Hitler's Commanders (56 page)
Read Hitler's Commanders Online
Authors: Jr. Samuel W. Mitcham
Gustav Knittel filed at least three appeals and his sentence was progressively reduced. He was released as part of an amnesty on December 7, 1953. Shortly thereafter, he went to work for Opel as a car salesman.
Knittel suffered his first heart attack in 1968 and the rest of his life was characterized by ill health, which forced his retirement in 1970. He died of heart failure during surgery in an Ulm hospital on June 30, 1976.
Appendix I
Equivalent Officer Ranks
U.S. Army | German Army and Luftwaffe |
(none) | Reichsmarschall (Luftwaffe only)a |
General of the Army | Field Marshal (Generalfeldmarschall) |
General | Colonel General (Generaloberst) |
Lieutenant General | General (General)b |
Major General | Lieutenant General (Generalleutnant) |
Brigadier General | Major General (Generalmajor) |
Colonel | Colonel (Oberst) |
Lieutenant Colonel | Lieutenant Colonel (Oberstleutnant) |
Major | Major (Major) |
Captain | Captain (Hauptmann) |
First Lieutenant | First Lieutenant (Oberleutnant) |
Second Lieutenant | Leutnant |
Officer Cadet, Officer Candidate | Faehnrich (Senior Officer Candidate), Fahnenjunker (Officer-cadet) |
SS Rank | German Army Equivalent |
Reichsfuehrer-SSc | Commander-in-Chief of the Army |
(none) | Field Marshal |
Oberstgruppenfuehrer | Colonel General |
Obergruppenfuehrer | General |
Gruppenfuehrer | Lieutenant General |
Brigadefuehrer | Major General |
Oberfuehrer | (none) |
Standartenfuehrer | Colonel |
Obersturmbannfuehrer | Lieutenant Colonel |
Strumbannfuehrer | Major |
Haupsturmfuehrer | Captain |
Obersturmfuehrer | First Lieutenant |
Untersturmfuehrer | Second Lieutenant |
U.S. Navy Rank | German Navy |
Admiral of the Fleet | Grossadmiral (Grand Admiral) |
(none) | Generaladmiral |
Admiral | Admiral |
Vice Admiral | Vizeadmiral |
Rear Admiral | Konteradmiral |
Captain | Kapitaen zur See |
Commander | Fregattenkapitaen |
Lieutenant Commander | Korvettenkapitaen |
Lieutenant | Kapitaenleutnant |
Lieutenant (junior grade) | Leutnant |
Ensign | Leutnant zur See |
a
Held only by Hermann Goering (July 19, 1940–April 23, 1945).
b
In the German military, the rank of General was followed by the branch of the officer; for example, General of Infantry, General of Panzer Troops, General Artillery, General of Mountain Troops, General of Flyers, General of Engineers, and so on.
c
Held only by Heinrich Himmler.
Appendix II
General Staff Positions and Abbreviations
Ia | Staff Officer, Operations |
Ib | Chief Supply Officer |
Ic | Staff Officer, Intelligence (subordinate to Ia) |
IIa | Chief Personnel Officer (adjutant) |
IIb | Second Personnel Officer (subordinate to IIa) |
III | Chief Judge Advocate |
IVa | Chief Administrative Officer (subordinate Ib) |
IVb | Chief Medical Officer (subordinate to Ib) |
IVc | Chief Veterinary Officer (subordinate to Ib) |
IVd | Chaplain (subordinate to IIa) |
V | Motor Transport Officer (subordinate to Ib) |
Special Staff Officers included the Chief of Artillery; Chief of Projector (Rocket Launcher) Units; Senior Military Police Officer; Gas Protection Officer; National Socialist Guidance Officer (added in 1944); and others.
