__NOTOC__ Werner Freiherr von und zu Gilsa (4 March 1889 – 8 May 1945) was a German 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 ...

, whose last assignment was as military commandant of Dresden. In 1936 he was the commander of the olympic village for the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

. From 1 April 1941 to 4 April 1943, Gilsa was commander of the 216th Infantry Division. In the winter of 1941/42 the division was sent to the Eastern Front. Gilsa was promoted to General of Infantry on 1 July 1943. From 11 June 1943 to 23 November 1944 he was Commanding General of the LXXXIX Army Corps, which took part in the

Battle of the Scheldt The Battle of the Scheldt in World War II was a series of military operations led by the First Canadian Army, with Polish and British units attached, to open up the shipping route to Antwerp so that its port could be used to supply the Allies ...

, from 2 October to 8 November 1944. Gilsa was Military Commander of

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

from 15 March to May 1945. At the end of the war, Gilsa committed suicide.

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 est ...

(1914) 1st Class (18 October 1914) & 1st Class (14 May 1915)Thomas 1997, p. 198. * Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (14 September 1939) & 1st Class (21 October 1939) * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves ** Knight's Cross on 5 June 1940 as '' Oberst'' and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 9 ** 68th Oak Leaves on 24 January 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 216. Infanterie-Division

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Dost, Susanne. ''Das Olympische Dorf 1936 im Wandel der Zeit'', Neddermeyer, Berlin 2003, * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilsa, Werner Von 1889 births 1945 deaths Military personnel from Berlin German Army generals of World War II Generals of Infantry (Wehrmacht) Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves History of the Olympic Village Suicides in Germany German Army personnel of World War I Barons of Germany German military personnel who committed suicide Prussian Army personnel People from the Province of Brandenburg Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Reichswehr personnel