Full name: Ernst-Günther Baade
Nickname: No information
Born: 20 August 1897 - Falkenhagen, District Ostpriegnitz, Brandenburg (German Empire)
Died: 08 May 1945 - Bad Segeberg Hospital, Holstein (Germany)
Battles and Operations: World War I (Eastern Front with cavalry units), North Africa Campaign (Battle of Bir Hakeim, Battle of El Alamein), Defense of the Straits of Messina (Sicily evacuation 1943), Italian Campaign (Battle of Monte Cassino and defensive fighting along the Italian front 1943-1944), Final defensive actions in Holstein (1945)
NSDAP-Number: No information
SS-Number: No information
Religion: No information
Parents: No information
Siblings: No information
Spouse: No information
Children: No information
Promotions:
15 June 1915 Unteroffizier
28 May 1916 Fähnrich
22 August 1916 Leutnant
1 December 1925 Oberleutnant
1 August 1933 Rittmeister
1 August 1937 Major
1 March 1940 Oberstleutnant
1 April 1942 Oberst
20 March 1944 Generalmajor
1 August 1944 Generalleutnant
Career:
Entered Army Service (18 Aug 1914)
War-Volunteer in the 9th Ulanen-Regiment (18 Aug 1914-04 Jun 1915)
Transferred into the Replacement-Squadron of the 9th Ulanen-Regiment (04 Jun 1915-16 Jun 1915)
Transferred into the Replacement-Squadron of the 9th Dragoon-Regiment (16 Jun 1915-16 Jan 1916)
Fahnenjunker-Course in Döberitz (11 Jul 1915-28 Aug 1915)
Further Fähnrich-Tests (16 Jun 1916-11 Mar 1916)
Transferred into the 9th Dragoon-Regiment (11 Mar 1916-12 Mar 1917)
Officer-Training-Course with the Guards-Reserve-Rifle-Battalion (16 Jul 1916-31 Aug 1916)
Detached to the 2nd Cavalry-Rifle-Regiment (21 Sep 1916-08 Nov 1916)
Leader of the Signals-Platoon of the 231st Telephone-Battalion (12 Mar 1917-06 Feb 1918)
Transferred into the 9th Dragoon-Regiment and Ordinance-Officer in the Staff of the 231st Infantry-Brigade (06 Feb 1918-01 Jun 1918)
Taken ill, in Hospital (01 Jun 1918-16 Jul 1918)
With the Staff of the 231st Infantry-Brigade (16 Jul 1918-22 Jul 1918)
Transferred to the 444th Infantry-Regiment (22 Jul 1918-30 Aug 1918) With the Replacement-Squadron of the 9th Dragoon-Regiment (30 Oct 1918-07 Nov 1918)
Transferred into the 9th Dragoon-Regiment (07 Nov 1918-30 Jan 1919)
Transferred into the 5th Reichswehr-Infantry-Regiment at Camp Döberitz (30 Jan 1919-15 May 1920)
Course at the Riding School in Paderborn (01 May 1919-01 Oct 1919)
Retired (15 May 1920)
Reactivated to Army Service (01 Apr 1924)
Employed with the 14th Mounted-Regiment (01 Apr 1924-01 Oct 1927)
IV. Officer Weapons School Course in Dresden (01 Oct 1926-20 Feb 1927)
Attended Cavalry School in Hannover (01 Oct 1927-01 Oct 1929)
Transferred into the 10th Mounted-Regiment (01 Oct 1929-01 Oct 1934)
Detached as a Specialist at the Jump-Stable of the Cavalry-School in Hannover (01 Oct 1932-01 Oct 1934)
Chief of the 1st Squadron of the Mounted-Regiment Rathenow (01 Oct 1934-15 Oct 1935)
Chief of the 1st Squadron of the 3rd Mounted-Regiment (15 Oct 1935-06 Oct 1936)
Chief of the 1st Squadron of the 3rd Cavalry-Regiment (06 Oct 1936-26 Aug 1939)
Detached to the Army Gas Protection School (06 Jan 1939-16 Feb 1939)
Commander of the 17th Reconnaissance-Battalion (26 Aug 1939-14 Dec 1939)
Commander of the I. Battalion of the 22nd Mounted-Regiment (14 Dec 1939-15 Aug 1941)
Wounded (15 Aug 1941-15 Oct 1941)
Commander of the 1st Bicycle-Battalion (15 Oct 1941-01 Dec 1941)
Commander of the 4th Motorcycle-Battalion (01 Dec 1941-06 Mar 1942)
Führer-Reserve OKH (06 Mar 1942-15 Apr 1942)
Detached to the 15th Panzer-Division for use as a Commander of a Rifle-Regiment in Africa (01 Apr 1942-30 Apr 1942)
Commander of the 115th Rifle-Regiment (15 Apr 1942-28 Jul 1942)
Wounded at El Alamein, in Hospital (28 Jul 1942-01 Aug 1942)
Führer-Reserve (01 Aug 1942-23 Apr 1943)
