__NOTOC__ Walter Wessel (21 April 1892 – 20 July 1943) 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 previo ...

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 opposing ...

who commanded the 12th Panzer Division. He was 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' ...

. Wessel was responsible for the

Ciepielów massacre The Ciepielów massacre that took place on 8 September 1939 was one of the largest and best documented war crimes of the ''Wehrmacht'' during its invasion of Poland. On that day, the forest near Ciepielów was the site of a mass murder of P ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. He was killed in an auto accident on 20 July 1943 near Morano, Italy.

Awards and decorations

** Knight's Cross on 15 August 1940 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 15 (mot.) ** 76th Oak Leaves on 17 February 1942 as ''Oberst'' and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 15 (mot.)Fellgiebel 2000, p. 53.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wessel, Walter 1892 births 1943 deaths German Army personnel of World War I German Army generals of World War II German Army personnel killed in World War II German mass murderers Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) Military personnel from Lower Saxony People from Goslar (district) Military personnel from the Province of Hanover Perpetrators of World War II prisoner of war massacres Prussian Army personnel Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Reichswehr personnel Road incident deaths in Italy Nazi war criminals