Bio of General der Gebirgstruppe Ludwig Kübler (1889-1947)

Ludwig Kübler

Date of Birth: 02.09.1889 - Hopferau, Münich (German Empire)
Date of Death: 18.08.1947 - executed at Ljubljana Miklasicera (Yugoslavia)

Nickname: Limping Nurmi
Parents: Wilhelm Kübler and Rosa Braun
Siblings: Six brothers and two sisters

Promotions:
16.10.1908 Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier
20.02.1909 Fähnrich
23.10.1910 Leutnant
09.07.1915 Oberleutnant
18.08.1918 Hauptmann
01.08.1928 Major
01.04.1932 Oberstleutnant
01.07.1934 Oberst
01.01.1938 Generalmajor
01.12.1939 Generalleutnant
01.08.1940 General der Infanterie
24.11.1941 General der Gebirgstruppe

Career:
20.07.1918 Entered Army Service
20.07.1908 - 01.04.1913 Fahnenjunker in the 15. Königlich Bayerisches Infanterie-Regiment "König Friedrich August von Sachsen" in Neuburg an der Donau
01.10.1909 - 14.10.1910 Detached to the Kriegsschule Münich
15.01.1913 - 04.02.1913 Detached to the Machinegun Company of the Bavarian 3. Infanterie-Regiment Prinz Karl von Bayern and for riding training with the Bavarian 4. Chevaulegers [Light Cavalry]-Regiment König.
05.02.1913 - 18.03.1913 Detached for machinegun training at the Camp Lechfeld Troop Training Area.
01.04.1913 Detached to the Machinegun Company of the Bavarian 15th Infantry Regiment.
01.10.1913 Transferred to the Machinegun Company of the Bavarian 15th Infantry Regiment.
21.09.1914 Regimental Adjutant of the Bavarian 15th Infantry Regiment.
24.09.1914 Severely wounded in the face and jaw by a grenade during the engagement at Lassigny on the Western Front.
01.10.1917 - 31.10.1917 Detached to the Bavarian 2nd Infantry Division for the purpose of training in General Staff service.
25.01.1918 Relieved from the position of Regimental Adjutant and Leader of the Machinegun Company of the Bavarian 15th Infantry Regiment.
31.03.1918 Deputy Leader of the Bavarian Machinegun Sharp Shooting Battalion 2.
11.04.1918 - 25.06.1918 Deputy Leader of the II. Battalion of the Bavarian 15th Infantry Regiment.
03.05.1918 Wounded in the right shoulder and right knee by artillery fire south of Villers aux Erables on the Western Front/treated at the front and remained with the troops.
09.07.1918 - 10.08.1918 Deputy Leader of the II. Battalion of the Bavarian 15th Infantry Regiment.
10.08.1918 Sick with respiratory and heart trouble.
15.08.1918 Operation at the Surgical Clinic in München and the Erlangen Reserve Hospital School and again on 15 February 1919.
16.02.1919 Leader of the Home Defense Company of the Bavarian 15th Infantry Regiment.
01.06.1919 Adjutant of Bavarian Infantry Leader 22.
01.10.1919 Ordnance Officer of Infantry Leader 21.
15.10.1919 Company Leader in Reichswehr Schützen [Rifle]-Regiment 42.
01.10.1920 Transferred to the 19th (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment.
01.10.1921 Transferred to the Reich Defense Ministry – 1923-1925 in the Army Department (T 1) of the Troop Office.
01.10.1925 Transferred to the General Staff of Group Command 1.
01.10.1927 Transferred to the staff of the 1st Division.
01.07.1930 - 23.07.1930 At the same time, sent to the XXV Course for Physical Education in Wünsdorf.
01.06.1931 Commander of the I. Battalion of the 19th (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment.
05.10.1931 - 23.10.1931 Detached to Firing Course A for Heavy Infantry Weapons at Döberitz.
01.10.1933 Transferred to the staff of the 7th Division carrying the Uniform of a Leadership Staff Officer.
01.11.1933 Chief of Staff of the 7th Division.
01.10.1934 Chief of Staff of Wehrkreis Command VII.
01.06.1935 Commander of the Mountain Brigade, München carrying the Uniform of the 19th (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment.
01.04.1938 - 24.10.1940 Kommandeur 1. Gebirgs-Division
17.10.1940 - 21.10.1940 Detached to the Army High Command (Army General Staff).
25.10.1940 - 20.01.1942 Kommandierender General XXXXIX. Gebirgskorps
17.12.1941 - 20.01.1942 Commander-in-Chief of the 4th Army (other documents state with immediate effect from 19 December 1941).
21.01.1942 - 21.07.1943 Army High Command Leader Reserve – Duties determined by the Deputy Commanding General of the VII Army Corps and Commander of Wehrkreis VII.
22.07.1943 - 04.09.1943 Delegated with the post of Commanding General of Security Troops and Commander of Army Area Center.
05.09.1943 - 30.09.1943 Commanding General of Security Troops and Commander of Army Area Center.
01.10.1943 Commander of Security Area, then Operations Zone Adriatic Coastland.
28.09.1944 Commanding General of the LXXXXVII Army Corps for Special Employment (through renaming) (also seen as 5 October 1944).
08.05.1945 Prisoner of war in Yugoslavian captivity; war crimes trial.
18.08.1947 Died in Ljubljana (per WASt) (other sources state he was tried and shot for war crimes against the Yugoslavian people).
00.11.1964 The Pioneer Barracks in Mittenwald was named “General Kübler-Kaserne” in his honor.

