__NOTOC__ Karl Eglseer (5 July 1890 – 23 June 1944) was a general 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 previous ...

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 ...

who commanded the XVIII Corps. He was a recipient of the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 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' ...

. Eglseer was killed in an air crash in Austria on 23 June 1944.

Life and career

Karl Eglseer was born in

Bad Ischl Bad Ischl (Austrian German ) is a spa town in Austria. It lies in the southern part of Upper Austria, at the Traun River in the centre of the Salzkammergut region. The town consists of the Katastralgemeinden ''Ahorn'', ''Bad Ischl'', ''Haiden' ...

Upper Austria Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, a ...

on 5 July 1890. He entered the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...

in August 1908 as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

, serving in World War I. Remaining in the Austrian Bundesheer after 1918, he transferred to the

after 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 ...

with Germany in 1938. In October 1940 he was promoted to command the 4th Mountain Division, serving in

Army Group South Army Group South (german: Heeresgruppe Süd) was the name of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland Army Group Sou ...

on the Eastern Front. In October 1941 he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his leadership of the division. Eglseer then led the 714th Infantry Division in Yugoslavia from February 1943 to December 1943, when he became commander of the XVIII Army Corps on the Northern sector of the Eastern Front. On 23 June 1944 the aircraft carrying Eglseer, as well as Generals Dietl, von Wickede and Rossi, crashed in the

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

region of Austria. There were no survivors. At the time of his death Eglseer held the rank of General of Mountain Troops.

Awards

;Austro-Hungarian Empire *

Karl Troop Cross The Karl Troop Cross (german: Karl-Truppenkreuz) was instituted on 13 December 1916 by Emperor Karl I of Austria-Hungary. The cross was awarded for service up to the end of the First World War to soldiers and sailors of all arms of the Austro-Hunga ...

* Military Merit Cross, 3rd class with war decoration and swords ;Nazi Germany *

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 and 1st Class *

on 23 October 1941 as ''

Generalmajor is the Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and Royal Danish Air Force. As a two-star ...

'' and commander of 4. Gebirgs-Division

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eglseer, Karl 1890 births 1944 deaths People from Bad Ischl Generals of Mountain Troops Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Gebirgsjäger of World War II Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Austria Austro-Hungarian prisoners of war World War I prisoners of war held by Russia Austro-Hungarian Army officers