Karl Eibl
Karl Eibl | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 23 July 1891 |
| Died | 21 January 1943 (aged 51) Kravzoka, Soviet Union |
| Allegiance |  Austria-Hungary (to 1918) First Austrian Republic (to 1938) Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Army (Wehrmacht) |
| Service years | 1914–43 |
| Rank | General of the Infantry (posthumously) |
| Commands | 385th Infantry Division |
| Conflicts | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords |
Karl Eibl (23 July 1891 – 21 January 1943) was an Austrian general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. He also served in World War 1 as an officer in the Austrian Landwehrregiment 21.[1]
Eibl was killed north-west of Rossosch on 21 January 1943, during the chaotic retreat forced by the Russian offensive, Operation Little Saturn, when Italian soldiers mistook his command vehicle for a Soviet armored car and blew it up with hand grenades.[2] There is a memorial monument dedicated to him in the city park of Krems, Austria. However, the circumstances of EIbls death are still controversial. According to References sourced from "General Nasci's daily reports and bulletins of the Italian Alpinjaeger corps in Russia", Eibl was killed on the night of 21 January 1943 because he was blown by an unexploded bomb. The explosion wounded him in a foot and later on, he was transported to a casualty collection point in the village Krawzowka (or Kravzoka), northwest of Rossosh, where he underwent the amputation of his foot. He died afterward.[3]
Awards
- Infantry Assault Badge[4]
- Wound Badge (1939) in Black[4]
- Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (23 September 1939) & 1st Class (5 November 1939)[5]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
- Knight's Cross on 15 August 1940 as Oberstleutnant and commander of the III./Infanterie-Regiment 131[6]
- Oak Leaves on 31 December 1941 as Oberst and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 132[6]
- Swords on 19 December 1942 as Generalmajor and commander of 385. Infanterie-Division[6]
References
Citations
- ^ "Verordnungs-blatt des Königlich bayerischen Kriegsministeriums". 1916.
- ^ Mitcham 2007, p. 89.
- ^ Marco Sigg: Der Unterführer als Feldherr im Taschenformat. Theorie and Praxis der Auftragstaktik im deutschen Heer 1869 bis 1945. Ferdinand Schöningh, Paderborn 2014, ISBN 978-3-506-78086-7, S. 268
- ^ a b Berger 1999, p. 68.
- ^ Thomas 1997, p. 148.
- ^ a b c Scherzer 2007, p. 290.
Bibliography
- Berger, Florian (1999). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges [With Oak Leaves and Swords. The Highest Decorated Soldiers of the Second World War] (in German). Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-0-6.
- Mitcham, Samuel W. (2007). Rommel's Desert Commanders — The Men Who Served the Desert Fox, North Africa, 1941–42. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-3510-9.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
- Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.
