Arthur von Briesen (26 September 1891 – 15 May 1981) was a

Generalmajor is the Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and Royal Danish Air Force. As a two-star ...

in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Biography

Arthur von Briesen was born in

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...

, in Alsace-Lorraine, at the time part of the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

. He began his military career on 24 March 1909 as a cadet (Fähnrich) in the 52nd Artillery Regiment. Then, in 1913, he was commissioned as an acting lieutenant into the 18th Ulanen-Regiment. In August 1914, at the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Briesen was permanently transferred to the 18th Ulanen-Regiment, where he remained until 1916. Promoted to the substantive rank of Lieutenant in May 1916, Briesen was appointed aide-de-camp in different staffs, including in the High Command from 1917 to September 1919. During the war, he was awarded the prestigious

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia est ...

(first class). In September 1919, Briesen was transferred to the police, where he stayed until 1 October 1934, when he rejoined the regular army with the rank of Commander (Major). He was assigned to the Rostock Infantry Regiment until October 1935, then commanded the 3rd Battalion the 27th Infantry Regiment from October 1935 to November 1938, with the rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. Promoted to the rank of Colonel on 1 April 1938, Briesen was assigned to the Staff of the 27th Infantry Regiment, until May 1939. In 1939, following the completion of the

German occupation of Czechoslovakia German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

in March, Briesen was appointed to command the city of

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, where he remained for five years. He was rewarded with the

in 1939. On 1 October 1942, Briesen was promoted to the rank of ''

'' and in March 1944 was appointed commander of

Brody Brody ( uk, Броди; russian: Броды, Brodï; pl, Brody; german: Brody; yi, בראָד, Brod) is a city in Zolochiv Raion of Lviv Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is located in the valley of the upper Styr River, approximately ...

in the

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. In May 1944 he was assigned to the headquarters of the Wehrmacht in Italy, to be retrained. From July to November 1944, Briesen was assigned to the headquarters of the troops stationed in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

and

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The me ...

. He was taken prisoner on 8 May 1945, when German forces across Europe surrendered unconditionally, and was not released until some two years later. Arthur von Briesen died in 1981, near

Konstanz Konstanz (, , locally: ; also written as Constance in English) is a university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the south of Germany. The city houses the University of Konstanz and was th ...

Promotions

* Charakter als Fähnrich (24 March 1909); * Fähnrich (18 October 1909); * Leutnant (22 August 1910); * Oberleutnant (15 May 1916); * Charakter als Rittmeister (15 September 1919); * Polizei-Oberleutnant (15 September 1919); * Polizei-Hauptmann (1 August 1920); * Polizei-Major (1 December 1933); * Major (1 October 1934); * Oberstleutnant (1 December 1935); * Oberst (1 April 1938); * Generalmajor (1 October 1942)

Awards and decorations

* Knights Cross of the Royal

House Order of Hohenzollern The House Order of Hohenzollern (german: Hausorden von Hohenzollern or ') was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various ...

with Swords *

of 1914, 2nd and 1st Class *

of 1939, 2nd and 1st Class *

Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (german: Das Ehrenkreuz des Weltkrieges 1914/1918), commonly, but incorrectly, known as the Hindenburg Cross or the German WWI Service Cross was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, Presiden ...

War Merit Cross The War Merit Cross (german: Kriegsverdienstkreuz) was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A " de-Nazified" version of the War Merit ...

(1939) 1st and 2nd class with Swords *

Wehrmacht Long Service Award The Wehrmacht Long Service Award () was a military service decoration of Nazi Germany issued for satisfactory completion of a number of years in military service. History On 16 March, 1936, Adolf Hitler ordered the institution of a service awar ...

, 1st Class * Austrian War Remembrance Medal with swords * Hungarian World War Commemorative Medal with Swords

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Briesen, Arthur Von 1891 births 1961 deaths People from Alsace-Lorraine Military personnel from Metz Major generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) German Army personnel of World War I Prussian Army personnel German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States German untitled nobility