Winrich Behr
| Winrich Behr | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
22 January 1918 Berlin |
| Died |
25 April 2011 (aged 93) Hubbelrath |
| Allegiance |
.svg.png){kind=small} Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch | Heer |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 3./AufklAbt 3 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Relations | Nicolaus von Below (brother in law) |
Winrich Hans Hubertus "Teddy" Behr (22 January 1918 – 25 April 2011[1]) was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross who was on the intelligence staff of the Sixth Army during the Stalingrad encirclement. Behr had served Friedrich Paulus, Erwin Rommel, Gunther von Kluge, Walter Model. He was the witness of Model's last hours in Ruhr Pocket.[2]
In January 1943 he was sent by Paulus to try to convince Hitler of the hopelessness of winning the war on the Eastern Front; this mission did not succeed.[3]
After the war, Behr began studying at the University of Bonn. He served as the assistant general secretary of the Europäische Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft (EWG, or European Economic Union) Commission in Brussels.[4]
A decade after the war, Winrich Behr sought out the burial site of the Field Marshal Walter Model in the isolated woods south of Duisburg, together with Hansgeorg Model, the field marshal's son.[5]
Quotes
- "Jodl was someone who acted against better knowledge and conscience and did what Hitler told him."[6]
- "On the 19 November we had 80 operational tanks. The Russians attacked with 1,200 new T-34 tanks."[7]
- "Model was a man who spent an incredible amount of time at the front. He didn't lead from behind, looking at maps, but he went wherever he believed his presence would help."[8]
Awards
- Sudetenland Medal with Prager Burg clasp
- Iron Cross 2. and 1. class
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 15 May 1941 as Oberleutnant and chief of the 3./Aufklärungs-Abteilung 3 in the DAK[9]
- General Assault Badge
- Wehrmacht Long Service Award IV class (1 January 1942)
- Africa Cuffband (15 January 1943)
References
Citations
- ↑ See obituary in the Süddeutsche Zeitung
- ↑ Battle for the RUHR by Derek S. Zumbro p. 4
- ↑ Stalingrad by Antony Beevor p. 343
- ↑ Battle for the RUHR by Derek S. Zumbro p. 407
- ↑ Battle for the RUHR by Derek S. Zumbro p. 412
- ↑ ZDF Zeitgeschichte, Alfred Jodl
- ↑ ZDF Zeitgeschichte, Stalingrad
- ↑ ZDF 2007, <Die Wehrmacht - Eine Bilanz> Episode 5. Kampf bis zum Untergang
- ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 127.
Bibliography
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
External links
- Winrich Behr in the German National Library catalogue
- "das-ritterkreuz.de". Winrich Behr. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
- "ZDF Zeitgeschichte". Winrich Behr about Alfred Jodl. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
- "ZDF Zeitgeschichte". Winrich Behr about Stalingrad. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
- "Den Mann kannst du abschreiben", interview Der Spiegel Nr. 51, 2002
- Interview with Winrich Behr at the Historical Archives of the EU in Florence