Awards and Decorations:
03.03.1911 Königlich Bayerische Prinz-Regent-Luitpold Jubiläums-Medaille
16.09.1914 1914 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
05.11.1911 Königlich Bayerische Militär-Verdienstorden IV.Klasse mit Schwertern
17.11.1914 1914 Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
12.05.1916 Ritterkreuz II.Klasse des Königlich Sächsische Albrechts-Ordens mit Schwertern
23.07.1917 Königlich Bayerische Militär-Verdienstorden IV.Klasse mit Schwertern und mit der Krone
07.06.1918 Verwundetenabzeichen 1918 in Schwarz
15.12.1934 Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer 1914-1918
02.10.1936 Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht IV.Klasse 4 Jahre
02.10.1936 Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht III.Klasse 12 Jahre
02.10.1936 Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht II.Klasse 18 Jahre
02.10.1936 Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht I.Klasse 25 Jahre
30.11.1936 Deutsches Olympia Ehrenzeichen Erster Klasse
21.11.1938 Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 13. März 1938
00.00.19__ Heeresbergführer-Abzeichen
15.09.1939 1939 spange zum 1914 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
20.09.1939 1939 spange zum 1914 Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
27.10.1939 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, as Generalmajor and Kommandeur 1. Gebirgs-Division
23.08.1942 Medaille "Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42" (Ostmedaille)
00.00.194_ Slovenský vojenný víťazný kríž (Slovakian Order of the War Victory Cross), 3rd Class

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Ludwig Kübler (2 September 1889 – 18 August 1947) was born on 2 September 1889 in the village of Hopferau near Munich in the Kingdom of Bavaria. His father was the physician Wilhelm Kübler and he had six brothers and two sisters. In 1895 he enrolled in elementary school in Forstenried which he left after three years, he then attended the Gymnasium in Rosenheim and the humanist Ludwig Gymnasium in Munich. He graduated in 1908 with top grades and turned down a place at the prestigious Maximilianeum for a career in the military. On 20 July 1908, he joined the 15th Royal Bavarian Infantry Regiment "King Friedrich August of Saxony" as a cadet. At the time, the regiment was garrisoned at Neuburg an der Donau. On 26 October of that year, he was appointed as a Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier (cadet non-commissioned officer). From 1 October 1909 until 14 October 1910 he attended the War School (German: Kriegsschule) in Munich, at which he was placed fifth out of 166 students in his year. On 23 October 1910, he was commissioned as a Leutnant. On 15 January 1913 he was posted to the machine gun company of the 3rd Royal Bavarian Infantry Regiment "Prince Karl of Bavaria", then conducted riding training with the 4th Royal Bavarian Chevaulegers Regiment. He spent February and March 1913 conducting machine gun training courses in the field, before taking command of the machine gun company of the 15th Royal Bavarian Infantry Regiment on 1 April.

