Theodor Tolsdorff
| Theodor Tolsdorff | |
|---|---|
Theodor Tolsdorff
|
|
| Born |
3 November 1909 Lehnarten, Province of East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
| Died | 25 May 1978 (aged 68) Dortmund, West Germany |
| Buried at | Cemetery Heckinghauser Strasse, Wuppertal |
| Allegiance |
 Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch |
 Heer
|
| Years of service | 1934–45 |
| Rank | Generalleutnant (Major General) |
| Unit | 1st Infantry Division |
| Commands held |
340th Volksgrenadier Division LXXXII Panzer Corps |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds |
Theodor Tolsdorff (3 November 1909 – 25 May 1978) was a German general in the German Army and one of only 27 recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds in the Second World War, awarded by Nazi Germany for extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Tolsdorf was born on 3 November 1909 in the family estate in Lehnarten in the Province of East Prussia, a state of the German Empire. Today it is Lenarty in the administrative district of Gmina Olecko, within Olecko County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. He was the youngest of four children and only son of Theodor Tolsdorff, who had served in the military during World War I as a Hauptmann (captain) in the artillery.
Tolsdorff was five years old in 1914 when his mother briefly evacuated the estate following the invasion of East Prussia by the Russian First Army, led by Paul von Rennenkampf. He attended the Gymnasium (advanced secondary school) in Königsberg, present-day Kaliningrad, and following the death of his father on 19 October 1919 took over the family estate and became a farmer. He continued his education to become an administrator of his 695 hectares (1,720 acres), including 95 ha (230 acres) of forest, sized estate in Lehnharten.
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