Walther Wenck
German officer and industrialist / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Walther Wenck (German: [ˈvaltɐ ˈvɛŋk]) (18 September 1900 – 1 May 1982) was a German officer and industrialist. He was the youngest General of the branch[1] (General der Truppengattung) 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.[2] Wenck left the military after surrendering to the Allies. He was asked to become Inspector General of the Bundeswehr as West Germany was re-arming in 1957, but declined to take the post when conditions he set were not met, such as the Inspector General being the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, not just an administrative leader.
Walther Wenck | |
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Nickname(s) | Boy General |
Born | (1900-09-18)18 September 1900 Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Province of Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
Died | 1 May 1982(1982-05-01) (aged 81) near Ried im Innkreis, Bezirk Ried im Innkreis, Upper Austria, Austria |
Allegiance | Weimar Republic (1920–1933) Nazi Germany (1933–1945) |
Service/ | Reichsheer German Army |
Years of service | 1920–45 |
Rank | General der Panzertruppe |
Commands held | 12th Army |
Battles/wars | World War I (noncombat) World War II |
Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Other work | Arms Manufacturing |
Historians consider Wenck a capable commander and a brilliant improviser, although incapable of the impossible task he was given of saving Berlin in 1945.[3][4][5]