Johann von Ravenstein
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Johann "Hans" Theodor von Ravenstein (1 January 1889 – 26 March 1962) was a German general (''
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 ...
'') 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 commanded the
21st Panzer Division The 21st Panzer Division was a German armoured division best known for its role in the battles of the North African Campaign from 1941–1943 during World War II when it was one of the two armoured divisions making up the Deutsches Afrikakorps ...
from May 1941 until being made a prisoner of war in late November 1941. 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' ...
. A professional soldier on the outbreak of World War I, Ravenstein fought as an infantry officer on the
Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...
. Awarded the
Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by Frederick the Great, King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Or ...
in 1918, he participated in the border disputes with Poland after the war before leaving the military. After attending university, he obtained employment with an electrical company and then later with the
Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
city administration. In 1934, he joined the ''Heer'' (Army) branch of the Wehrmacht. He led a rifle regiment 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 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 ...
. In May 1941, he was appointed commander of the 5th Light Division, at the time operating in North Africa. His command was soon redesignated as the
21st Panzer Division The 21st Panzer Division was a German armoured division best known for its role in the battles of the North African Campaign from 1941–1943 during World War II when it was one of the two armoured divisions making up the Deutsches Afrikakorps ...
. He was captured by soldiers from the
2nd New Zealand Division The 2nd New Zealand Division, initially the New Zealand Division, was an infantry Division (military), division of the New Zealand Army, New Zealand Military Forces (New Zealand's army) during the World War II, Second World War. The division was ...
during the British Eighth Army's
Operation Crusader Operation Crusader (18 November – 30 December 1941) was a military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during the Second World War by the British Eighth Army (United Kingdom), Eighth Army (with Commonwealth, Indian and Allied contingents) ...
. The first German general to be captured by Allied forces during World War II, Ravenstein was held in a series of prisoner of war camps in Egypt, South Africa, Canada and lastly in Wales. Repatriated to Germany in 1947, he found employment with the Düsseldorf Corporation before returning to Duisburg to again work for the city's administration. He died of a heart attack in 1962 at the age of 73.


Early life

Johann Theodor von Ravenstein was born in
Strehlen Strzelin (german: Strehlen, cz, Střelín) is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is located on the Oława river, a tributary of the Oder, about south of the region's capital Wrocław. It is part of the Wrocław met ...
, near Breslau, on 1 January 1889 into a family with a military tradition. His father was an officer in the Silesian Hussars and an ancestor was an adjutant to ''
Generalfeldmarschall ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; en, general field marshal, field marshal general, or field marshal; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several ...
'' Blücher during the
Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
. He had a harsh upbringing; his father had a major head injury while Johann was young and this affected his interactions with his children. Eventually his mother left his father, later obtaining a divorce in 1893, and raised Ravenstein and his sister on her own. Despite an early interest in becoming a pastor in the
Lutheran Church Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
, Ravenstein began a military education in 1899 when he entered Wahlstatt Cadet School. He went onto the Cadet Academy in
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
in 1903. During his time there, he made the acquaintance of
Kaiser Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and List of monarchs of Prussia, King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication on 9 ...
while occasionally serving as a page at the ''
Neues Palais The New Palace (german: Neues Palais) is a palace situated on the western side of the Sanssouci park in Potsdam, Germany. The building was begun in 1763, after the end of the Seven Years' War, under King ''Friedrich II'' (Frederick the Great) and ...
'' (New Palace) at
Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...
. Following graduation from the Cadet Academy in 1909 he was posted to the King's Grenadier Regiment, stationed at
Liegnitz Legnica (Polish: ; german: Liegnitz, szl, Lignica, cz, Lehnice, la, Lignitium) is a city in southwestern Poland, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the Kaczawa River (left tributary of the Oder) and the Czarna Woda. Between 1 June 1975 a ...
, as a ''leutnant'' (second lieutenant). The same year he met his future wife, Elisabeth von Oriola, who was from an aristocratic Silesian family of Portuguese descent.


