Battles of Rzhev
On 31 October 1942 he was awarded the German Cross in Gold in the Battles of Rzhev. On 18 November 1942, he was seriously wounded. After his recovery, he took part in the 5th or 6th divisional leader course in Berlin in July 1943. On 1st September 1943, he was promoted to major general ("Generalmajor"). As such, he was appointed commander of the 65th Infantry Division in Italy on 1st December 1943.