Willibald von Langermann und Erlencamp (29 March 1890 – 3 October 1942) was a German general 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 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 ...

Biography

Born in 1890, Erlencamp joined the 5th Dragoon Regiment of the

Imperial German Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the l ...

in 1910. From 1935, he commanded the 4th Cavalry Regiment before an appointment three years later as Higher Cavalry Officer I. He was later made inspector of cavalry and transport. After the commencement of

, he was appointed to command Special Administrative Staff 410. In March 1940 he was promoted to ''

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 ...

'', just before the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

he was named commander of the 29th Motorized Infantry Division. He successfully led the division through the campaigns in Belgium and France and was awarded 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' ...

on 15 August 1940. He had received the

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 and 2nd Classes, earlier in the year. On 7 September 1940, Erlencamp was given command of the

4th Panzer Division The 4th Panzer Division ( en, 4th Tank Division) was an armored division in the Army of Nazi Germany. In World War II, it participated in the 1939 invasion of Poland, the 1940 invasion of France, and the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. It ...

, which he led from the opening stages of

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 ...

up until the closing stages of

Operation Typhoon The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between September 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive e ...

. In January 1942 he was appointed as commander of the

XXIV Panzer Corps The XXIV Army Corps (german: XXIV. Armeekorps) was a unit of the German Army during World War II. The unit was re-designated several times; originally being ''Generalkommando der Grenztruppen Saarpfalz'', later ''Generalkommando XXIV. Armeekorps'', ...

. Within weeks, he received a promotion to ''

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 this was followed in mid-1942 by a further advance in rank to ''

general der panzertruppe General der Panzertruppe () was a General of the branch OF8 rank of the German Army, introduced in 1935. A ''General der Panzertruppe'' was a Lieutenant General, above Major General (Generalleutnant), commanding a Panzer corps. Rank and ran ...

''. On 17 February 1942 he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knights Cross. He was killed in action on 3 October 1942 at Storoshewoje on the Middle Don ("in a foray in the front line").

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Langermann Und Erlencamp, Willibald Freiherr Von 1890 births 1942 deaths Military personnel from Karlsruhe Generals of Panzer Troops German Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves German Army personnel killed in World War II People from the Grand Duchy of Baden Barons of Germany Reichswehr personnel German Army generals of World War II