Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach
| Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach | |
|---|---|
Seydlitz-Kurzbach (left) and Friedrich Paulus in Soviet Union, 1942
|
|
| Born |
22 August 1888 Eppendorf, Hamburg, German Empire |
| Died | 28 April 1976 (aged 87) Bremen, West Germany |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch | Army |
| Years of service | 1908–43 |
| Rank | General of the Artillery |
| Commands held |
112th Infantry Division LI Corps |
| Battles/wars |
|
| Awards | Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves |
Walther Kurt von Seydlitz-Kurzbach (22 August 1888 – 28 April 1976) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Seydlitz-Kurzbach was relieved of his command in early 1943 and then abandoned the German army lines under German fire to surrender to the Red Army. He became a Soviet collaborator while a prisoner of war. After the war he was convicted by the Soviet Union of war crimes. In 1996, he was posthumously pardoned by Russia.
Seydlitz-Kurzbach was born in Hamburg, Germany, into the noble Prussian Seydlitz family. During World War I he served on both fronts as an officer. During the Weimar Republic, he remained a professional officer in the Reichswehr; from 1940 to 1942 he commanded the 12th Infantry Division of the German Army. When the division was encircled in the Demyansk Pocket, Seydlitz was responsible for breaking the Soviet cordon and enabling German units to escape from encirclement; for this action he was promoted to General of the Artillery and appointed commander of the LI Corps.
The corps was subordinated to the Sixth Army during the Battle of Stalingrad. When the entire Army was trapped in the city in the course of the Soviet Operation Uranus, Seydlitz was one of the generals who argued most forcefully in favor of a breakout or a surrender, in contravention of Hitler’s orders. On 25 January 1943, he told his subordinate officers that they were free to decide for themselves on whether to surrender. Paulus immediately relieved him of command of his three divisions (the 100th, 71st and 295th Infantry Divisions).
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