Detached to the Staff of the German General with the High Command of the Royal Italian Armed Forces (01 Dec 1942-22 Apr 1943)
Commander of the Wehrmacht-Employment-Staff Italy (23 Apr 1943-28 Oct 1943)
German Commander of the Messina Straight (14 Jul 1943-19 Aug 1943)
Delegated with the Leadership of the 15th Panzer-Division (10 Sep 1943-03 Nov 1943)
Führer-Reserve – At the end of November 1943 for 2 weeks, was Temporary-Commander of the 65th Infantry-Division (28 Oct 1943-20 Dec 1943)
Delegated with the Leadership of the 90th Panzer-Grenadier-Division (20 Dec 1943-01 Feb 1944)
Commander of the 90th Panzer-Grenadier-Division (01 Feb 1944-10 Dec 1944)
Führer-Reserve OKH (10 Dec 1944-13 Jan 1945)
3rd Course for Commanding Generals in Hirschberg (05 Jan 1945-13 Jan 1945)
Führer-Reserve – Military-District-Command III (13 Jan 1945-24 Feb 1945)
Führer-Reserve – Military-District-Command XI (24 Feb 1945-01 Mar 1945)
Delegated with the Leadership of the LXXXI. Army-Corps (01 Mar 1945-06 Mar 1945)
Battle-Commandant of Cologne (06 Mar 1945-09 Mar 1945)
Delegated with the Leadership of the LXXXI. Army-Corps (09 Mar 1945-13 Mar 1945)
The Commander-in-Chief of Army Group B requested Baade to immediately report in person to the HQ of Army Group B; Baade reports himself ill (13 Mar 1945-18 Apr 1945)
Delegated for Detachment to the Staff of Commander-in-Chief North-West, post did not become effective (18 Apr 1945)
Near the Estate Neverstaden, Holstein he was wounded by British fighter-bombers, and was brought to hospital in Bad Segeberg (24 Apr 1945-08 May 1945)
Died of his injuries (08 May 1945)
Decorations & Awards:
Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse (1914) 25 November 1916
Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse (1914) 24 December 1917
Hamburgisches Hanseatenkreuz May 1918
Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz (1918) 1 July 1918
Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer 5 February 1935
Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht 4. Klasse (4 Jahre) 2 October 1936
Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht 3. Klasse (12 Jahre) 1 October 1936
Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht 2. Klasse (18 Jahre) 2 October 1936
1939 Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 2. Klasse 18 September 1939
1939 Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 1. Klasse 5 June 1940
Allgemeines Sturmabzeichen (ohne Zahlen), I. Stufe 20 August 1940
Deutsches Kreuz in Gold 2 November 1941 (as Oberstleutnant, I. Abteilung / Reiter-Regiment 22)
Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42
Ärmelband Afrika
Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Silber
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes #1026 (27 June 1942) as Oberst and Kommandeur Schützen-Regiment 115 / 15. Panzer-Division). The award was earned during the dramatic fighting of the Battle of Gazala and the siege of Bir Hakeim in late May and early June 1942. On 27 May 1942, as Rommel’s forces swung around the southern flank of the British Gazala Line, a powerful British armoured counter-thrust suddenly appeared in the open desert rear of the 15. Panzer-Division. Oberst Baade, leading elements of his motorized rifle regiment, raced forward into the foremost line with only a handful of men. Through a masterful combination of rapid decision-making, personal example under direct fire and cool-headed improvisation he threw his small force into the path of the enemy tanks and infantry. His intervention halted the armoured spearhead cold, buying precious time for the rest of the division to regroup and launch its own attacks. The division’s success that day rested directly on his initiative and bravery in the very front of the fighting.
