__NOTOC__ Karl Eibl (23 July 1891 – 21 January 1943) was an Austrian 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 ...

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 opposin ...

. He was a recipient of the

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' ...

. He also served in World War 1 as an officer in the Austrian Landwehrregiment 21. Eibl was killed north-west of

Stalingrad Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stal ...

on 21 January 1943, during the chaotic retreat forced by the Russian offensive,

Operation Little Saturn Operation Little Saturn was a Red Army offensive on the Eastern Front of World War II that led to battles in Don and Chir rivers region in German-occupied Soviet Union territory in 16–30 December 1942. The success of Operation Uranus, launch ...

, when Italian soldiers mistook his command vehicle for a Soviet armored car and blew it up with hand grenades.Mitcham 2007, p. 89. There is a memorial monument dedicated to him in the city park of Krems, Austria. However, the causes on the death of EIbl are still controversary. According to References sourced from " General Nasci's daily reports and bulletins of the Italian Alpinjaeger corps in Russia", the General Eibl was killed on the night of 21 January 1943 because he was blown up on an unexploded bomb. The explosion wounded him in a foot and later on, he was transported to Krawzowka, where he underwent the amputation of his foot; he died.

Awards

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'') ...

Berger 1999, p. 68. *

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 th ...

(1939) in Black *

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 Class (23 September 1939) & 1st Class (5 November 1939)Thomas 1997, p. 148. *

** Knight's Cross on 15 August 1940 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 Swedis ...

'' and commander of the III./Infanterie-Regiment 131Scherzer 2007, p. 290. ** Oak Leaves on 31 December 1941 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 ...

'' and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 132 ** Swords on 19 December 1942 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 385. Infanterie-Division

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * Mitcham, Samuel W. (2007). ''Rommel's Desert Commanders — The Men Who Served the Desert Fox, North Africa, 1941–42''. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. . * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eibl, Karl 1891 births 1943 deaths German Army generals of World War II Generals of Infantry (Wehrmacht) Austrian military personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords People from Gmunden District Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Austrian military personnel Austro-Hungarian Army officers Military personnel killed by friendly fire Deaths by hand grenade Accidental deaths in the Soviet Union Accidental deaths in Russia Theresian Military Academy alumni Friendly fire incidents of World War II