__NOTOC__ Wolfgang Fischer (11 December 1888 – 1 February 1943) was an officer 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 ...

. He was killed on 1 February 1943 near

Mareth Mareth ( ar, مارث ') is a town and commune in Tunisia, located between Gabès and Medenine Medenine ( ar, مدنين ) is the major town in south-eastern Tunisia, south of the port of Gabès and the Island of Djerba, on the main route to Liby ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

when his staff car drove into a poorly marked Italian minefield and hit a

land mine A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...

. He lost his left arm and both of his legs in the blast. He bled to death while writing a farewell letter to his wife.

Career

Fischer began his career by joining the 154th (5th Lower Silesian) Infantry Regiment with the rank of

Fahnenjunker ''Fahnenjunker'' (short Fhj or FJ, en, officer cadet; ) is a military rank of the Bundeswehr and of some former German armed forces. In earlier German armed forces it was also the collective name for many officer aspirant ranks. It was establi ...

on 18 March 1910. When World War I broke out, he was transferred to the 7th Landwehr Infantry Regiment as a platoon leader. He was later named adjutant of the 3rd Landwehr Division in late 1915 and held the same rank in the 22nd Landwehr Infantry Brigade in the fall of 1917, serving in the Western Front. He became a captain at the end of the war and joined a battalion of volunteers during the German Revolution of 1918–19. He joined the

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshape ...

in 1919 and was sent to the 3rd (Prussian) Infantry Regiment at Deutsch Eylau (now

Iława Iława (; german: Deutsch Eylau ) is a town in northern Poland with 32,276 inhabitants (2010). It is situated in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (since 1999); previously it was in Olsztyn Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Iława C ...

, Poland) from 1920 to 1929. Between 1929 and 1934, he was a company commander in the 6th Infantry Regiment at

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the state ...

. He assumed command of the 69th Infantry Regiment on 4 February 1938 during the 1938 Blomberg–Fritsch purge. As an

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 1939, he commanded the 69th Infantry Regiment from 1938 to 1939 and the 10th Rifle Brigade of the 10th Panzer Division from late 1939–41. He was promoted to Generalmajor on 1 August 1942 a day before he took command of the 10th Panzer Division and 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 ...

on 1 November 1942. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of General.

Awards

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 ...

2nd Class (4 September 1939) & 1st Class (17 September 1939)Thomas 1997, p. 167. *

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 22 April 1942 as '' Generalmajor'' and commander of the 10. Panzer-DivisionPatzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 116. *

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' ...

** Knight's Cross on 3 June 1940 as ''

'' and commander of the 10. Schützen-BrigadeScherzer 2007, p. 310. ** Oak Leaves on 9 December 1942 as ''

'' and commander of the 10. Panzer-Division

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Wolfgang 1888 births 1943 deaths People from Nowa Sól County People from the Province of Silesia German Army personnel of World War I Prussian Army personnel German Army personnel killed in World War II Generals of Panzer Troops Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Reichswehr personnel 20th-century Freikorps personnel Landmine victims Friendly fire incidents of World War II Military personnel killed by friendly fire