Two weeks later, on 11 June 1942, the decisive assault on the heavily fortified Bir Hakeim position itself took place. The Free French Brigade under Général Koenig had turned the old desert fort and surrounding minefields into a bristling strongpoint. Baade personally took command of a reinforced battalion of Schützen-Regiment 115 and led the final storming attack. Under murderous defensive fire his men advanced across open sand, through wire and mines. Baade was among the first to reach the enemy positions. For twenty-four hours of uninterrupted, close-quarters combat he stayed at the head of his troops, directing fire, rallying shaken platoons and leading bayonet charges into the French bunkers and trenches. When the garrison finally cracked, it was Baade’s regiment that first broke into the heart of the defences and forced the remaining defenders to surrender or flee. His superior leadership and utter disregard for personal safety turned the hard-fought victory at Bir Hakeim (referred to in the official citation as “Hachheim”) into reality. For these two days of decisive action he received the Ritterkreuz.
Panzervernichtungsabzeichen in Silber 8 November 1943 (as Oberst, Führer 90. Panzergrenadier-Division)
Mentioned in Wehrmachtbericht 8 February 1944
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #402 (22 February 1944) as Oberst and Führer 90. Panzergrenadier-Division. The award were given for Baade’s extraordinary performance in the savage defensive fighting around the Monte Cassino massif during the first three months of 1944. As commander of the 90. Panzergrenadier-Division he was thrown into the cauldron of the Allied attempt to break through the Gustav Line and open the road to Rome. The battles for Cassino were among the hardest of the entire Italian campaign: towering mountain ridges, ruined abbey walls turned into machine-gun nests, constant Allied artillery barrages that turned the slopes into a moonscape of craters, and repeated infantry assaults by American, British, Indian, New Zealand and Polish divisions.
Baade turned the defence into a personal masterclass of forward leadership. Instead of directing from a safe rear headquarters he repeatedly established his command post right between the forward infantry companies and the foremost artillery batteries. Accompanied only by his Ordonnanzoffizier and a couple of runners, he stood among the foxholes while shells screamed overhead and enemy tanks ground forward through the rubble. Whenever a crisis erupted – a company overrun, a gap torn in the line, or a critical strongpoint about to fall – Baade was there in minutes. He personally directed counter-attacks, redistributed ammunition under fire, and spoke directly to the exhausted Landser to stiffen their resolve. His visible presence and willingness to share every danger reinforced the will to resist so effectively that the Cassino massif held against wave after wave of Allied attacks. The official Wehrmachtbericht of 8 February 1944 singled out a Kampfgruppe under his leadership, together with the 44. Reichs-Grenadier-Division “Hoch- und Deutschmeister”, for special praise in the “tough multi-day defensive battles at Cassino.” Contemporary press accounts stated that it was “largely to his credit that all enemy efforts to take control of the hotly contested Cassino massif have so far failed.” The Eichenlaub were the direct recognition of this frontline generalship under the most brutal conditions.
Mentioned in Wehrmachtbericht 27 May 1944
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern #111 (16 November 1944) as Generalleutnant and Kommandeur 90. Panzergrenadier-Division. The award recognised Baade’s continued outstanding leadership of the same division through the grinding defensive battles that marked the second half of the Italian campaign in 1944. After Cassino the 90. Panzergrenadier-Division fought a skilful delaying action northward: first along the Adolf Hitler Line, then through the Trasimene Line, across the Arno River, and finally into the rugged Apennine positions of the Gothic Line. Throughout the summer and autumn the division was constantly in contact, conducting local counter-attacks, night withdrawals and tenacious hilltop defences against superior Allied numbers and firepower.
Baade’s style remained unchanged: small staff, constant presence at the hottest sectors, and an almost uncanny ability to appear wherever the line threatened to break. He led from the front in the classic sense, inspiring his grenadiers by example while orchestrating the division’s fluid defence across mountainous terrain and river lines. His troops credited him with preventing several potential breakthroughs that could have unravelled the entire German front in northern Italy. The official citation simply states that he “distinguished himself with his Division during the combat along the Italian front in 1944,” but the award of the Schwerter at this stage of the war reflected the High Command’s recognition that Baade’s personal leadership and tactical skill had kept a battered but still cohesive division fighting effectively long after many others had been ground down. It was the capstone to his reputation as one of the most courageous and effective divisional commanders of the later war years.
