Heinz-Georg Lemm (1 June 1919 – 17 November 1994) was a German

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 ...

(colonel) of the Wehrmacht and general 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 ...

who served as Chief of the Army Office.

Career

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 ...

, Lemm served 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 ...

and was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. He was promoted to Major 1943, Oberstleutnant 1944 and Oberst 1945. Lemm joined the Bundeswehr in 1957 and commanded the 7th Panzergrenadier-Brigade of the 3rd Panzer-Division in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

until 1963, when he was promoted to

Brigadegeneral Brigadier general ( da, Brigadegeneral; german: Brigadegeneral) is the Germanic variant of Brigadier general. Belgium The rank of ( nl-BE, Brigadegeneraal; french: Général de Brigade) is used by the Belgian Land Component, Air Component and ...

. In 1970 he was promoted to Generalmajor and commanded the 5th Panzer-Division in Diez. Promoted further in 1974, he was named Chief of the Troop Office of the Bundeswehr, with the rank of

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 ...

. He was awarded the Great Cross of Merit with Star and the Legion of Merit; he retired in 1979. After this he became honorary president (''Ehrenpräsident'') of the

Association of Knight's Cross Recipients 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' ...

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 es ...

(1939) 2nd Class (6 October 1939) & 1st Class (31 December 1940)Thomas 1998, p. 22. *

Wound Badge The Wound Badge (german: Verwundetenabzeichen) was a German military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was first awarded to soldiers of the German Army who were wounded during World War I. Between ...

in SilverBerger 1999, p. 181. *

Demyansk Shield Demyansk Shield (german: Ärmelschild Demjansk) was a World War II German military decoration awarded to Wehrmacht personnel who fought in the Demyansk pocket on the Eastern Front in the early months of 1942. The pocket of German troops had be ...

Infantry Assault Badge The Infantry Assault Badge () was a German military decoration awarded to Waffen-SS and ''Wehrmacht Heer'' soldiers during the Second World War. This decoration was instituted on 20 December 1939 by the Commander-in-Chief (''Oberbefehlshaber'') ...

in Silver * Eastern Medal *

Close Combat Clasp The Close Combat Clasp (german: Nahkampfspange) was a World War II German military award instituted on 25 November 1942 for participation in hand-to-hand fighting at close quarters. Intended primarily for infantry, other Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, gro ...

in Bronze and Silver * Tank Destruction Badge for Individual Combatants *

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 19 December 1941 as '' Oberleutnant'' in the 2./Infanterie-Regiment 27Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 275. *

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords 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 ...

**Knight's Cross on 14 April 1943 as ''

Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literally ...

'' and commander of I./Füsilier-Regiment 27Scherzer 2007, p. 501. **Oak Leaves on 11 July 1944 as '' Major'' and commander of I./Füsilier-Regiment 27 **Swords on 15 March 1945 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 Füsilier-Regiment 27 * Great Cross of Merit with StarBerger 1999, p. 183. * Legion of Merit

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lemm, Heinz-Georg 1919 births 1994 deaths Bundeswehr generals People from Schwerin Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit People from the Free State of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Lieutenant generals of the German Army Military personnel from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania