Georg von Bismarck

Georg von Bismarck
Georg von Bismarck (right)
Born	(1891-02-15)15 February 1891 Neumühl
Died	31 August 1942(1942-08-31) (aged 51) near El Alamein
Buried	Memorial Gardens at Tobruk
Allegiance	German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany
Service / branch	Heer
Years of service	1910–42
Rank	Generalleutnant (Posthumously)
Commands	[20th Panzer Division [21st Panzer Division
Battles / wars	World War I World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa North African Campaign Battle of Gazala Battle of Alam el Halfa
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Georg von Bismarck (15 February 1891 – 31 August 1942) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.

Career

Bismarck joined the army in 1910 and took part in World War I. During the interwar years he served as an officer in the Reichswehr. During World War ii, Bismarck took part in the Invasion of Poland in September 1939. During the Battle of France in 1940, he commanded a motorized infantry regiment of Erwin Rommel's 7th Panzer Division.

In 1941 he was promoted to commander of the newly formed 20th Panzer Division. He led the division during Operation Barbarossa on the Eastern Front as a part of Army Group Centre. In January 1942 he was transferred to Africa to serve in the Africa Korps as commander of the 21st Panzer Division. Here he again served under the command of his former divisional commander, Erwin Rommel. On 1 April 1942 he was promoted to Major General.

Georg von Bismarck was killed by a mine while leading the 21st Panzer Division in the Battle of Alam el Halfa, 31 August 1942. He was posthumously promoted to Generalleutnant.

Awards and decorations

Bismarck and Rommel discuss dispositions of the 21st Panzer Division while Fritz Bayerlein looks on

• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 September 1940 as Oberst and commander of Schützen-Regiment 7

References

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Lewin, Ronald (1998) [1968]. Rommel As Military Commander. New York: B&N Books. ISBN 978-0-7607-0861-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Rommel, Erwin (1982) [1953]. Liddell Hart, B. H. (ed.). The Rommel Papers. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-80157-0.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)