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Ernst-Günther Baade was a German general during World War II who rose to the rank of Generalleutnant and became one of the most respected divisional commanders in the later stages of the conflict. Born on 20 August 1897 in Falkenhagen in the German Empire he volunteered for military service at the age of seventeen and fought with cavalry units on the Eastern Front throughout World War I earning both classes of the Iron Cross as well as the Wound Badge in Black and the Hamburg Hanseatic Cross. After the armistice he remained in the Reichswehr transitioning smoothly into the Wehrmacht where he specialized in cavalry and later motorized reconnaissance formations serving in various staff and command roles during the interwar years and the opening campaigns of the new war.
Baade first saw significant action in the Second World War with mounted and motorcycle units on the Eastern Front where his leadership earned him the German Cross in Gold in November 1941. Transferred to North Africa in the spring of 1942 he assumed command of Schützen-Regiment 115 in the 15th Panzer Division just as Rommel launched his offensive against the Gazala Line. On 27 May 1942 when a powerful British armoured counter-thrust suddenly threatened the rear of his division Baade raced forward with only a handful of men and personally directed a desperate blocking action that halted the enemy spearhead long enough for the rest of the formation to regroup. Two weeks later on 11 June he led a reinforced battalion in the final assault against the heavily fortified Free French positions at Bir Hakeim advancing across open desert under intense fire through minefields and wire for a full twenty-four hours of close-quarters fighting. His regiment was among the first to break into the heart of the defences forcing the garrison to surrender and earning him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 27 June 1942.
Wounded at El Alamein on 28 July 1942 Baade was evacuated to Germany but returned to duty in time to play a key role in the German withdrawal from Sicily in August 1943 where he commanded the forces defending the Straits of Messina ensuring the successful evacuation of thousands of troops and equipment under constant Allied air and naval pressure. In December 1943 he took over the 90th Panzergrenadier Division in Italy and quickly established himself as a master of defensive warfare during the brutal battles for the Gustav Line. At Monte Cassino he repeatedly placed his command post among the forward infantry companies and artillery batteries standing in the open while shells rained down and enemy tanks ground forward through the rubble. Whenever a crisis threatened he appeared in person to lead counter-attacks redistribute ammunition and rally exhausted soldiers transforming the mountain stronghold into an unbreakable bastion that held against repeated Allied assaults by American British Indian New Zealand and Polish divisions. For this extraordinary frontline leadership he received the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross on 22 February 1944.
Throughout the summer and autumn of 1944 Baade continued to command the 90th Panzergrenadier Division in a skilful fighting withdrawal first along the Adolf Hitler Line then through the Trasimene Line across the Arno River and finally into the Apennine positions of the Gothic Line. His division conducted local counter-attacks night withdrawals and tenacious hilltop defences against superior numbers and firepower all while Baade maintained his trademark style of operating with an unusually small staff and appearing wherever the line was most threatened. His personal courage and tactical skill prevented several potential breakthroughs that could have unravelled the entire German front in northern Italy. These sustained achievements along the Italian front earned him the Swords to the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves on 16 November 1944. In addition he was awarded the Tank Destruction Badge in Silver for single-handedly knocking out an enemy tank with an infantry weapon during the fighting.
In the final weeks of the war Baade was appointed acting commander of the LXXXI Army Corps in northern Germany but his service ended tragically on 24 April 1945 when his staff car was strafed by a British fighter aircraft near Neverstaven in Holstein. Severely wounded he was taken to a field hospital at Bad Segeberg where gangrene set in and he died on 8 May 1945 the day of Germany's unconditional surrender. Throughout his career Baade was known for his occasionally eccentric behaviour such as going into battle dressed in a Scottish kilt and carrying a claymore as well as for his popularity with the troops who admired his direct leadership his willingness to share every danger and his calm decisive command under extreme pressure. His legacy remains that of a frontline general who refused to lead from anywhere but the front turning desperate defensive stands into legendary stands of resistance in both the North African desert and the rugged mountains of Italy.
Oberleutnant Ernst-Günther Baade.
Oberst Ernst-Günther Baade in North Africa.
Oberst Ernst-Günther Baade.
Oberst Ernst-Günther Baade.
