Kurt Oppenländer (11 February 1892 – 17 March 1947) joined the Württemberg Army on July 3, 1911 as a flag junior. He came to the 8th Württemberg Infantry Regiment "Grand Duke Friedrich von Baden" No. 126. With the 3rd Württemberg Infantry Regiment "Alt-Württemberg" No. 121 he was promoted to lieutenant on November 19, 1912 after attending military school . The patent was dated November 18, 1910. Shortly before the beginning of World War I, he also served in the 3rd Württemberg Infantry Regiment "Alt-Württemberg" No. 121. He came to the front as platoon leader. On March 22, 1916 he was promoted to first lieutenant. As such, he was used in the summer of 1916 for a long time as the leader of the storm division of the 26th Infantry Division. From July 1917 he was employed with the regimental staff of the 3rd Württemberg Infantry Regiment "Alt-Württemberg" No. 121. In December 1917 he was appointed deputy leader of the 2nd Battalion. On April 22, 1918 he was appointed deputy regimental adjutant of the 3rd Württemberg Infantry Regiment "Alt-Württemberg" No. 121. In the summer of 1918 he became XXV. Reserve Corps commands. During World War I he was not only wounded several times, which was reflected in the award of the wound badge in silver. In addition to the two Iron Crosses, he was also awarded other awards. After the war he was accepted into the Imperial Army as a first lieutenant. He came from October 1, 1919 to the Reichswehr Rifle Regiment 25. Also with the 200,000 man transitional army in the spring of 1920 he was still part of the Reichswehr Rifle Regiment 25 Battalion adjutant in the 13th (Württ.) Infantry Regiment. He then held this position for the next few years. On November 19, 1921, he married Elsa Kiefer. On November 1, 1922, he was promoted to captain. From April 26, 1924, he was deployed as such for several years as chief of the 7th Company of the 13th (Württemberg) Infantry Regiment in Ludwigsburg. On October 1st, 1928 he was appointed chief of the 12th (MG.) Company of the 13th (Württemberg) Infantry Regiment in Ulm on the Danube for the next few years. On April 1, 1933, he was promoted to major. On June 1, 1934, he joined the Infantry Training Staff. From October 1, 1934, he was part of the Döberitz infantry training staff. During the unmasking of the units after the expansion of the Reichswehr to the Wehrmacht, he was appointed commander of MG Battalion 4 at the Münsingen military training area on October 15, 1935. As such, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel on November 1, 1935. On April 1, 1938, he was promoted to colonel. When mobilizing for World War II in the summer of 1939, he gave up his command. For this he was appointed commander of the 460 Infantry Regiment. With this he then took up positions on the Western Front at the beginning of the war. In the spring of 1940 he led his regiment in the division association of the 260th Infantry Division in the western campaign. At the beginning of October 1940 he was appointed commander of the new 420 Infantry Regiment of the 125th Infantry Division. He then first led this regiment in the spring of 1941 into the Balkan campaign. At the beginning of the summer of 1941 he then led his regiment in the eastern campaign in the division association of the 125th Infantry Division during the attack on southern Russia. On September 12, 1941, he was wounded by shrapnel, but remained with the regiment. On October 1, 1941, he was promoted to major general. On October 4, 1941, he was awarded the Commander-in-Chief of the Army. Due to illness he had to give up his command of the regiment in October 1941. He was then transferred to the Freiburg military hospital in Germany. After his recovery he was transferred to the Führerreserve. On January 14, 1942, he was subsequently awarded the German Cross in Gold. In mid-April 1942 he was appointed commander of the 305th Infantry Division. He then led them to the southern section of the eastern front. There he led the division in the attack on Stalingrad. On July 25, 1942, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. On November 1, 1942, due to a serious illness, he gave up his command and was transferred to the Fuhrer Reserve of Military District V. The order to do so was issued on October 24, 1942. In February 1943, he was in the Haus Baden part of the Badenweiler Reserve Hospital. At the beginning of May 1943 he was in the Lorettokrankenhaus part of the Reserve Hospital II in Freiburg. A stiff finger was then cured there, which had already come from the autumn of 1941. On August 1, 1943, he was promoted to lieutenant general. As such, he was appointed city commander of Krakow with effect from September 30, 1943. On June 1, 1944, he was given the command of the 198th Infantry Division. On August 5, 1944, he was relieved of physical and nervous exhaustion and reassigned to the Führer Reserve. He came again to the Badenweiler reserve hospital. On October 13 or November 1944, he disrupted an NSF event in an allegedly intoxicated state. As a result, proceedings were initiated against him for undermining military strength. In mid-February 1945 the case against him was dropped. At the beginning of March 1945 he was punished by General Field Marshal Keitel with 7 days of room arrest. At the end of March 1945, the Army Personnel Office ordered his planned release on June 30, 1945 without a uniform wearing permit.
At the end of World War II he was taken prisoner by the Americans. In American captivity. he died shortly before the beginning of the spring of 1947.
Awards and decorations
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 25 July 1942 as Generalmajor and commander of 305. Infanterie-Division.
Source :
https://www.leo-bw.de/web/guest/detail-gis/-/Detail/details/DOKUMENT/labw_findmittel_06/labw-1-328630/Oppenl%C3%A4nder+Kurt+Bild+3
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/O/OppenlaenderKurt.htm
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