Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller
| Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller | |
|---|---|
Müller in 1944
|
|
| Nickname(s) | The Butcher of Crete |
| Born | 29 August 1897 |
| Died | 20 May 1947 (aged 49) Athens, Greece |
| Allegiance |
 Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch | Army |
| Rank | General of the Infantry |
| Battles/wars | Dodecanese Campaign |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords |
Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller (29 August 1897 – 20 May 1947) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. Müller was notorious for having been a most brutal commander of occupied Crete. The infamy earned him the nickname of "The Butcher of Crete." After the war, he was tried by a Greek military court for war crimes, convicted and executed.
During the autumn of 1943, Müller led the German forces in their victory over the Italian-British forces in the Dodecanese Campaign. On the 6th of October, on the island of Kos, under his orders, German forces killed and buried in mass graves over one hundred Italian army officers captured at the end of the battle for the island, who would not side with the former allies. On 1 July 1944, he replaced Bruno Brauer as Commander on Crete. By 1945, Müller commanded the German 4th Army on the Eastern Front. Müller ended the war in East Prussia where he surrendered to the Red Army.
In 1946, Müller was tried by a Greek court in Athens for the massacres of hostages for reprisals. He was sentenced to death on 9 December 1946 and executed by firing squad on 20 May 1947, along with former General Bruno Bräuer, on the anniversary of the German invasion of Crete.
...
Wikipedia