Full nama: Bruno Oswald Bräuer
Nickname: unknown
Date of Birth: 4 February 1893 at Willmannsdorf, Provinz Schlesien (German Empire)
Date of Death: 20 May 1947 at Athens-Xaidari (Greece)
NSDAP Number: unknown
SS Number: unknown
Academic Title: unknown
Family Member: unknown
Physical Feature: unknown
Beförderungen (Promotion):
01.12.1911 Gefreiter
01.07.1912 Unteroffizier
01.10.1915 Feldwebel
01.12.1916 Vizefeldwebel
01.10.1917 Offiziers-Stellvertreter
07.08.1919 Leutnant
01.01.1920 Polizei-Leutnant
29.09.1923 Polizei-Oberleutnant
04.04.1928 Polizei-Hauptmann
01.06.1935 Polizei-Major
15.10.1935 Major
01.01.1938 Oberstleutnant
01.01.1939 Oberst
01.09.1941 Generalmajor
06.09.1942 Generalleutnant
01.06.1944 General der Fallschirmtruppe
Karriere (Career):
Pupil at the Military-Boys-Approved-School in Annaburg (27 Apr 1905-14 Apr 1908)
Pupil at the NCO-Preschool I Greifenberg, Pomerania (15 Apr 1908-14 Apr 1910)
Training at the NCO-School in Treptow I the Rega (15 Apr 1910-31 Mar 1912)
With the 155th Infantry-Regiment (01 Apr 1912-06 Aug 1919)
Platoon-Leader in the 9th Rifle-Regiment (07 Aug 1919-31 Dec 1919)
Transferred to Police Service with the Protection-Police im Unruhstadt (01 Jan 1920-1922)
With the Protection-Police in Berlin (1922-24 Feb 1933)
Company-Chief in the Police-Department Wecke (25 Feb 1933-31 May 1933)
Company-Chief with Police-Group Wecke (01 Jun 1933-16 Jul 1933)
Company-Chief in the State-Police-Group Wecke (17 Jul 1933-11 Jan 1934)
Company-Chief in the State-Police-Group ‘General Göring’ (12 Jan 1934-31 Mar 1935)
Battalion-Commander in the State-Police-Group ‘General Göring’ (01 Apr 1935-30 Sep 1935)
Transferred
for Service with the Luftwaffe as Battalion-Commander in the
Luftwaffe-Regiment ‘General Göring’ (01 Oct 1935-09 Nov 1935)
Commander of the I. (Jäger) Battalion in the Luftwaffe-Regiment ‘General Göring’ (10 Nov 1935-31 Aug 1937)
Commander of the IV. (Parachute-Infantry) Battalion in the Luftwaffe-Regiment ‘General Göring’ (01 Sep 1937-31 Mar 1938)
Commander of the I. Battalion of the 1st Paratrooper-Regiment (01 Apr 1938-31 Dec 1938)
Commander of the 1st Paratrooper-Regiment (01 Jan 1939-05 Sep 1942)
At the same time, Assigned the Leadership of Battle-Group East for the invasion of the Island Of Crete (16 May 1941-01 Jun 1941)
Führer-Reserve
and Officer with Special Duties with the RLM and C-in-C Luftwaffe,
Detached and Assigned the Leadership of the Affairs of the Commander of
Fortress Crete and the Commander of Air-Region-Staff Crete (06 Sep
1942-23 Feb 1943)
Fortress-Commandant Crete and Commander of Air-Region Crete (23 Feb 1943-31 May 1944)
Führer-Reserve OKL (01 Jun 1944-01 Mar 1945)
Commander of the 9th Paratrooper-Division (02 Mar 1945-18 Apr 1945)
Fell ill, Führer-Reserve OKL (19 Apr 1945-09 May 1945)
In British, later Greek captivity (10 May 1945-20 May 1947)
Sentenced to Death by a Special Greek Court in Athens because of Alleged War Crimes and Hung (20 May 1947)
Orden und Ehrenzeichen (Medals and Decorations):
14.10.1914 1914 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
01.04.1917 1914 Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
00.00.193_ Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
00.00.19__ Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. bis I. Klasse
00.00.19__ Fallschirmschützen-Abzeichen
00.00.19__ Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 13.03.1938
00.00.19__ Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 01.10.1938 mit Spange “Prager Burg”
20.10.1939 1939 spange zum 1914 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
23.05.1940 1939 spange zum 1914 Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
24.05.1940 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes #36, as Oberst und Kommandeur Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 1 / 7.Flieger-Division
09.06.1941 Mentioned in Wehrmachtbericht
00.00.194_ Erdkampfabzeichen der Luftwaffe
00.00.194_ Ärmelband “Kreta”
13.04.1942 Deutsches Kreuz in Gold
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* In November 1942 Bräuer replaced General Alexander Andrae as commander on Crete.
* On 25 March 1943, Greek Independence Day, he released 100 Cretans jailed in Agia prison. Among them was Constantinos Mitsotakis, who later became MP and Prime Minister of Greece.
* After German failures at Stalingrad and El Alamein, Bräuer ordered the construction of underground command bunkers, more defenses around Suda Bay and increased ammunition stocks.
* Bräuer position as Commander on Crete was replaced by General Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller in 1944.
* In January 1945, the 9. Fallschirmjäger-Division was formed under Bräuer, mostly made up of Luftwaffe ground forces. In January 1945 two of his battalions were encircled by the 1st Ukrainian Front in Breslau, where they were destroyed. The rest of the division retreated back to the Seelow Heights. Many of the troops fled when the Soviet barrage began. Before long, the line had nearly completely collapsed and many of Bräuer's men began to desert. Bräuer suffered a nervous collapse and was relieved of his command.
* Along with General Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller, after the war Bräuer was charged with war crimes by a Greek military court. He stood trial in Athens for atrocities on Crete. Under the prosecution of Admiral Nicholas Zacharias, the Greek naval prosecutor, Bräuer was accused of the deaths of 3,000 Cretans, massacres, systematic terrorism, deportation, pillage, wanton destruction, torture and ill treatment. Bräuer was convicted and sentenced to death on 9 December 1946. He was executed by firing squad at 5 o'clock on 20 May 1947, the anniversary of the German invasion of Crete. Historian Antony Beevor called him "a truly unfortunate man", having been executed for crimes "committed under another general".
Source :
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-L04878
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Br%C3%A4uer
https://www.oocities.org/~orion47/WEHRMACHT/LUFTWAFFE/General/BRAEUER_BRUNO.html