Appendix III
Characteristics of Selected Opposing Tanks
Model | Weight (tons) | Speed (mph) | Range (miles) | Armament | Crew |
BRITISH | |||||
Mark IV | 43.1 | 15 | 120 | 1 6-pounder | 5 |
Mark VI | 22.1 | 27 | 200 | 1 2-pounder | 5 |
Mark VIII | 30.8 | 38 | 174 | 1 75 mm | 5 |
AMERICAN | |||||
M3A1 | 14.3 | 36 | 60 | 1 37mm | 4 |
M4A3 | 37.1 | 30 | 120 | 1 76mm 3 MGs | 5 |
GERMAN | |||||
PzKw II | 9.3 | 25 | 118 | 1 20mm 1 MG | 3 |
PzKw III | 24.5 | 25 | 160 | 1 50mm 2 MGs | 5 |
PzKw IV | 19.7 | 26 | 125 | 1 75mm 2 MGs | 5 |
PzKw V | 49.3 | 25 | 125 | 1 75mm 2 MGs | 5 |
PzKw VI | 62.0 | 23 | 73 | 1 88mm 2 MGs | 5 |
SOVIET | |||||
T-34/85 | 34.4 | 32 | 250 | 1 85mm 2 MGs | 4 |
JS II | 45.3 | 23 | 150 | 1 122mm 4 MGs | 4 |
ITALIAN | |||||
L 3 | 3.4 | 26 | 75 | 2 MGs | 2 |
L 11 | 10.8 | 21 | 124 | 1 37mm 2 MGs | 2 |
Appendix IV
Luftwaffe Aviation Unit Strengths and Chain of Command
Unit | Composition | Rank of Commander |
OKL | All Luftwaffe units | Reichsmarschall |
Air Fleet | Air corps and air and flak divisions | General to Field Marshal |
Air Corps | Air and flak divisions plus miscellaneous units | Major General to General |
Air Division | 2 or more wings | Colonel to Major General |
Wing | 2 or more groups 100 to 120 aircraft | Major to Major General |
Group | 2 or more squadrons 30 to 36 aircraft | Major to Lieutenant Colonel |
Squadron | 2 or more sections 9 to 12 aircraft | Lieutenant to Captain |
Section | 3 or 4 aircraft | Lieutenant |
a
Oberkommando der Luftwaffe: The High Command of the German Air Force and the command organ of the Luftwaffe. Headed by Goering; day-to-day operations were directed by the chief of the General Staff of the Luftwaffe.
b
The section (
Kette
) was called a
Schwarm
in fighter units only.
Appendix V
Luftwaffe Tactical Abbreviations
Jagdgeschwader
: a single-engine fighter wing, abbreviated JG. The 1st Fighter Wing would be abbreviated JG 26, and so on.
Kampfgeschwader
: a bomber wing, abbreviated KG. The 1st Bomber Wing would be abbreviated KG 1.
Nachtjagdgeschwader
: a night fighter wing, abbreviated NJG. 2nd Night Fighter Wing would be abbreviated NJG 2.
Stukageschwader
: a Ju-87 “Stuka” wing. Abbreviated StG 1, StG 2, and so on.
Zerstoerergeschwader
: literally, “destroyer wing”; a twin-engine fighter wing, abbreviated ZG 2.
Gruppe
: a group; the basic combat and administrative aviation unit of the Luftwaffe. Largely self-contained, the entire Gruppe was usually based at a single airfield. It could be (and frequently was) detached from its parent wing. Gruppen were abbreviated by Roman numerals; for example, the II Group, 77th Bomber Wing would be II/KG 77; III Group 3rd (Single-Engine) Fighter Wing would be III/JG 3, etc.
Staffel
: a squadron—the smallest operational air unit. Normally commanded by a captain or a lieutenant, it had a full-time adjutant, but its other branches (signal, technical, navigation, etc.) were supervised by flying officers in their spare time. They were represented by Arabic numbers. For example, the 7th Squadron of the II Group, 77th Fighter Wing would be 7, II/JG #77. Also, 3, I/KG 100 would represent the 3rd Squadron, I Group, 100th Bomber Wing.
Appendix VI
Acronyms
APC | armored personal carrier |
FdU | Fuehrer der U-boote |
HIAG | Hilfsorganization auf Gegenseitigkeit der Waffen-SS Society of the Waffen-SS) |
HPA | Heerespersonelamt |
HWA | Heereswaffenamt |
JG | Jagdgeschwader |
LAH | Leibstandarte |
NCO | noncommissioned officer |
NJG | Nachtjagdgeschwader |
NSFOs | National Socialist Leadership Officers |
OB West | Oberbefehlshaber |
OKH | Oberkommando des Heeres |
OKL | Oberkommando der Luftwaffe |
OKM | Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine |
OKW | Oberkommando der Wehrmacht Forces) |
POW | prisoner of war |
RAF | Royal Air Force |
SA | Sturmabteilung |
SD | Sicherheitsdienst |
SKL | Seekriegsleitung |
SS | Schutzstaffel |
SSTK | SS Totenkopfdivision |
SSTV | SS Totenkopfverbaende |
SS-VT | SS-Verfuegunstruppe |
TVA | Torpedo-Versuchs-Anstalt |