__NOTOC__ Günther Pape (14 July 1907 – 21 January 1986) was a German general 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 ...

. He was a recipient of the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight' ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. Following World War II, Pape served in the

Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

. The force underwent a series of internal discussion and controversies which led to the "''Generalkrise''" (Crisis of the generals) in August 1966. Among other issues, the discussion was centered about the inner leadership of the Bundeswehr and the hierarchy of command between the

Federal Ministry of Defence The Federal Ministry of Defence (german: Bundesministerium der Verteidigung, ), abbreviated BMVg, is a top-level federal agency, headed by the Federal Minister of Defence as a member of the Cabinet of Germany. The ministry is headquartered at ...

and the armed forces. The Inspector of the Luftwaffe General

Werner Panitzki Generalleutnant Werner Panitzki (27 May 1911, in Kiel – 2 June 2000) was a German Air Force general. He was Inspector of the Air Force, the senior air force appointment, from 1962 to 1966. On 25 August 1966, the Federal Minister of Defence, ...

and Minister of Defence

Kai-Uwe von Hassel Kai-Uwe von Hassel (21 April 1913 – 8 May 1997) was a German politician from Schleswig-Holstein associated with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He served as Minister President of Schleswig-Holstein from 1954 to 1963, as Federal Minister ...

resigned on 12 August 1966.

Inspector General of the Bundeswehr Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

General

Heinrich Trettner Heinrich "Heinz" Trettner (19 September 1907 – 18 September 2006) was a German general who served in the Spanish Civil War, and during World War II and the Cold War. From 1964 to 1966 he served as Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, the he ...

resigned the next day followed shortly by Pape, who resigned out of loyalty to his commanding officers.

Awards

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 ...

(1939) 2nd Class (20 September 1939) & 1st Class (21 May 1940)Thomas 1998, p. 142. *

German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (german: Der Kriegsorden Deutsches Kreuz), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repe ...

in Gold on 23 January 1942 as ''

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

'' in Krad-Schützen-Bataillon 3Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 343. *

** Knight's Cross on 10 February 1942 as ''Major'' and commander of Krad-Schützen-Bataillon 3Scherzer 2007, p. 583. ** Oak leaves on 15 September 1943 as ''

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish ...

'' and commander of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 394

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Abenheim, Donald (1989). ''Bundeswehr und Tradition: die Suche nach dem gültigen Erbe des deutschen Soldaten — Band 27 von Beiträge zur Militär- und Kriegsgeschichte — Band 27 von Beiträge zur Militärgeschichte''. Verlag Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag. . * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pape, Gunther 1907 births 1986 deaths Major generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Major generals of the German Army Military personnel from Düsseldorf