World War I

After two years at Liegnitz, Ravenstein transferred to the 155th Infantry Regiment as a battalion adjutant officer. On the outbreak of World War I, his regiment marched into Belgium and he fought in the Battle of Longwy on 22 August 1914. He subsequently saw action in the
Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun (french: Bataille de Verdun ; german: Schlacht um Verdun ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front in France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...
. In 1915 he was promoted to ''oberleutnant'' and was soon commanding a company in his regiment. Apart for periods of leave, he served continuously on the
Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...
throughout the war. He proposed to Elisabeth in 1917 and married her early the following year while on leave. Ravenstein was selected for a training course in
general staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...
duties and, after completion, joined the General Staff of the Imperial German Army. He soon sought a return to the frontlines and rejoined the 155th Infantry Regiment which was to soon be involved in the third phase of the German spring offensive. In the
Third Battle of the Aisne The Third Battle of the Aisne (french: 3e Bataille de l'Aisne) was a battle of the German spring offensive during World War I that focused on capturing the Chemin des Dames Ridge before the American Expeditionary Forces arrived completely in ...
in May 1918, Ravenstein was given command of his regiment's 1st Battalion and led it through the opposing line. Shortly afterwards, with only a small squad of men, he captured a bridge over the
Aisne Aisne ( , ; ; pcd, Ainne) is a French department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne. In 2019, it had a population of 531,345.Chemin des Dames In France, the Chemin des Dames (; literally, the "ladies' path") is part of the route départementale (local road) D18 and runs east and west in the Aisne department, between in the west, the Route Nationale 2 (Laon to Soissons), and in the eas ...
. Later in the battle, he was in charge of a patrol which executed an ambush of a French battalion, routing it completely. Pushing on with his battalion towards the
Marne Marne can refer to: Places France *Marne (river), a tributary of the Seine *Marne (department), a département in northeastern France named after the river * La Marne, a commune in western France *Marne, a legislative constituency (France) Nethe ...
, his troops eventually took 1,500 prisoners and captured in excess of 30 field guns and machine guns. For his accomplishments, Ravenstein received the
Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by Frederick the Great, King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Or ...
on 9 June. Promoted to ''
hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literally ...
'' (captain), Ravenstein was posted to the
Imperial Guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the Emperor or Empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial forces, in ...
as a battalion commander. He was serving at the Kaiser's headquarters when the war ended. Attached to the ''
Freikorps (, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European military volunteer units, or paramilitary, that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenary or private armies, regar ...
'' from 1919, he was engaged in defending against Polish incursions along the border in the east of Germany. When the border disputes settled, he decided to leave the military rather than stay in the newly formed ''
Reichsheer ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Nazi Germany, Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order t ...
''. He was discharged on 31 March 1920 having received an honorary promotion to the rank of major.


Interwar period

Entering a university at
Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...
, he graduated in 1921 with a degree in administration. He secured employment with a large electrical company and was soon transferred to
Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
. He made the acquaintance of the city's mayor, Dr. Karl Jarres, who, in 1926, offered him a role as the manager of the Duisburg tramway system. He was a success in the role and Jarres soon moved Ravenstein to his mayoral office as director of public relations. By this stage of his career, he had adopted his sister's daughter. Ravenstein lost his job when Jarres lost his mayoralty in 1933. As an anti-Nazi, he found it hard to secure employment so in 1934 he rejoined the army as a major attached to the 2nd Battalion of the 60th Infantry Regiment. On 1 October 1936 he was promoted to ''oberstleutnant'' (
lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
) and shortly afterwards was given command of the 4th Rifle Regiment, 1st Light Division, based at Iserlohn. He led the regiment when it was involved in the occupation of Sudetenland, having been promoted ''oberst'' (
colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
) in August 1938. The following year the regiment was part of the occupation force that marched into Czechoslovakia.


World War II

The 1st Light Division was involved in the
Polish campaign 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 afte ...
as part of the 10th Army. After the end of the fighting in Poland, the division's structure was considered inadequate and it was re-organised as the
6th Panzer Division The 6th Panzer Division ( en, 6th Tank Division) was an armoured division in the German Army (1935–1945), German Army, the ''Heer'', during World War II, established in October 1939. The division, initially formed as a light brigade, particip ...
. Ravenstein remained in command of his regiment and led it through 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 ...
. At one stage, having crossed the
Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...
and Oise Rivers and accompanied by several panzers, his regiment captured the headquarters of the French 9th Army although its commander, General
Henri Giraud Henri Honoré Giraud (18 January 1879 – 11 March 1949) was a French general and a leader of the Free French Forces during the Second World War until he was forced to retire in 1944. Born to an Alsatian family in Paris, Giraud graduated from ...
, was away at the front at the time. As a result of his regiment's endeavours, Ravenstein 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' ...
. The campaign in France concluded, Ravenstein was appointed commander of 16th Rifle Brigade,
16th Panzer Division The 16th Panzer Division (german: 16. Panzer-Division) was a formation of the German Army in World War II. It was formed in November 1940 from the 16th Infantry Division. It took part in Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union in ...
, and was sent to the Balkans. During his time there he was briefly part of the German Military Mission to Romania and later, after the
Battle of Greece The German invasion of Greece, also known as the Battle of Greece or Operation Marita ( de , Unternehmen Marita, links = no), was the attack of Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usu ...
, was a liaison officer at the court of King Boris III of Bulgaria. On 20 May 1941, 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 ...
'' and appointed commander of the 5th Light Division, which was serving in Libya as part of ''
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 ...
''
Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...
's
Afrika Korps The Afrika Korps or German Africa Corps (, }; DAK) was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African Campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its African colonies, the ...
.


