Philipp Kleffel (9 December 1887 – 10 October 1964) was a German general during World War II who commanded several corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.
For 10 days, Kleffel served as the last commander of the short-lived 25th Army in the Netherlands, until it was converted on 7 April 1945 to the Netherlands High Command (Oberbefehlshaber Niederlande), under Generaloberst Johannes Blaskowitz. Kleffell was part of the general staff when Blaskowitz surrendered OB Niederlande to I Canadian Corps' Lieutenant-General Charles Foulkes at Wageningen on 6 May 1945, effectively ending the war in the Netherlands.[1]
Awards and decorations
- Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
- Frederick August Cross (Oldenburg), 2nd and 1st Class
- Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords on 20 December 1934
- Wehrmacht Long Service Award, 4th to 1st Class for 25 years
- 1st Class on 2 October 1936
- Repetition Clasp 1939 to the Iron Cross 1914, 2nd and 1st Class
- 2nd Class on 28 May 1940
- 1st Class on 24 June 1940
- Eastern Front Medal on 25 July 1942
- Order of the Cross of Liberty, 1st Class with Oak Leaves and Swords on 29 March 1943
- German Cross in Gold on 10 May 1943
- Spanisch Cruz de Guerra (War Cross) on 18 July 1943
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 16 February 1942 as Generalleutnant and commander of 1. Infanterie-Division[2]
References
Citations
- ^ Axis history
- ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 209.
Bibliography
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.