Oberst Ernst-Günther Baade
Oberst Heinrich Baron von Behr and Generalmajor Ernst-Günther Baade.
Adolf
Hitler (Führer und Oberster Befehlshaber der Wehrmacht) shaking
hands and congratulates Oberst Griesbach for his newly awarded
Schwerter. On 25 May 1944 Hitler welcomes nine Wehrmacht officers - who
just recently receives the higher grade of Ritterkreuz - in his retreat
in Berghof Obersalzberg. They were, from left to right: Generalleutnant
Dietrich von Saucken (Kommandeur 4. Panzer-Division. Schwerter #46 on
31 January 1944), Generalleutnant Georg-Wilhelm Postel (Kommandeur 320.
Infanterie-Division. Schwerter #57 on 26 March 1944), Oberst Franz
Griesbach (Kommandeur Grenadier-Regiment 399 / 170.Infanterie-Division.
Schwerter #53 on 6 March 1944), General der Artillerie Maximilian
Fretter-Pico (Kommandierender General XXX. Armeekorps. Eichenlaub #368
on 16 January 1944), General der Infanterie Friedrich Schulz
(Kommandierender General III. Panzerkorps. Eichenlaub #428 on 20 March
1944),
Generalmajor Ernst-Günther Baade (Kommandeur 90.
Panzergrenadier-Division. Eichenlaub #402 on 22 February 1944), Oberst
Herbert Schwender (Kommandeur Grenadier-Regiment 45 /
21.Infanterie-Division. Eichenlaub #442 on 6 April 1944), Oberstleutnant
Heinz Wittchow von Brese-Winiary (Kommandeur II.Bataillon /
Panzergrenadier-Regiment 108 / 14.Panzer-Division. Eichenlaub #441 on 6
April 1944), and Major der Reserve Heinrich Hogrebe (Kommandeur
II.Bataillon / Grenadier-Regiment 422 / 126.Infanterie-Division.
Eichenlaub #454 on 13 April 1944). The signature is belong to Von
Brese-Winiary. Other pictures from this award ceremony can be seen HERE.
Ernst-Günther Baade.
Ernst-Günther Baade.
Ernst-Günther Baade in tropical uniform.
Ernst-Günther Baade in tropical uniform.
Ernst-Günther Baade in tropical uniform.
Ritterkreuz award ceremony for Feldwebel Martin Mitschke (Zugführer in 2.Kompanie / I.Bataillon / Panzergrenadier-Regiment 200 / 90.Panzergrenadier-Division), which were held in Rimini, Italian Front, October 1944. Awarded the medal is Generalleutnant Ernst-Günther Baade (Kommandeur 90. Panzergrenadier-Division). Mitschke formally received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 16 October 1944. The following letter of commendation (written on 10 October 1944 by Generalleutnant Baade) describes the action that would lead to Mitschke receiving the coveted medal: “On the night of 27-28 September 1944 Feldwebel Mitschke launched an attack with his Zug (platoon) on his own initiative against the enemy forces that had penetrated into Savignano. Although the enemy resisted here with heavy fire, they were eventually driven out. As a result of his bravery and decisiveness, this key position (of importance to the whole Division) was thereby held.” Other pictures from this award ceremony can be seen HERE.
A video of the awarding of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes to two experienced platoon leaders of the Panzergrenadiere, late 1944 in Italy. The general is Schwerterträger Ernst-Günther Baade, who later fell on 8 May 1945. He was the commander of the 90. Panzergrenadier-Division, which was fighting at Rimini and Bologna. He wears a neck decoration of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern and a reversible camouflage jacket with the special insignia on the sleeve. The two decorated men are Oberfeldwebel Hugo Heinkel, a Zugtruppführer in the 15.Kompanie / Grenadier-Regiment 361 (motorisiert), and Oberfeldwebel Martin Mitschke, a Zugführer in 2.Kompanie / Grenadier-regiment 200 (motorisiert). Other pictures of this award ceremony can be seen HERE.
Generalleutnant Ernst-Günther Baade
Bundesarchiv photo collection
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst-G%C3%BCnther_Baade
http://www.geocities.ws/orion47.geo/WEHRMACHT/HEER/Generalleutnant/BAADE_ERNST.html
https://ww2colorfarbe.blogspot.com/2022/01/bio-of-generalleutnant-ernst-gunther.html
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