Georg Keppler ( German: Georg Keppler ; May 7, 1894 , Mainz , Rhineland-Palatinate - June 16, 1966 , Hamburg ) - SS Obergruppenführer and General of the SS Troops (April 20, 1944).
| Georg Keppler | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| him. Georg Keppler | |||||||
| Date of Birth | May 7, 1894 | ||||||
| Place of Birth | Mainz , Rhineland-Palatinate | ||||||
| Date of death | June 16, 1966 (72 years old) | ||||||
| Place of death | Hamburg | ||||||
| Affiliation |  German Empire Weimar Republic Third Reich | ||||||
| Type of army |  SS troops | ||||||
| Years of service | 1913 - 1945 | ||||||
| Rank | Obergruppenfuhrer SS SS General | ||||||
| Commanded | 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich" 1st SS Panzer Corps 3rd SS Panzer Corps 18th SS Corps | ||||||
| Battles / wars | World War I The Second World War | ||||||
| Awards and prizes |
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Biography
Georg Keppler was born May 7, 1894 in Mainz in the family of a staff officer Otto Keppler. On February 28, 1913 he was enlisted in the army of the German Empire as a fan-cadet , and after graduating from a military school in Glogau on June 19, 1914 he was promoted to lieutenant. Then for military service he was sent to the Lithuanian Dragoon Regiment No. 1 of Prince Albrecht of Prussia.
With the outbreak of World War I, he went to the front with his regiment. In August 1914 he was seriously shell-shocked. After recovery, he was sent for further service to the 19th Reserve Division. During the battles in France, he commanded an infantry platoon. Towards the end of World War I, rising to the rank of lieutenant , he had Iron Crosses of the 2nd and 1st classes. After demobilization, transferred to the infantry regiment in Posen . He joined the volunteer corps and in 1919 fought with the Poles in Silesia.
On January 31, 1920, he was hired by the Security Police in Hanover . June 21, 1920 received the next rank of captain. In 1924 he became commander of a police company. July 1, 1926 he was transferred to the land police ( German: Landespolizei ) of the small Thuringian city of Hildburghausen , and in 1928 he was appointed adviser to the administration of the land police of Thuringia . Since 1929 he became the commander of the Jen land police unit. On October 1, 1930, Keppler joined the NSDAP (ticket number 338211) and takes part in the activities of local SA units. July 1, 1931 promoted to the rank of police major.
After the Nazis came to power, he quickly moved up the career ladder and by October 1933 became commander of the land police regiment in Munich . May 24, 1935 left the police service and a few days later was enlisted in the 32nd Wehrmacht Infantry Regiment. On October 10, 1935, he left the army, entered the SS reinforcement unit (ticket No. 273799) with the rank of Sturmbannführer and was appointed commander of the 1st Sturmbann of the 1st SS Standard, Deutschland. He took part in the Anschluss of Austria (1938), in a campaign against the Sudetenland (1938), in Polish and French companies. For courage shown in Holland, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. From July 15 to September 21, 1941 he replaced Teodor Eike as commander of the 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf . From April 19, 1942 to February 10, 1943 he was the commander of the 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich . " From August 16 to October 4, 1944 - the commander of the 1st SS Panzer Corps , from October 30 - the 3rd SS Panzer Corps, and from February 4 - the commander of the 18th SS Army Corps . Together with the remains of the corps on May 22, 1945, he surrendered to American troops. He died of the consequences of a wound received during the war on June 16, 1966 .
Rewards
- Sign for the wound (1918) (in silver)
- Honorary Cross of a War Veteran
- Chevron of the old fighter
- Medal "In memory of March 13, 1938" Anschluss Medal.
- Medal "In memory of October 1, 1938" with a bronze buckle with a relief image of Prague Castle.
- Knight's Cross (August 14, 1940)
- Iron Cross , 1st grade (1914)
- Buckle to the Iron Cross 1st class (May 13, 1940)
- Iron Cross , 2nd Class (1914)
- Buckle to the Iron Cross of the 2nd class (May 13, 1940)
- Ring "Dead Head"
- Reichsfuhrer SS Honor Saber
Literature
- Zalessky K.A. Guard units of Nazism. Complete Encyclopedia of the SS. - M .: Veche, 2009 .-- S. 784. - ISBN 978-5-9533-3471-6 .
- Zalessky K. A. Commanders of the elite units of the SS. - M .: Astrel, 2007 .-- S. 290. - ISBN ISBN 5-271-14517-4 .