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Heinrich von Vietinghoff
Heinrich von Vietinghoff
	6 December 1887 – 23 February 1952 (aged 64)
	;
Place of birth	Mainz
Place of death	Pfronten-Ried
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918); Weimar Republic (to 1933); Nazi Germany
Years of service	1903 – 1945
Rank	Generaloberst
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	See "Military awards" section

Heinrich Gottfried von Vietinghoff genannt (de: known as) Scheel (December 6, 1887 - February 23, 1952) was a German Colonel-General (Generaloberst) of the German Army (Wehrmacht Heer) during the Second World War.

[edit] Early life and family

Vietinghoff was born in Mainz, Grand Duchy of Hesse.^[1] His military career was strongly supported by his parents, Artillery Lt. Gen. Heinrich Otto Konrad von Vietinghoff genannt Scheel (1857–1917) and Leona Gräfin von Vietinghoff genannt Scheel (nee von Schmettow) (1861–1942). He joined the army at the age of 15, where he lied about his age in the first few years.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Military career

On 24 November 1938, Vietinghoff was appointed commander of the 5th Panzer Division and took part in the invasion of Poland under Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. He was promoted to General in June 1940 after which he led the German XLVI Panzer Corps in Yugoslavia. During Operation Barbarossa his Corps was part of Army Group Centre under General Fedor von Bock. In this time, he had an accident after which he got his nickname "Panzerknacker" ("Tank breaker").^{[citation needed]} Von Vietinghoff also later served with General Heinz Guderian in the German Second Panzer Army.

From December 1941 to August 1943 he was Commander-in-Chief of the German Fifteenth Army in France (The HQ of the 15th Army is today a great museum, in Tourcoing (France, side Lille, in the north) musée du 5 juin 1944 . In Italy from 1943 onwards he commanded German Tenth Army, which was responsible for the telling delaying actions through the successive defensive lines built across Italy. Notable in this context were the defenses on the Winter Line from November 1943 to May 1944 and the fighting in the autumn of 1944 on the Gothic Line. In October 1944 he was temporarily raised to overall command in Italy (Army Group C) when Field Marshall Albert Kesselring was seriously injured in a car crash.^[2] In January 1945, on Kesselring's return, he left Italy to command Army Group Courland in East Prussia. When Kesselring was moved in March 1945 to command German Army Group West in France, von Vietinghoff returned as the supreme German commander in Italy.^[3] He surrendered on May 2, 1945 and was captured into Special Camp 11 in Bolzano, Italy on May 23, 1945.^[1] He remained a prisoner of war until 1946.^{[citation needed]} Heinrich von Vietinghoff died on February 23, 1952 in Pfrontenried.^[1]

[edit] Military promotions

Fähnrich: 6 March 1906
Leutnant: 27 January 1907 (Patent 14 June 1905)
Hauptmann: 24 June 1915
Major: 1 March 1926
Oberstleutnant: 1 February 1931
Oberst: 1 April 1933
Generalmajor: 1 April 1936
Generalleutnant: 1 March 1938
General der Panzertruppe: 1 June 1940
Generaloberst: 1 September 1943 ^[1]

[edit] Military awards

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross - 24 June 1940
Oakleaves (No. 456) to the Knight’s Cross - 16 April 1944
German Cross in Gold - 22 April 1942
Prussian Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight’s Cross with Swords - 18 April 1918
Prussian Iron Cross, 1st Class (1914) - 23 April 1915
Prussian Iron Cross, 2nd Class (1914) - 13 September 1914
1939 Bar to the Prussian Iron Cross, 1st Class - 28 September 1939
1939 Bar to the Prussian Iron Cross, 2nd Class - 21 September 1939
Medal for the Winter Campaign in Russia 1941-1942
Saxon Albert Order, Knight 2nd Class with Swords
Mecklenburg-Schwerin Military Merit Cross, 2nd Class
Saxe-Meiningen Honor Cross for Merit in War
Lübeck Hanseatic Cross
Cross of Honor for Combatants 1914-1918
Armed Forces Long Service Award, 1st Class (25-years)
Armed Forces Long Service Award, 3rd Class (12-years)
Austrian Order of the Iron Crown, 3rd Class with War Decoration
Austrian Military Merit Cross, 3rd Class with War Decoration
Turkish War Medal (Iron Crescent)
Bulgarian Military Merit Order (Officer’s Cross)
Tank Battle Badge (Silver) (Panzerkampfabzeichen)
Wound Badge in Black – World War I ^[1]

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Heinrich Gottfried von Vietinghoff-Scheel

[edit] Bibliography

Gregory Blaxland (1979). Alexander's Generals (the Italian Campaign 1944-1945). London: William Kimber & Co. ISBN 0 7183 0386 5.
Helden der Wehrmacht III - Unsterbliche deutsche Soldaten (in German). München, Germany: FZ-Verlag GmbH, 2007. ISBN 978-3-924309-82-4.

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Exton, Brett; Bohannon, Shawn (February 2005). "Prisoners held at Special Camp 11: Generaloberst Heinrich-Goffried von Vietinghoff gen. Scheel". Island Farm Prisoner of War Camp: 198 / Special Camp: XI Bridgend, South Wales (website).. http://www.specialcamp11.fsnet.co.uk/Generaloberst%20Heinrich-Goffried%20von%20Vietinghoff%20gen%20Scheel.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
^ Blaxland, p226
^ Blaxland, p246

Military offices
Preceded by none	Commander of 5. Panzer-Division September 2, 1939 - October 8, 1939	Succeeded by Generalleutnant Max von Hartlieb-Walsporn
Preceded by General Walter von Reichenau	Commander of 10. Armee August 15, 1943-February 14, 1945	Succeeded by General Traugott Herr
Preceded by General Lothar Rendulic	Commander of Army Group Courland January 27, 1945-March 10, 1945	Succeeded by General Lothar Rendulic

[gen-0] Exton, Brett; Bohannon, Shawn (February 2005). "Prisoners held at Special Camp 11: Generaloberst Heinrich-Goffried von Vietinghoff gen. Scheel". Island Farm Prisoner of War Camp: 198 / Special Camp: XI Bridgend, South Wales (website).. http://www.specialcamp11.fsnet.co.uk/Generaloberst%20Heinrich-Goffried%20von%20Vietinghoff%20gen%20Scheel.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-01.

[1] Blaxland, p226

[2] Blaxland, p246

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