At the beginning of World War I, Kübler was serving with 15th Bavarian Infantry Regiment, on the Western Front. He was involved in September 1914 fighting in Lorraine and around St Quentin as commander of a machine gun platoon. On 16 September he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class. On 21 September he was appointed as the regimental adjutant. On 24 September a serious injury from shell splinters left a conspicuous large scar on his face. Although the injury had not completely healed he returned on 13 January 1915 to his regiment, which took part in the Battle of the Somme. While recuperating, on 17 November he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st class. On 9 July 1915 he was promoted to Oberleutnant, and on 18 August 1918 he was promoted to the rank of Hauptmann.

After the war he was retained in the Reichswehr. He was then a staff officer in the Army Department (T1) of Truppenamt for a few years. From 1925–1926 he was at the General Staff of Group Command 1 in Berlin. He was promoted to the rank of Major on 1 August 1928, and Oberstleutnant on 1 April 1932. On 1 November 1933 he was appointed as the chief of staff of the 7th Division based in Munich, and after transferring to the newly created Wehrmacht, he was promoted to the rank of Oberst on 1 July 1934. This was followed by his appointment on 1 October 1934 as the chief of staff of Wehrkreis VII, the Bavarian military district centred on Munich. He was promoted to Generalmajor on 1 January 1938, and exactly three months later was appointed to command the 1st Mountain Division. The 1st Mountain Division was raised from Wehrkreis VII, with its garrison centred on Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It was recruited from Bavarians, with some Austrians included, and was formed on 9 April 1938. Considerably stronger than most German divisions, it had three mountain infantry regiments rather than two.

At the start of World War II, Kübler's division was involved in the invasion of Poland as part of the 14th Army, commencing on 1 September 1939. It fought in the Carpathian Mountains, distinguishing itself during the capture of the Dukla Pass. On 27 October, Kübler was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his role in the Polish campaign. Then on 1 December 1939 he was promoted to Generalleutnant. During the invasion of France and the Low Countries in May 1940, Kübler's division was not heavily committed, fighting on the Franco-Belgian border and crossing the Maas on 15 May. The division was stationed around Arras after the fall of France, as it had been selected to form part of the invasion force for Operation Sealion, the invasion of the United Kingdom. After that operation was postponed, on 25 October 1940 Kübler was appointed to command the XXXXIX Mountain Corps, which included the 1st Mountain Division. His corps was earmarked for Operation Felix, the planned capture of Gibraltar, but that operation was also called off. Due to the disfigurement caused by the wounds he suffered during World War I, Kübler became known to his troops as "Limping Nurmi", a reference to the Finnish long-distance runner Paavo Nurmi.

In April 1941, Kübler's XXXXIX Mountain Corps was allocated to the 2nd Army for the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia, and assembled near Klagenfurt prior to the commencement of the invasion on 6 April. By this time, Kübler had been promoted to General der Infanterie. For the Axis attack on the Soviet Union that commenced in 22 June 1941, Kübler's corps was allocated to the 17th Army, itself part of Army Group South. Kübler's rank was redesignated from General der Infanterie to General der Gebirgstruppe. On 19 December 1941, Kübler was appointed commander of the 4th Army. This occurred during the desperate winter defensive fighting when Adolf Hitler would not countenance any withdrawals. Kübler found Hitler's approach "intolerable" and sought relief. On 20 January 1942 he was transferred to the Army Führerreserve (senior officer reserve pool).

From 22 July and 1 October 1943, Kübler was acting commander of the Army Group Centre Rear Area, responsible for security warfare in the territories behind Army Group Centre. On 1 October he was appointed to command the Operational Zone of the Adriatic Littoral (OZAK), based in Trieste on the northern Adriatic coast. On 28 August 1944, LXXXXVII Army Corps was formed to command all German Army elements in OZAK, and Kübler was appointed as its commander. Shortly before the end of the war he was wounded and captured in Yugoslavia, tried for war crimes and executed after the war. Along with his successor Generalleutant Hans von Hößlin he was sentenced to death in 1947 by a Yugoslav court. He was hanged in Ljubljana on 18 August 1947, like his younger brother, Generalleutnant Josef Kübler, who was hanged in Belgrade on 26 February 1947.

