 27, 1915, he was promoted to lieutenant. On April 18, 1917, he was promoted to captain. As such, he was also employed as a General Staff officer. In the First World War he was not only wounded, which was reflected in the award of the wounded badge in Schwarz . In addition, he was awarded a few other awards alongside both Iron Crosses . After the end of the war, he was taken over as headman in the Reichsheer. At the 200,000-man transition army in the spring of 1920, he belonged as a teacher to the infantry school in Munich. In this capacity, he also continued to be involved in the formation of the 100,000-man Army of the Reichswehr and the years thereafter. In the spring of 1924 he served with the commandant of Ingolstadt. At the latest from the spring of 1925, he belonged to the 6th (Bad.) Battery of the 5th Artillery Regiment in Ulm for the next years. In 1928-29 he was then transferred to the staff of the 5th Division of the Reichswehr in Stuttgart for the next few years. There he was also promoted to Major on 1 April 1930. On February 1, 1934, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel. On 1 March 1936 he was promoted to Oberst  As such, on 1 October 1937, he was appointed head of the General Staff of the General Command XIII. Army Corps appointed. On 1 August 1939 he was promoted to Generalmajor.  At the beginning of the World War II he took part in the Polish campaign with the Corps. At the same time, both clips were given to his Iron Crosses. In the course of the Western campaign, he was still the Chief of the XIII. Army Corps, under command of Generaloberst Heinrich von Vietinghoff,.  At the beginning of 1941 he took command of the new 296th Infantry Division. At the beginning of the summer of 1941 he led the division in the Eastern campaign in the attack on southern Russia. On 1 August 1941 he was promoted to Generalleutnant. At the beginning of January 1942 he was severely wounded  and had to surrender his command of the 296th Infantry Division. On January 11, 1942, he was awarded the German Cross in Gold . After his release from the hospital, on 1 March 1942, he was transferred to the OKH’s  leadership reserve. On 1 December 1942 he was promoted to General of the artillery. It was not until 5 December 1943 that he became Commander-in-chief of XI. Armistice in the Kiev area. With his corps, he was imprisoned in the kettle of Cherkassy in January 1944. In February 1944, as a General of the artillery and his corps, he succeeded in the outbreak from the cauldron, for which he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross  on 7 February 1944. At the outbreak from the pocket, he is the Commanding General of the XI. Armee Corps on 18 February 1944 fallen. On February 18, 1944, he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross . On February 20, 1944, he was named in the Wehrmacht report: “The shooting of the liberated divisions has been completed, and the troops of the Army and the Waffen SS , cut off since January 28, 1944, under the leadership of General Stemmermann and Generalleutnant Theo-Helmut Lieb in heroic defense, with the onslaught of far superior enemy forces, and then, in fierce fighting, broke open the encirclement of the enemy. ” Theo Lieb survived the war and died 20 March 1981 old age 91.

Stemmermann here with Oberst Alfons König   who was killed in action near Bobruisk on 8 July 1944, age 45, during the Soviet summer offensive, Operation Bagration..

On February 22, 1944, Stemmermann’s death  was reported in the Wehrmacht report: “General of the artillery Stemmermann, commander of the combat group, which was included in the Western Cherkassy and then broken out, fell riding in his car on the last day of the breakthrough unflinching attitude and the outbreak of the fighting group, and the army lost with him a particularly tried and tested troop leader.

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