Richard John (general)

Dipl.-Ing. Richard John
Dipl.-Ing. Richard John
Born	21 June 1896; Wilhelmshaven
Died	19 February 1965 (aged 68); Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918); Weimar Republic (to 1933); Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1914–1945
Rank	Generalleutnant
Commands held	292. Infanterie-Division
Battles/wars	World War I; World War II Battle of Belgium; Battle of France; Battle of the Caucasus; Battle of Kursk; Operation Bagration;
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Dipl.-Ing. Richard John^{[Notes 1]} (21 June 1896 – 19 February 1965) was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several divisions. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Richard John was captured by Allied troops in May 1945 and was released in June 1947.

Awards and decorations

Iron Cross (1914)
- 2nd Class
- 1st Class
Wound Badge (1914)
- in Black
Cross of Honor
Iron Cross (1939)
- 2nd Class
- 1st Class
German Cross in Gold (26 May 1943)
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 20 December 1943 as Generalmajor and commander of 292. Infanterie-Division ^[1]
Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 11 December 1943

References in the Wehrmachtbericht

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
11 December 1943	[Die im mittleren Frontabschnitt eingesetzte pommerisch-mecklenburgische 292. Infanteriedivision unter Generalmajor John und die schlesische 5. Panzerdivision unter Generalmajor Decker haben hervorragenden Anteil an den in den letzten Wochen im mittleren Frontabschnitt erzielten Abwehrerfolgen.] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)^[2]	The Mecklenburg-Pomeranian 292nd Infantry Division under Major General John and the Silesian 5th Panzerdivision under Major General Decker deployed in the middle front sector of have played a prominent part in the defensive successes achieved on the middle sector of the front during the last few weeks.

Notes

^ In German an engineer's degree is called Diplom-Ingenieur (abbreviated Dipl.-Ing.)

References

Citations

^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 202.
^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, p. 625.

Bibliography

Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 (in German). Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
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 (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, 1. Januar 1942 bis 31. Dezember 1943 (in German). München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3.

External links

Military offices
Preceded by Generalleutnant Wolfgang von Kluge	Commander of 292. Infanterie-Division 20 July 1943 – 30 June 1944	Succeeded by Generalmajor Johannes Gittner

Template:Persondata

[1] In German an engineer's degree is called Diplom-Ingenieur (abbreviated Dipl.-Ing.)

[2] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 202.

[3] Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, p. 625.

[Notes 1]

[1]

[2]