Kübler was considered a "superb soldier" but a hard taskmaster. In 1964, the German Army barracks in Mittenwald, Bavaria were named after Kübler. In November 1995, Volker Rühe, then the German Minister of Defence, changed the name of the barracks from "General-Kübler-Kaserne" to "Karwendel-Kaserne".

Source :
Jim Haley photo collection
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_K%C3%BCbler
https://www.kometmilitaria.com/product-page/press-picture-general-k%C3%BCbler-with-olympia-ehrenzeichen-erster-klasse
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/K/KueblerLudwig.htm
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/12422/K%C3%BCbler-Ludwig.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20091027112558fw_/http://www.geocities.com/~orion47/WEHRMACHT/HEER/General2/KUEBLER_LUDWIG.html

Bio of Feldwebel d.R. Alois Gugganig (1906-1944)

 

Feldwebel Alois Gugganig (Zugführer in 12.Kompanie / III.Bataillon / Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 91) with the recently acquired Ritterkreuz, 1943.

Full name: Alois Gugganig
Nickname: Lois
Date of Birth: 8 June 1906 in Bad Gastein, Bischofshofen, Salzburg (Austro-Hungarian Empire)
Date of Death: 6 January 1944 in Vinnitsa, Ukraine (Soviet Union)
NSDAP Number: unknown (joined in 1931)
SS Number: no
Academic Title: no
Family Member:Anton Gugganig and Maria Herzog (parents)
Physical Feature: unknown

Beförderungen (Promotion):
01.06.1941 Gefreiter
01.11.1941 Unteroffizier

Karriere (Career):
00.00.1912 - 00.00.1920 attended elementary school in Bad Gastein
00.00.1916 - 00.00.1918 attended his first ski course which was organized by his school
00.00.1920 learned the profession of a shoemaker
00.00.1927 - 10.06.1929 attended the mountain guide course
04.05.1930 head of the ski school in Badgastein
17.04.1940 ski train driver in Infanterie-Regiment 738
27.05.1940 - 29.04.1941 served in Gebirgsjäger-Ersatz-Regiment 136
27.05.1940 - 04.07.1940 completed the basic training in Gebirgsjäger-Ersatz-Regiment 136
30.04.1941 - 07.02.1942 served in 6.Kompanie / II.Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment 738
11.08.1941 - 06.09.1941 Unterführer-Lehrgang II.Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment 738
08.02.1942 - 26.06.1942 served in 2.Kompanie / Gebirgsjäger-Bataillon 99
03.04.1942 - 09.04.1942 Heeresbergführer-Lehrgang
26.06.1942 transferred to the Hochgebirge staff in Berchtesgaden
27.06.1942 transferred to 2.Kompanie / Hochgebirgsbatallions 2
12.10.1942 wounded for the first time by bullet fire
13.02.1943 - 06.01.1944 transferred to 2.Kompanie /  Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 91
00.03.1943 received home leave which he spent with his family in Badgastein
19.10.1943 went back to the front to his old unit
06.01.1944 killed in action

Orden und Ehrenzeichen (Medals and Decorations):
13.04.1935 SA Wehrsport-Abzeichen                                               
24.12.1941 Kriegsverdienstkreuz II.Klasse mit Schwertern              
20.02.1941 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse                                                   
27.09.1942 Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse                                                   
02.10.1942 Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz                               
09.04.1943 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, as Feldwebel and Zugführer in 12.Kompanie / III.Bataillon / Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 91 / 4.Gebirgs-Division                         
01.07.1943 Heeres-Bergführerabzeichen                                           
10.09.1943 Infanterie Sturmabzeichen                                              
20.11.1943 Medalia comemorativa Cruciada Impotriva Comunismului (Romania)                        

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Alois Gugganig was born on June 8, 1906, in Badgastein to Anton and Maria Gugganig. From 1912 to 1920, he attended the elementary school in Badgastein. He was enthusiastic about skiing and mountaineering very early on. From 1916 to 1918, he attended his first ski course, which was organized by his school. During this time he was able to achieve some downhill victories. In 1920, he learned the profession of a shoemaker. In his free time, he regularly went on mountain and ski tours. In 1927, he was invited by the Austrian Alpine Association to attend the mountain guide course, which he completed in 1929 together with his training as a ski instructor. In 1930, he became head of the ski school in Badgastein. In 1931, he became a member of the NSDAP, and in 1932 he became a member of the SA.

