Walther Wenck
| Walther Wenck | |
|---|---|
Walther Wenck
|
|
| Nickname(s) | Boy General |
| Born |
18 September 1900 Wittenberg, Province of Saxony, German Empire |
| Died | 1 May 1982 (aged 81) near Ried im Innkreis, Upper Austria |
| Allegiance |
 Weimar Republic Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch | Army |
| Years of service | 1920–45 |
| Rank | General der Panzertruppe |
| Commands held | 12th Army |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Other work | Arms Manufacturing |
Walther Wenck (18 September 1900 – 1 May 1982) was the youngest General of the branch in the German Army and a staff officer during World War II. At the end of the war, he commanded the German Twelfth Army that took part in the Battle of Berlin.
Historians consider Wenck a capable commander and a brilliant improviser, although incapable of the impossible task of saving Berlin.
Born in 1900, Wenck joined the paramilitary group Freikorps in 1919 and then the Army (Reichswehr) of the Weimar Republic in 1920. From 1939 to 1942, Wenck was Chief of Operations for the 1st Panzer Division. In 1942, he was an instructor at the War Academy, chief of staff for the LVII Corps, and then the Third Romanian Army on the Eastern Front.
From 1942 to 1943, he was chief of staff of "Army Detachment Hollidt", named after Karl-Adolf Hollidt, which was subordinated to the Third Romanian Army. In 1943, he was Chief of Staff of the Sixth Army. From 1943 to 1944, Wenck served in the same capacity in the 1st Panzer Army. In 1944, he was chief of staff of Army Group South Ukraine. There he first attracted Adolf Hitler's attention with his report about conditions on the Eastern Front, saying, "As you see My Führer, the Eastern Front is like swiss cheese, full of holes." Even though he was reprimanded for using informal language, Hitler commended the "liveliness" of his report.
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