Hans Kreysing

Hans Kreysing
Born(1890-08-17)17 August 1890
Göttingen, German Empire
Died14 April 1969(1969-04-14) (aged 78)
Oldenburg, West Germany
Military career
AllegianceGerman Empire
Weimar Republic
Nazi Germany
Branch
Imperial German Army
Reichswehr
German Army
Service years
1909–1945
Rank
General der Gebirgstruppe
Commands3rd Mountain Division
XVIII Army Corps
8th Army
Conflicts
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Other workRed Cross

Hans Kreysing (17 August 1890 – 14 April 1969) was a German general who commanded the 3rd Mountain Division and the 8th Army in World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.

Life and career

Hans Kreysing was born in Göttingen in the Prussian Province of Hanover on 17 August 1890. He entered the Royal Prussian Army in October 1909, later joining the 10th Jäger battalion. He fought in World War I and served as the commander of a machine gun company in the 10th Reserve Jäger battalion. At the end of the war, he was an Oberleutnant. He remained in the post-war Reichswehr as a career officer. He became a battalion and regimental commander between 1934 and 1940.

At the outbreak of World War II, he was in command of the 16th Infantry Regiment. From October 1940 to August 1943 he commanded the 3rd Mountain Division, serving in Norway, Lapland and the eastern front. Continuing on the eastern front, Kreysing led the XVII Army Corps from November 1943 to April 1944, when he took command of the 8th Army, which surrendered to Allied troops in Austria in May 1945. Kreysing ended the war with the rank of General of Mountain Troops (German: General der Gebirgstruppe).

Awards

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 Webb 2024, p. 200.
  2. 1 2 Lucas 1980, p. 214.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Reichswehrministerium (Ed.): Rangliste des Deutschen Reichsheeres. E.S. Mittler & Sohn, Berlin: 1930, p. 130.
  4. 1 2 3 Scherzer 2007, p. 475.

Bibliography

  • Lucas, James (1980). Alpine Elite: German Mountain Troops of World War II. Jane's Publishing. ISBN 0531037134.
  • 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.
  • Webb, James Jack (2024). Generals and Admirals of the Third Reich: For Country or Fuehrer. Vol. 2: H–O. Havertown, PA: Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1-952-71517-4.