Gugganig completed his basic training at the Gebirgsjäger-Ersatz-Regiment 136 in Innsbruck. After completing basic training, he was transferred to Fulpmes due to his civilian mountain guide training. Here he completed his first army mountain guide course from August 22 to September 4, 1940, and then completed the first winter course from February 3 to April 17, 1940. Then he went straight to the front, to Infanterie-Regiment 738, where he was used as a ski train driver. Here he was also awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class and the War Merit Cross 2nd Class. He then took part in the first Unterführer course in the II. Battalion of Infanterie-Regiment 738. After graduation, he was transferred to the Gebirgsjäger-Battalion 99 in Sonthofen. From 04/04 to 05/01 in 1942, he took part in the second army mountain guide course in Fulpmes. He was present here until June 26, until being transferred to the Hochgebirge staff in Berchtesgaden, from where he was transferred directly to the 2nd company of the Hochgebirgsbatallions 2 on June 27. Here he was wounded on October 12, 1942, for the first time by bullet fire. After recovery in the hospital, he came to the Jäger-Regiment 91, 2 Company on February 13, 1943. Here he was awarded the Ritterkreuz on March 27, 1943. Then he received home leave which he spent with his family in Badgastein. From there he went on to Fulpmes where he was awarded the Heeresbergführer. On October 19, 1943 he went back to the front to his old unit.

How He Won His Ritterkreuz: Gugganig was ordered to hold the edge of a village against any attack by the enemy with his platoon to protect the flank of his division. During the night however, several hundred Russians suddenly broke into the village through a front hatch to the left of his position. They overran three heavy gun positions and penetrated ever deeper into the defensive line. To counter the danger of being overrun, Gugganig decided to counterattack with his platoon. With his troops he attacked a twenty-fold superior force. A murderous hand-to-hand fight broke out, house after house was reconquered by Gugganig and his men as well as the three heavy gun positions. After hours of fighting, he managed to occupy the old main battle line and capture almost 100 Russians and left more than 180 dead on the battlefield. Through his action and others of this kind, the Kuban bridgehead was created.

On January 6, 1944, at around 3 am, the Russians carried out a surprise attack against the position of Gugganig and his platoon. Here he was severely wounded by a shot in the belly and grenade splinters in the back. He died in the hands of a comrade who then wrote a letter to his mother and told her the last words and wishes from her son. He was admitted to the field hospital in Winniza at 1 am, on January 7, where he was declared dead and buried there the same day.

Source :
https://www.alamy.com/sergeant-alois-gugganig-12gebirgsjaegerregiment-91-with-the-knights-cross-1941-image385783729.html
https://www.edelweiss-antiques.com/alois-gugganig
https://www.ratisbons.com/auctions-archive/25th-contemporary-history-auction/grouping-to-heeresbergfuehrer-kc-recipient-fw-gugganig.html
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/85736/Gugganig-Alois.htm

Ritterkreuz Action of Friedrich Bader

Friedrich Bader (21 June 1908 - 16 May 1997) received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 12 August 1944 as Major and Kommandeur Hochgebirgsjäger-Bataillon 3. The medal was awarded for distinguishing himself with his Bataillon during the fighting near Ceccano, Central Italy. On 19 and 21 May 1944, he distinguished himself particularly through his personal bravery during the fighting in the Campodimele area. On May 19, he received the order to take Monte le Pezze and point 781 north of it and to make it possible to hold the San Nicola mountain pass. Possession of the pass was of crucial importance for maintaining the line of resistance and the prerequisite for the planned deposition of the German troops of the "Cassino Front" in the entire section. Major Bader succeeded in carrying out this assignment under the most difficult of conditions. On May 21, 1944, he and his battalion managed to repel several British attacks on the battalion's positions. He also achieved success in bitter forest combat against attacking Moroccan forces, and by doing so he majorly contributed to fulfilling his Kampfgruppe’s task of covering the German retreat.

