Lemelzen, Joachim

World War I

A native of Berlin. He entered the military service on July 1, 1907 as a fan-junker of artillery in the 40th Altmark Field Artillery Regiment , from November 19, 1908 - lieutenant, in staff positions. Member of the First World War, began serving on the Western Front as an adjutant of the 2nd battalion of his regiment, on December 24, 1914 he was promoted to Oberleutant, from August 1916 - captain. During the war he was awarded the Iron Crosses of both degrees , the Hanseatic Order and the Knight's Cross of the Hohenzollern House with swords.

Between Wars

In the interwar years, Lemelsen continued to serve in the Reichswehr , and then in the Wehrmacht . From April 1934 - colonel of the regiment of light artillery, from 1935 he was a teacher of infantry artillery, from April 1937 - major general. Since March 1938, he commanded the 29th Infantry Division with the rank of lieutenant general ^[1] .

World War II

In September – October 1939, Lemelsen participated in the Polish campaign and was awarded buckles to the Iron Crosses of both degrees. September 8, 1939 his division shot About 300 Polish prisoners of war in Cepelow. May 28, 1940 he led the 5th Panzer Division , with which he participated in the French campaign, including in the battles for Dunkirk. In August 1940 he was promoted to general of artillery , from November 25, 1940 - commander of the 47th motorized corps (it included the 17th and 18th Panzer Divisions, as well as the 29th Infantry Division), which was transferred in May-June 1941 to the border of Germany with the USSR ^[2] .

After the outbreak of the war against the USSR on June 22, 1941, General Lemelzen led the 47th Motorized Corps in the battles for Smolensk and Kiev . July 4, he became a general of tank troops , July 27 was awarded the Knight's Cross. At the same time, he witnessed the massacres of Soviet prisoners of war, allegedly committed in accordance with the order of the commissars and the use of military jurisdiction on the Eastern Front , which disgusted him. In a report to the OKH, he demanded an end to the reprisals against prisoners of war, citing the fact that this would embitter the Soviet soldiers and the civilian population and lead to even greater losses among German soldiers ^[3] :

Contrary to my orders [...] there are constant repeated shootings of prisoners of war, defectors and deserters, which are carried out in an irresponsible, senseless and criminal manner. This is a murder! [...] The order of the Führer means a merciless struggle against Bolshevism (political commissars) and all partisans! Impeccable and behaving properly people should carry out executions only according to the orders of the officer about the execution. [...] However, a Russian soldier who met on the battlefield and fought well is not a partisan, but to those who deserve the right to honor, good treatment and care in case of injury. [...] It is precisely because of the lies about the shooting of prisoners of war that the enemy constantly keeps his soldiers close [...] Both strict measures - the fight against partisans and armed civilians, as well as the prescribed good treatment of prisoners and deserters will save the German army from bloodshed ^{[4] [5]} .

Original text (German)

Trotz meiner Verfügung [...] werden immer wieder Erschießungen von Gefangenen, Überläufern und Deserteuren festgestellt, die in unverantwortlicher, sinnloser und verbrecherischer Weise stattfinden. Das ist Mord! [...] Der Erlaß des Führers befiehlt ein rücksichtsloses Vorgehen gegen den Bolschewismus (politische Kommissare) und jedes Freischärlertum! Einwandfrei als hierzu gehörig festgestellte Leute sind abseits zu führen und ausschließlich auf Befehl eines Offiziers zu erschießen. [...] Der russische Soldat aber, der auf dem Schlachtfeld angetroffen wird und tapfer gekämpft hat, ist kein Freischärler, sondern hat Anspruch auf ehrenvolle, gute Behandlung und Versorgung als Verwundeter [...] Gerade mit der Lügeenf Ers aber hält der Gegner seine Soldaten bei der Truppe [...] Sowohl die scharfen Maßnahmen gegen Freischärler und kämpfende Zivilisten wie die befohlene gute Behandlung von Gefangenen und Deserteuren würden dem deututhen Heereiel.

Lemelsen distinguished a clear line between the treatment of commissars and partisans on the one hand and the captured Red Army on the other hand, which the historian Omer Bartov acknowledged not only with a pragmatic look, but also evidence that Lemelsen no longer welcomed the mixture of ideology and ruthlessness characteristic of Nazism ^{[ 3]} . The commanders subordinate to him acted differently: if Lieutenant General Hans Jürgen von Arnim from the 17th Panzer Division did not execute the “order of commissars” ^[6] , then Walter Nering from the 18th Panzer Division, already ready for war, dealt equally cruelly with the commissars and wounded prisoners of war ^[7] .

