Hans Kreysing

Hans Kreysing
Born	(1890-08-17)17 August 1890 Göttingen, German Empire
Died	14 April 1969(1969-04-14) (aged 78) Oldenburg, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany
Branch	Imperial German Army Reichswehr German Army
Service years	1909–1945
Rank	General der Gebirgstruppe
Commands	3rd Mountain Division XVIII Army Corps 8th Army
Conflicts	World War I Battle of Verdun World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Other work	Red Cross

Hans Kreysing (17 August 1890 – 14 April 1969) was a German general who commanded the 3rd Mountain Division and the 8th Army in World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.

Life and career

Hans Kreysing was born in Göttingen in the Prussian Province of Hanover on 17 August 1890. He entered the Royal Prussian Army in October 1909, later joining the 10th Jäger battalion. He fought in World War I and served as the commander of a machine gun company in the 10th Reserve Jäger battalion. At the end of the war, he was an Oberleutnant. He remained in the post-war Reichswehr as a career officer. He became a battalion and regimental commander between 1934 and 1940.

At the outbreak of World War II, he was in command of the 16th Infantry Regiment. From October 1940 to August 1943 he commanded the 3rd Mountain Division, serving in Norway, Lapland and the eastern front. Continuing on the eastern front, Kreysing led the XVII Army Corps from November 1943 to April 1944, when he took command of the 8th Army, which surrendered to Allied troops in Austria in May 1945. Kreysing ended the war with the rank of General of Mountain Troops (German: General der Gebirgstruppe).

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd class
  • 1st class
• Knight's Cross of the House Order of Hohenzollern with swords
• Military Merit Order of Bavaria, 4th class with swords
• Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg
• Military Merit Cross of Austria-Hungary, 3rd class with war decoration
• Wound Badge in black
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd class
  • 1st class
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
  • Knight's Cross on 29 May 1940 as Oberst (Colonel) and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 16
  • 183rd Oak Leaves on 20 January 1943 as Generalleutnant and commander of the 3. Gebirgs-Division
  • 63rd Swords on 13 April 1944 as General der Gebirgstruppe and commanding general of the XVII. Armeekorps

References

Bibliography

• Lucas, James (1980). Alpine Elite: German Mountain Troops of World War II. Jane's Publishing. ISBN 0531037134.
• 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 [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Webb, James Jack (2024). Generals and Admirals of the Third Reich: For Country or Fuehrer. Vol. 2: H–O. Havertown, PA: Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1-952-71517-4.