__NOTOC__ Mauritz von Wiktorin (13 August 1883 – 16 August 1956) 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 ...

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 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' ...

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 ...

. Wiktorin was discharged from the army on 30 November 1944 after the 20 July Plot.

Military career

Wiktorin served as an officer in 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 the

First World War 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 ...

. After the war, he transferred to the postwar Austrian army and served as a commander and general staff officer in various units. During his service in the Austrian General Staff, he was arrested and dismissed from the army in 1935 for unauthorized contacts with German authorities. Wiktorin was enthusiastic about the

annexation of Austria 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 ...

. After the annexation, he was recalled into service and promoted to lieutenant-general of the army. In July 1938, he took command of the 20th Infantry Division. Wiktorin commanded the 20th 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 ...

and attended the

German–Soviet military parade in Brest-Litovsk The German–Soviet military parade in Brest-Litovsk (german: Deutsch-sowjetische Siegesparade in Brest-Litowsk, russian: Парад вермахта перед частями РККА в Бресте) was an official ceremony held by the troops ...

with

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 t ...

. In May 1940, the 20th Infantry Division took part in the

invasion of France France has been invaded on numerous occasions, by foreign powers or rival French governments; there have also been unimplemented invasion plans. * the 1746 War of the Austrian Succession, Austria-Italian forces supported by the British navy attemp ...

. On 28 November 1940 Wiktorin took over as Commanding General of the XXVIII. Army Corps. He commanded the Corps in

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...

, the invasion of the Soviet Union. As part of

Army Group North Army Group North (german: Heeresgruppe Nord) was a German strategic formation, commanding a grouping of field armies during World War II. The German Army Group was subordinated to the ''Oberkommando des Heeres'' (OKH), the German army high comman ...

Wiktorin's corps advanced through the Baltic states and was part of the forces that besieged Leningrad. In April 1942 before the main German summer offensive that year, he was replaced and transferred to the

Führerreserve The (“Leaders Reserve” or "Reserve for Leaders") was set up in the German Armed Forces during World War II in 1939 as a pool of temporarily unoccupied high-ranking military officers awaiting new assignments. The various military branches an ...

. From May 1942 he was head of the military district XIII based in

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

, but was replaced by Karl Weisenberger in November 1944 after the assassination attempt on Hitler in the summer of 1944. Wiktorin died on 16 August 1956 in Nuremberg.

Awards and decorations

on 15 August 1940 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 O ...

'' and commander of 20. Infanterie-Division (mot.)Fellgiebel 2000, p. 362. *

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 ...

, 1st Class (1939) * 1939 Clasp to the Iron Cross 2nd Class * 1914 Iron Cross 2nd Class (World War I award) *

Wehrmacht Long Service Award The Wehrmacht Long Service Award () was a military service decoration of Nazi Germany issued for satisfactory completion of a number of years in military service. History On 16 March, 1936, Adolf Hitler ordered the institution of a service awar ...

1st Class

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wiktorin, Mauritz 1883 births 1956 deaths Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Generals of Infantry (Wehrmacht) Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 2nd class Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Austrian military personnel of World War II People from Hainburg an der Donau Austro-Hungarian Army officers