On June 21, 1942, the 47th motorized corps was transformed into a tank. In July 1942, Lemelsen was awarded the German Cross in gold. While the motorized units fought as part of Army Group South , the remaining infantry corps fought against the partisans: for example, in the summer the punitive operation Song of the Bird was carried out against partisans in the Bryansk Region. For 4 weeks, 1,582 partisans were killed in battles against the 47th Panzer Corps, 519 were captured; another 3249 people were arrested, and 12,531 were driven out of their homes. The Germans lost 58 people killed and 130 wounded. Learning about the results of the operation, Colonel General Rudolf Schmidt , who commanded the 2nd Panzer Army, felt the need to take measures to strengthen the counter-guerrilla war, but at the same time trying to follow Lemelsen’s “instructions” a year earlier:

The war against partisans requires ruthless firmness where it is needed. However, I expect the troops to understand the difference between the partisans and the citizens who live in the area of ​​the partisans who may be subjected to terror. [...] Even in a guerrilla war, we remain soldiers and do not fight against women and children ^[8] .

Original text (German)

Der Kampf gegen die Partisanen erfordert schonungslose Härte da, wo sie am Platze ist. Ich erwarte aber, dass die Truppe es versteht, Unterschiede zwischen den Partisanen und der im Partisanengebiet teilweise unter starkem Terror lebenden Bevölkerung zu machen. [...] Auch im Partisanenkrieg bleiben wir Soldaten und führen nicht den Kampf gegen Frauen und Kinder.

However, in May – June 1943, Lemelzen carried out another major operation, code-named “Gypsy Baron”. 1584 partisans were killed, 1568 people were captured, 15812 civilians were expelled from their own homes ^[9] . In the summer he participated in battles on the Kursk Bulge, in September he was awarded Oak Leaves (No. 294) to the Knight's Cross. For some time he was the acting commander of the 10th Army in Italy (for 2 months, until December 1943). At the beginning of 1944 he was sent to the reserve, in May of that year he led the 1st German army in France on the Atlantic coast. On June 7, 1944, Lemelzen was transferred to Italy to take command of the 14th Army instead of Eberhard von Mackensen , who was replaced by Field Marshal Albert Kesselring ^[10] . Lemelsen commanded the 14th Army until October, until he was appointed commander of the 10th Army. In February 1945, he again led the 14th Army, until he was captured by the British on May 6 .

After the war

After the war, Joachim Lemelsen was a witness at the trial of Albert Kesselring, which was organized by British troops in Venice: Kesselring was accused of many crimes against civilians. On April 10, 1948, Lemelsen was released.

• Iron Cross (1914) 2nd class (September 21, 1914) ^{[11] [12]} ( Kingdom of Prussia )
• Iron Cross (1914) 1st class (December 5, 1916) ^{[11] [12]}
• The Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg (April 14, 1917) ^[12]
• Royal Order of the Hohenzollern House Knight's Cross with Swords (October 30, 1918) ^[12] ( Kingdom of Prussia )
• Honorary Cross of the First World War 1914/1918 with swords (1934)
• Medal “In memory of October 1, 1938” with the Prague Castle buckle
• Buckle to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd class (September 21, 1939) ^[11]
• Buckle to the Iron Cross (1939) 1st class (September 30, 1939) ^[11]
• Breastplate “Injured” in black (June 14, 1942)
• German cross in gold (July 15, 1942, general of the tank forces) ^[13]
• Medal "For the Winter Campaign in the East 1941/42"
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • knight's cross (July 27, 1941, to the general of the tank forces) ^[14]
  • oak leaves (No. 294, September 7, 1943, to the general of the tank troops) ^[14]

In English

• Max Hastings. Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945. - New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2011 .-- ISBN 978-0-307-27359-8 .
• Samuel W. Mitcham, Jr. Panzer Legions: A Guide to the German Army Tank Divisions of WWII and Their Commanders. - Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2007 .-- ISBN 978-0-8117-3353-3 .

In German

• Der Prozeß gegen die Hauptkriegsverbrecher vor dem Internationalen Gerichtshof Nürnberg. - Nürnberg, 1947. - T. Bd. 7.
• General Simon - Lebensgeschichte eines SS-Führers. - Augsburg: Wißner-Verlag, 2010 .-- ISBN 978-3-89639-743-0 .
• Rangliste des Deutschen Reichsheeres. - Berlin: Reichswehrministerium , Mittler & Sohn Verlag , 1924.
• Omer Bartov. Hitlers Wehrmacht - Soldaten, Fanatismus und die Brutalisierung des Krieges. - Reinbek bei Hamburg, 1995.
• Walther-Peer Fellgiebel. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 - Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile. - Friedberg: Podzun-Pallas, 2000 .-- ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6 .
• Jürgen Förster. Bd. 4. Die Sicherung des “Lebensraumes” // Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg. - Stuttgart, 1984.
• Johannes Hürter. Hitlers Heerführer - Die deutschen Oberbefehlshaber im Krieg gegen die Sowjetunion 1941/42. - München, 2007.
• Klaus D. Patzwall, Veit Scherzer. Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II. - Norderstedt: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, 2001 .-- ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8 .
• Veit Scherzer. 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 Bunarchives. - Jena: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, 2007 .-- ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2 .
• Christian Streit. Keine Kameraden - Die Wehrmacht und die sowjetischen Kriegsgefangenen 1941–1945. - Stuttgart, 1978.
• Georg Tessin. Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939–1945. Bd. 5. - Bissendorf, 1977.
• Franz Thomas Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L – Z. - Osnabrück, 1998 .-- ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9 .