The 90. leichte Afrika-Division was formed on 26 June 1941 in North Africa as Divisionskommando z.b.V. Afrika from existing Deutsches Afrikakorps elements including Schützen-Regiment 155, Infanterie-Regiment 361 (Afrika-Regiment with former French Foreign Legion personnel), gemischte Aufklärungskompanie 580, Pionier-Bataillon 900 and Nachrichten-Kompanie 190, and was renamed 90. leichte Afrika-Division on 26 November 1941 under initial command of Generalmajor Max Sümmermann. It became the only German combat division largely raised in Africa itself and underwent further redesignations to 90. leichte Infanterie-Division on 1 April 1942 and 90. Afrika-Division on 26 July 1942 as it expanded into a more fully motorized formation with Panzergrenadier-Regiment 155, Panzergrenadier-Regiment 200, Panzergrenadier-Regiment 361, Panzer-Abteilung 190, Panzerjäger-Abteilung 190, Panzeraufklärungs-Abteilung 90, Artillerie-Regiment 190 and Pionier-Bataillon 900. Command passed successively to Generalleutnant Richard Veith, General der Panzertruppen Ulrich Kleemann, Generalleutnant Carl-Hans Lungershausen and finally Generalleutnant Theodor Graf von Sponeck. The division played a major role throughout the Western Desert Campaign, fighting in Operation Crusader around Tobruk and Sidi Rezegh, the Gazala battles including Bir Hakeim, the advance to El Alamein, both Battles of El Alamein, the long fighting retreat through Libya, the Mareth Line defenses in southern Tunisia and the final Enfidaville positions. It earned a reputation among Allied forces, particularly the 2nd New Zealand Division, as a tough and determined opponent capable of stubborn defensive actions even when severely depleted. In the closing stages of the Tunisia Campaign the division resisted successive attacks until it was overrun on 12 May 1943 and formally surrendered the following day near Cap Bon, after which it was dissolved on 30 June 1943.
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SCHWERTERTRÄGER
Generalleutnant Ernst-Günther Baade (1897-1945) was born on 20 August 1897 in Falkenhagen and entered military service as a Kriegsfreiwilliger on 18 August 1914 in the 2. Pommersche Ulanen-Regiment Nr. 9, serving through the First World War where he rose to Leutnant and earned the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse on 25 November 1916, the Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse on 24 December 1917, the Hamburgisches Hanseatenkreuz, and the Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz. Retained in the Reichswehr, he continued in cavalry units including the 14. Reiter-Regiment and later as Chef of a Schwadron in Reiter-Regiment 3, receiving promotions to Oberleutnant in 1925, Rittmeister in 1933, Major in 1937, and Oberstleutnant in 1940. In the Second World War he commanded the I. Abteilung of Reiter-Regiment 22 and earned the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 2 November 1941. Transferred to North Africa in 1942 as Kommandeur of Schützen-Regiment 115 in the 15. Panzer-Division and promoted to Oberst, Baade distinguished himself in the fighting around Bir Hakeim; on 27 May 1942 he prevented a strong enemy armoured attack in the rear of the division through superior leadership, initiative and personal bravery in the foremost line, while on 11 June 1942 he personally led a reinforced Bataillon of his regiment against the fortified positions at Bir Hakeim, his unit being the first to enter the defenses and breaking the garrison’s resistance after 24 hours of uninterrupted combat, actions for which he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 27 June 1942. Wounded at El-Alamein, he later oversaw the defense of the Straits of Messina during the evacuation from Sicily and in late 1943 assumed leadership of the 90. Panzergrenadier-Division in Italy. During the heavy fighting around Cassino he repeatedly occupied forward command posts between the infantry and the foremost Batterien with only his Ordonnanzoffizier, intervening personally under fire to strengthen resistance and prevent Allied seizure of the massif, earning the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz (402nd award) on 22 February 1944 as Oberst and Führer of the division; he was promoted to Generalmajor with rank from 1 February 1944 and later to Generalleutnant. For the continued distinguished performance of the 90. Panzergrenadier-Division along the Italian front throughout 1944, including further defensive successes, he received the Schwerter (111th award) on 16 November 1944 as Generalleutnant and Kommandeur of the division. Baade was severely wounded on 24 April 1945 when his staff car was strafed by a British aircraft near Neverstaven in Holstein and died of gangrene on 8 May 1945 in a hospital at Bad Segeberg.
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RITTERKREUZTRÄGER
Generalleutnant Johann Mickl (1893-1945), born Johann Mikl on 18 April 1893 in Zelting near Radkersburg in Styria to a Catholic peasant family as the twin of Alois, attended the Landwehr cadet school in Vienna from 1908 and the Theresianische Militärakademie in Wiener Neustadt from 1911, graduating as Leutnant in the k.k. Landwehr on 1 August 1914 and joining the k.k. Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment 4. During the First World War he fought on the Eastern Front in Galicia and later on the Italian Front in the mountain warfare of the Isonzo battles and Caporetto, receiving multiple wounds and decorations including the Militärverdienstkreuz III. Klasse and the Order of the Iron Crown 3rd Class for personal bravery and leadership of assaults. After the war he served in the Deutschösterreichische Volkswehr defending Radkersburg, then entered the Austrian Bundesheer, rising to Major in 1928 and Oberstleutnant by 1936 while serving as a general staff officer, and changed his name to Mickl in 1922. Following the Anschluss he transferred to the Wehrmacht as Oberstleutnant and commanded the Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 42 of the 2. leichte Division in the Polish campaign and the Battle of France with the 7. Panzer-Division, earning promotion to Oberst on 1 June 1940. In June 1941 he took command of the Schützen-Regiment 155 of the 90. leichte Afrika-Division in the Deutsches Afrikakorps. For extraordinary bravery during Operation Crusader south of Sidi Rezegh near Tobruk on 26 November 1941, when as Oberst he personally led his regimental staff into the attack, rallied the pinned 7. Kompanie and was among the first to storm British positions as the right wing of Kampfgruppe Boettcher, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 13 December 1941. After recovery from wounds he commanded the 12. Schützen-Brigade and then the Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25 of the 12. Panzer-Division on the Eastern Front, where for his decisive leadership in fluid defensive and offensive battles around Rzhev during the winter of 1942–43 that crushed multiple heavy Soviet attacks after assuming command of the regiment, he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 6 March 1943 as the 205th recipient while still Oberst. Promoted to Generalmajor on 1 March 1943 and briefly leading the 11. Panzer-Division at Kursk, he became Generalleutnant on 1 April 1944 and from August 1943 commanded the 392. (kroatische) Infanterie-Division in operations against Yugoslav partisans, conquering the Velebit range to the Adriatic and covering the withdrawal of Heeresgruppe E. On 9 April 1945 he was shot in the head by partisans during fighting for the Vratnik Pass near Senj and died of his wounds the following day in hospital in Rijeka.
Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/90th_Light_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/leichte%20Panzerdivisionen/90leDivR.htm
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