__NOTOC__ Hanns Laengenfelder (8 February 1903 – 18 July 1982) was a German general ( Generalmajor) 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 previo ...

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 opposing ...

who commanded the 15th Infantry Division. 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 ...

. Laengenfelder surrendered to the Soviet forces in May 1945 and was held in the Soviet Union as a war criminal until 1955.

Awards and decorations

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 es ...

(1939) 2nd Class (17 September 1939) & 1st Class (1 November 1939)Thomas 1998, p. 2. *

** Knight's Cross on 21 October 1943 as ''

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

'' and commander of Grenadier-Regiment 106 ** Nominated for Oak Leaves in 1945Fellgiebel 2000, p. 85.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Laengenfelder, Hanns 1903 births 1982 deaths Military personnel from Nuremberg Military personnel from the Kingdom of Bavaria Major generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union