Georg Ritter von Hengl

Georg Ritter von Hengl (21 October 1897 – 19 March 1952) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded the XIX Mountain Corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

During World War I, he had served in the Luftstreitkrafte and shot down a total of 7 aircraft between July and October 1918. From 1921 to 1934, he also served in the German police, reaching the rank of Hauptmann. Georg Ritter von Hengl was captured by Allied troops in May 1945 and was released in 1947.

Life and career

World War I

Hengl joined the German Army as an ensign in 1914, aged 16, serving initially in Reserve Infantry Battalion Nr. 21 near Ypres in 1914. The following year saw him transferred to the Eastern Front to serve in Russia. In October 1915, he was transferred south to the Serbian sector. He transferred back to France in 1916, to serve near Verdun; on 23 March he was promoted into the officer's ranks as a Leutnant. He then returned to duties in Russia. After requesting a transfer to aviation duty, he started aerial observer's training on 23 February 1918. Upon graduation, he was posted to the Kingdom of Bavaria's FA(A) 295. His usual pilot in the two-seater reconnaissance aircraft was Johann Baur. The duo were credited with six confirmed aerial victories together, beginning with a double victory over SPADs on 17 July 1918 over Courton Wood. The aircrew of Hengl and Baur were shot down behind British lines during the Third Battle of the Aisne; however, they were rescued from captivity by troopers from Württemberg. The pair would score another four victories in October 1918, with Hengl scoring a seventh while part of the crew for another pilot.

Georg Hengl emerged from World War I having been awarded both classes of the Iron Cross and the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern. His native Kingdom of Bavaria also bestowed the Military Order of Max Joseph upon him; one of the entitlements of this decoration was an award of lifetime nobility for him, signified by the addition of the phrase "Ritter von" to one's name. Georg Hengl thus became George Ritter von Hengl.

Inter-war and World War II

In 1919, Hengl left the army and entered the police. Recalled for military service, in 1936 he was given command of a battalion of the 99th Gebirgsjager Regiment, leading this unit in the first campaigns of World War II.  

For much of the war, Hengl was stationed on the Arctic front against the Soviet Union. Initially he commanded the 137th Gebirgsjager Regiment, receiving the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in August 1941. From March 1942 to October 1943 he commanded the 2nd Mountain Division, and then the XIX Mountain Corps until April 1944. In February 1945 he was designated to take over command of LIX Army Corps on the Eastern Front, but he did not take up the post.

Hengl ended the war with the rank of General of Mountain Troops ().

Awards and decorations

 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 25 August 1941 as Oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel) and commander of Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 137.

References

Citations

Bibliography

 
 
 
 

1897 births
1952 deaths
People from Dingolfing-Landau
Military personnel from the Kingdom of Bavaria
Generals of Mountain Troops
Luftstreitkräfte personnel
German World War I flying aces
Knights of the Military Order of Max Joseph
Recipients of the Gold German Cross
Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Liberty, 1st Class
Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class
German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States
Military personnel from Bavaria
20th-century Freikorps personnel