Ernst Kaether
| Ernst Kaether | |
|---|---|
| Born |
25 September 1903 Aachen, Germany |
| Died |
11 August 1999 (aged 95) Puchheim, Germany |
| Allegiance |
.svg.png){kind=small} Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch | Heer |
| Unit | 78th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Ernst Kaether (25 September 1903 – 11 August 1999) was a general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.
On 22 April 1945, Kaether briefly replaced General Hellmuth Reymann as commander of the Berlin Defense Area and for the defense of the city of Berlin. Kaether was personally promoted to Generalleutnant by Adolf Hitler for this command.[1] However, Kaether never actually took command of Berlin's defenses for the Battle of Berlin. Before he could take command, Hitler cancelled his promotions and Kaether was replaced by General Helmuth Weidling.[2] For a brief period between Kaether and Weidling, Hitler himself took personal command of the Berlin defenses. Another newly promoted Generalmajor, Erich Bärenfänger, was Hitler's "deputy" commander of the Berlin Defense Area during this brief period.
Awards
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 10 December 1942 as Oberstleutnant and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 14[3]
References
Citations
- ↑ Beevor 2002, p. 268.
- ↑ Beevor 2002, p. 286.
- ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 428.
Bibliography
- Beevor, Antony (2002). Berlin: The Downfall 1945. London: Viking-Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-670-03041-5.
- 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 Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hellmuth Reymann |
Commanders of the Berlin Defense Area (Never in actual command) 22 April 1945 |
Succeeded by Erich Bärenfänger |