North Africa

Ravenstein arrived in North Africa a few days later to take up command of the 5th Light Division and was almost immediately brought into action when the British commenced
Operation Battleaxe Operation Battleaxe (15–17 June 1941) was a British Army offensive during the Second World War to raise the Siege of Tobruk and re-capture eastern Cyrenaica from German and Italian forces. It was the first time during the war that a significan ...
. Ordered by Rommel to attack the flank of the British advance, his division performed well, inflicting severe damage to the
7th Armoured Brigade 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...
, and threatening encirclement of the 7th Armoured Division and the Indian 4th Infantry Division. After the battle, Ravenstein's division was redesignated the 21st Panzer Division although it did not receive any additional units to its order of battle. For the next few months, the Afrika Korps built up its stores in preparation for offensive operations against Tobruk and during this period Ravenstein went on leave to Rome. In the evening of 18 November 1941, the British Eighth Army commenced
Operation Crusader Operation Crusader (18 November – 30 December 1941) was a military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during the Second World War by the British Eighth Army (United Kingdom), Eighth Army (with Commonwealth, Indian and Allied contingents) ...
, intended to relieve the
Siege of Tobruk The siege of Tobruk lasted for 241 days in 1941, after Axis forces advanced through Cyrenaica from El Agheila in Operation Sonnenblume against Allied forces in Libya, during the Western Desert Campaign (1940–1943) of the Second World War. ...
. Ravenstein's division, located to the west of
Bardia Bardia, also El Burdi or Barydiyah ( ar, البردية, lit=, translit=al-Bardiyya or ) is a Mediterranean seaport in the Butnan District of eastern Libya, located near the border with Egypt. It is also occasionally called ''Bórdi Slemán''. ...
, was soon engaged in counterattacks during which his command vehicle was struck by gunfire. By 26 November his command was reduced to 22 tanks. While traveling in a staff car on 28 November 1941 to visit the headquarters of the neighbouring
15th Panzer Division The 15th Panzer Division (german: 15. Panzer-Division) was an armoured division in the German Army, the Wehrmacht, during World War II, established in 1940. The division, formed from the 33rd Infantry Division, fought exclusively in North Afri ...
with an orderly and driver, Ravenstein was ambushed by soldiers of 21st Battalion,
2nd New Zealand Division The 2nd New Zealand Division, initially the New Zealand Division, was an infantry Division (military), division of the New Zealand Army, New Zealand Military Forces (New Zealand's army) during the World War II, Second World War. The division was ...
, near
Point 175 The Battle of Point 175 was a military engagement of the Western Desert Campaign that took place during Operation Crusader from 29 November to 1 December 1941, during the Second World War. Point 175 is a small rise just south of the Trigh Capu ...
. One of his companions was wounded when the New Zealanders opened fire and the trio surrendered. Taken back to battalion headquarters, it was discovered that one of their captives was a general. Ravenstein was promptly taken into Tobruk and maps he was carrying were helpful in preparing against forthcoming attacks by the 21st Panzer Division. He was the first German general to be made a prisoner of war by Allied forces in the war.


Prisoner of War

Ravenstein was transported by ship from Tobruk but it was sunk by an Italian torpedo bomber and was rescued by a British
corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...
after spending two hours in the sea. Taken to
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
, he was held in a series of prisoner of war camps, firstly in Egypt, then South Africa and later in Ontario, where he spent the majority of the war. While a POW, he was promoted to ''generalleutnant'' on 1 October 1943. After the war, he was transferred to a POW camp in Bridgend, Wales, which was designated for senior German officers. He soon developed heart problems and was medically repatriated to Germany in November 1947.


Later life

Settling back in Iserlohn with his wife Elisabeth, Ravenstein secured a job with the Düsseldorf Corporation. In 1951, he and his wife moved to Duisburg, where he took up employment again with the city's administration. He eventually retired in 1954. Soon afterwards he declined an offer from King Farouk of Egypt to command his country's army. An active Christian throughout his life, he was involved in the Lutheran Church in addition to other civic and charitable organisations. While attending church in Duisburg, he died on 26 March 1962 of a heart attack.


Notes

Footnotes Citations


References

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Further reading

*


External links

* . {{DEFAULTSORT:Ravenstein, Johann Von 1889 births 1962 deaths People from Strzelin German untitled nobility Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) German Army personnel of World War I Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) Prussian Army personnel People from the Province of Silesia German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United Kingdom Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class German Army generals of World War II