Heinrich von Prittwitz und Gaffron (4 September 1889 – 10 April 1941) was a general officer in the '' Heer'' (Army) branch of 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 ...

'' of

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 ...

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 ...

. He was commander of the 14th and 15th Panzer Divisions and was killed in action in the early stages of the Siege of Tobruk.

Biography

Born in Sitzmannsdorf, Prittwitz joined the Imperial German Army in 1908 as a ''Fahnenjunker'' (officer cadet) and was commissioned into the 3rd ''

Uhlan Uhlans (; ; ; ; ) were a type of light cavalry, primarily armed with a lance. While first appearing in the cavalry of Lithuania and then Poland, Uhlans were quickly adopted by the mounted forces of other countries, including France, Russia, Pr ...

'' (Lancer) Regiment the following year and later on, served as a general staff officer for the Imperial German Army. He fought in

World War I 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 ...

and after the end of hostilities, was retained in the postwar ''

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshape ...

'' (Imperial Defence). By 1933, he was a major and despite his cavalry background, was developing an interest in a career in

armoured warfare Armoured warfare or armored warfare (mechanized forces, armoured forces or armored forces) (American English; see spelling differences), is the use of armored fighting vehicles in modern warfare. It is a major component of modern methods of ...

. Two years later, he was given command of the 2nd Panzer Regiment, 1st Panzer Division. He participated in the ''

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

'' of Austria and the occupation of Sudetenland. Now in the rank of ''oberst'' (

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

) in 1938, he was appointed as commander of the 2nd Panzer Brigade, which was part of the 2nd Panzer Division. On the outbreak of

, Prittwitz led the brigade in the

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

during which it was heavily engaged. He was promoted to '' generalmajor'' at the conclusion of the fighting in Poland. Along with the rest of the division, Prittwitz's brigade was then transferred to the west and attached to ''

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of ...

Heinz Guderian Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who, after the war, became a successful memoirist. An early pioneer and advocate of the "blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in th ...

's XIX Motorised Corps. When the Germans invaded France and the Low Countries, the brigade performed well at Sedan and then advanced to the coast and reached Dunkirk. It was later used in the final stages of the campaign in France, rounding up French soldiers along the Maginot Line. When the ''

Panzerwaffe ''Panzerwaffe'', later also ''Panzertruppe'' (German for " Armoured Force", "Armoured Arm" or "Tank Force". ''Waffe'': ombat"arm") refers to a command within the Heer of the German Wehrmacht, responsible for the affairs of panzer (tank) an ...

'' branch of the ''Heer'' (Army) expanded, Prittwitz was selected to lead the 14th Panzer Division on 1 October 1940. His new command was originally an infantry division which had only converted to armour two months previous. Based at

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

, Prittwitz supervised the training and development of the division and in March 1941, he was given command of the

15th Panzer Division The 15th Panzer Division (german: 15. Panzer-Division) was an armoured division in the German Army, the Wehrmacht, during World War II, established in 1940. The division, formed from the 33rd Infantry Division, fought exclusively in North Afr ...

which was preparing for the campaign in North Africa. The bulk of the 15th Panzer Division had yet to arrive in

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

but Prittwitz, accompanied by some light units of the division, arrived in the country in early April. He was immediately ordered by ''Generalleutnant'' Erwin Rommel, commander of the ''

Afrika Korps The Afrika Korps or German Africa Corps (, }; DAK) was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African Campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its African colonies, the ...

'', to take command of German forces operating near

Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...

, held by a garrison made up of Australian, British, Polish and Czechoslovak units. On 10 April, Prittwitz's group was ordered by Rommel to probe the south-east defences of Tobruk. As Prittwitz personally observed the front lines, his own vehicle came under fire from the Australian 2/28th Infantry Battalion, including so-called "bush artillery" – makeshift gun crews utilising captured Italian anti-tank guns.Rod Moran
"Local Rats won glory for Tobruk"
''The West Australian'', 20 April 2011 (accessed 15 April 2020). Prittwitz was killed in this exchange. Buried at the military cemetery at Derna, he was posthumously promoted to ''generalleutnant'' with effect from 1 April 1941.

Notes

Footnotes Citations

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Prittwitz und Gaffron, Heinrich von 1889 births 1941 deaths German Army personnel of World War I German Army personnel killed in World War II Reichswehr personnel Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) German Army generals of World War II