Source :
https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Bader,_Friedrich
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/28173/Bader-Friedrich-Wilhelm-Fritz.htm

Hans Rohr and Gebirgsjäger

Gebirgsjäger posing together in a picture taken in 1945. The Ritterkreuzträger in the middle is Hans Rohr, while the general at his side is Generalmajor Matthias Kräutler (Kommandeur Divisionsstab z.b.V. 140). Rohr received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 20 June 1940 as Leutnant der Reserve and Zugführer in 7.Kompanie / II.Bataillon / Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 139 / 3.Gebirgs-Division.

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/237603291147106

Ritterkreuz Action of Franz Pfeiffer

Franz Pfeiffer (23 October 1907 - 20 November 1994) received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 13 June 1941 as Hauptmann and Chef 15.Kompanie / III.Bataillon / Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 100 / 5.Gebirgs-Division. The following wartime excerpt describes why Pfeiffer received the Ritterkreuz: “During the attack on the heavily fortified Greek strongpoints along the Rupel Pass position, which included strong bunkers and underground facilities, Hauptmann Pfeiffer participated as a leader of the bunker overwatch units. He undauntedly brought his weapons into effective firing range of the enemy MGs and did a splendid job of directing the fire of his units onto those bunkers that could not be effectively engaged by the artillery, thereby silencing them. As a result of this support the 11. Kompanie was able to blow up a bunker, and occupy the other 10 from the outside. With this the key position blocking the way to the main enemy redoubt at Arpaluki was in our hands, and the possibility of capturing this most intractable enemy facility was created.”

Source :
https://www.gapgeschichte.de/ns_zeit_1945_kriegsende_text/kriegsende_text_3_anmerkungen.htm
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/15774/Pfeiffer-Franz-WH-Gebirgsj%C3%A4ger.htm

Ritterkreuz Action of Ludwig Stautner

 

Ludwig Stautner (4 May 1895 - 5 January 1983) received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 20 June 1940 as a Major and Kommandeur I.Bataillon / Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 139 / 3.Gebirgs-Division. The following press article summarizes the action near Narvik in the spring of 1940 that led to the awarding of the Ritterkreuz for Stautner:

"Major Stautner has following detailed personal reconnaissance conducted the successful attack of Kompanie Schönbeck. The resulting repulse of enemy forces in this area was of great importance to the whole Kampfgruppe. The resumption of the enemy attack was delayed for days, buying Major Stautner's battalion valuable time to set up a strong defense. Ultimately the enemy did not dare to try and make any more major attacks west of Elvenes, where enemy landings were always to be expected."

In this battle Stautner and his battalion were initially thrown back by a Norwegian battalion on 24 April 1940, being driven east of the town of Elvenes. The Norwegian battalion commander decided to let his men rest for the night, and then resume the attack at 05:30 the next day. However Stautner would give them no rest. Attacking from the southern heights on 04:30 the next morning, they were able to successfully assault the Norwegians still quartered in the houses below and wipe them out by 11:00. 144 prisoners were taken in this battle.

For his success here, and the resulting ramifications of it, Stautner received the Ritterkreuz.

Source :

Martijn Houtermans photo collection

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1313751228966656&set=gm.983824592112980

https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/66760/Stautner-Ludwig.htm

Color Photo of Ludwig Stautner

Ludwig Stautner (4 May 1895 - 5 January 1983) received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 20 June 1940 as Major and Kommandeur I.Bataillon / Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 139 / 3.Gebirgs-Division / XXI.Armeekorps. Other medals and decorations he receives: 1914 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse und I.Klasse; Verwundetenabzeichen 1918 in Silber; Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer 1914/1918; 1939 spange zum 1914 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse und I.Klasse; Narvikschild; Heeresbergführer; and Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42 (1942). Stautner participated in the following battles and operations: Invasion of Poland (1939), Norwegian Campaign (1940), Battles of Narvik (1940), Operation Barbarossa (1941), Operation Silberfuchs (1941), Operation Renntier (1941), Operation Platinfuchs (1941), and the Siege of Leningrad (1941-1944). His last rank is Oberst.

Source :
http://das-ritterkreuz.de/index_search_db.php?modul=search_result_det&wert1=6242&searchword=stautner