__NOTOC__ Joseph von Radowitz (29 July 1899 – 31 May 1956) 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 opposing ...

who may have been 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' ...

. Radowitz joined 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 ...

in 1950s.

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 ...

(1914) 2nd Class (1917)Thomas 1998, p. 177. *

Clasp to the Iron Cross The Clasp to the Iron Cross (Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz) was a white metal medal clasp displayed on the uniforms of German Wehrmacht personnel who had been awarded the Iron Cross in World War I, and who again qualified for the decoration in World W ...

(1939) 2nd Class (6 October 1939) & 1st Class (26 June 1940) *

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 29 February 1944 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 ...

'' in Panzergrenadier-Regiment 28 *

** Knight's Cross on 17 September 1944 as ''Oberst'' and leader of the 23. Panzer-Division ** (882nd) Oak Leaves on 9 May 1945 as ''

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 ...

'' and commander of 23. Panzer-Division Radowitz's nomination for the Oak Leaves was received by the ''

Heerespersonalamt __NOTOC__The Army Personnel Office (''Heeres Personal Amt'', ''Heerespersonalamt'' or ''Heeres Personalamt'') was a German military agency formed in 1920 and charged with the personnel matters of all officers and cadets of the army of the Reichswehr ...

'' (HPA—Army Staff Office) from the troop on 30 April 1945 and approved by all intermittent commanding officers. Major

Joachim Domaschk The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of the Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was aw ...

ruled that the nomination was insufficient and disapproved on 1 May and recommended "Decision by Chief of OKW". The file contains no indication whether this decision was ever taken. A

teleprinter A teleprinter (teletypewriter, teletype or TTY) is an electromechanical device that can be used to send and receive typed messages through various communications channels, in both point-to-point and point-to-multipoint configurations. Init ...

message was sent on 2 May to the nominating unit, the cavalry corps, and further messages to the commanding officers of the Panzer AOK 2 and Heeresgruppe Süd: "...was disapproved because ... the Führer criteria for the presentation guidelines have not been met. I.A. signed Maisel" The sequential number "882" was assigned by 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' ...

(AKCR), the presentation date by Fellgiebel.Scherzer 2007, p. 164.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Radowitz, Joseph von 1899 births 1956 deaths Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) German Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 2nd class Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Military personnel from Frankfurt People from Hesse-Nassau Major generals of the German Army German Army generals of World War II