__NOTOC__ Hermann von Oppeln-Bronikowski (2 January 1899 – 19 September 1966) was an Olympic equestrian, winning a gold medal in the team dressage at the 1936 Olympics. He later served as a

panzer This article deals with the tanks (german: panzer) serving in the German Army (''Deutsches Heer'') throughout history, such as the World War I tanks of the Imperial German Army, the interwar and World War II tanks of the Nazi German Wehrmacht, ...

general during World War II. As a lieutenant during

World War I 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 ...

, he was awarded 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 ...

in 1918. 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 served with distinction in Poland in 1939 and then on the Russian Front, commanding several tanks that were knocked out and personally leading several ''ad hoc'' attacks. Von Oppeln led the desperate attack of the 22nd Panzer Division on the 19th of November 1943 in an attempt to forestall the encirclement of German forces in Stalingrad. He was considered an excellent panzer commander, but had problems with higher authority as he was an excessive drinker. In one particular instance, as an ''Oberst'' commanding the 100th Panzer Division at Falaise, France; he was visited at 8:15 in the morning on 11 May 1944 by Rommel, who was satisfied with the forces' defensive preparations, but said to him – ''You lazy stinkers, what happens if the enemy invasion begins before 8:30!'' Von Oppeln, who had gone to sleep in his now crumpled and tobacco-smelling uniform, and still had alcohol on his breath, could only reply ''Catastrophe'' and Rommel laughed. Von Oppeln led a panzer counter-attack on the invading forces immediately after the D-Day Invasion, and was told by his commanding officer that if he did not throw the British back into the sea, the war would be lost. Some of his tanks managed to reach the coast, but were soon forced to withdraw, with the counter-attack subsequently failing. D-Day was the major turning point of the war on the Western front. He commanded the 20th Panzer Division and was awarded 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 was among

Cornelius Ryan Cornelius Ryan (5 June 1920 – 23 November 1974) was an Irish-American journalist and author known mainly for writing popular military history. He was especially known for his histories of World War II events: '' The Longest Day: 6 June 1944 D- ...

's interviewees when Ryan was preparing '' The Longest Day''. He died of a heart attack in 1966.

Awards

(1914) 2nd Class (28 May 1918) & 1st Class (14 October 1918)Thomas 1998, p. 132. *

Clasp to the Iron Cross The Clasp to the Iron Cross (Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz) was a white metal medal clasp displayed on the uniforms of German Wehrmacht personnel who had been awarded the Iron Cross in World War I, and who again qualified for the decoration in World W ...

(1939) 2nd Class (25 September 1939) & 1st Class (10 November 1939) *

German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (german: Der Kriegsorden Deutsches Kreuz), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repe ...

in Gold on 7 August 1943 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 ...

'' in Panzer-Regiment 11Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 338. *

** Knight's Cross on 1 January 1943 as ''Oberst'' and commander of Panzer-Regiment 204Scherzer 2007, p. 578. ** Oak Leaves on 28 July 1944 as ''Oberst'' and commander of Panzer-Regiment 22 ** Swords on 17 April 1945 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 the 20. Panzer-Division

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oppeln-Bronikowski, Hermann Von 1899 births 1966 deaths German Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Major generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) Panzer commanders Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords German dressage riders Equestrians at the 1936 Summer Olympics German male equestrians Olympic gold medalists for Germany Sportspeople from Berlin People from the Province of Brandenburg Olympic medalists in equestrian Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics German people of Polish descent Military personnel from Berlin German Army generals of World War II