Joachim Lemelsen, Smilo von Lüttwitz and Traugott Herr

From left to right: General der Panzertruppe Joachim Lemelsen (Oberbefehlshaber 10. Armee), Generalleutnant Smilo Freiherr von Lüttwitz (Kommandeur 26. Panzer-Division), and General der Panzertruppe Traugott Herr (Kommandierender General LXXVI. Panzerkorps). There is no information about when or where this picture was taken, but possibly in the Italian Front, December 1943.

Source :
https://www.ratisbons.com/de/shop/militaria-ab-1918/fotos-fotoalben?page=3

Bio of General der Panzertruppe Smilo Freiherr von Lüttwitz (1895-1975)

Full name: Smilo Walther Hinko Oskar Constantin Wilhelm Freiherr von Lüttwitz
Nickname: No information

Date of Birth: 23 December 1895 in Straßburg
Date of Death: 19 May 1975 in Koblenz

Religion: evangelist
Parents: Walther Freiherr von Lüttwitz (General) and Louise Gräfin von Wengersky
Siblings: one brother (died 1916, name unknown) and three sisters (names unknown)
Spouse: Maria von Thielmann
Children: four children (names unknown)

Promotions:
August 4th, 1914: Fahnenjunker;
June 16th, 1915: Leutnant (entering August 10th, 1914);
April 1st, 1925: Oberleutnant;
May 1st, 1930: Rittmeister;
?: Major;
January 1st, 1939: Oberstleutnant;
November 1st, 1941: Oberst;
September 1st, 1942: Generalmajor;
October 1st, 1943: Generalleutnant;
September 1st, 1944: General der Panzertruppe (entering April 1st, 1944);
1958: Generalleutnant Bundeswehr.

Career:
August 3rd, 1914: Leib-Dragoner-Regiment (2. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 24, Darmstadt;
1916: Ordonnanzoffizier Korpskommandos / Stab der "Heeresgruppe Kronprinz";
1918: Regimentsadjutant Leib-Dragonerregiment (2. Großherzoglich Hessisches) Nr. 24;
?: Reiterregiment 7, Breslau;
?: Reiterregiment 6, Pasewalk;
?: 1. Eskadron / 6. (Preußischen) Reiterregiments, Pasewalk;
?: 2. Adjutant (II b) "Kommando der Kraftfahrkampftruppen";
1935: Kommandeur Panzeraufklärungsabteilung 5, Kornwestheim;
1938: IIa-Offizier Heeresgruppe 4, Leipzig
1939: Adjutant XV. Armeekorps, Jena;
July 24th, 1940: Kommandeur Schützenregiment 12;
March 1st, 1942 - April 1st, 1942: Kommandeur 4. Schützenbrigade;
April 1st, 1942: m.F.b. 23 Infanterie-Division;
July 24th, 1942 - July 10th, 1944: Kommandeur 26. Panzer-Division;
July 24th, 1944: Kommandierender General LXXXV. Armeekorps;
September 1st, 1944 - January 19th, 1945: m.F.b. 9. Armee;
March 29th, 1945 - May 7th, 1945: Kommandierender General LXXXV. Armeekorps;
May 7th, 1945 - 1947: American POW;
?: Evangelischen Akademie, Friedewald;
1954 - 1957: Hauptgeschäftsführer Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe, Rolandseck;
June 1st, 1957 - December 31st, 1960: Kommandierender General III. Korps, Bundeswehr;
December 31st, 1960: Retirement;
1963: Vorsitzender der Gesellschaft für Wehrkunde;
1963: Präsidentschaft der Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe.

Awards and Decorations:

Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse 1914
Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse 1914
Hessische Tapferkeitsmedaille
Friedrich-August-Kreuz 1. Klasse
Braunschweiger Kriegsverdienstkreuz 2. Klasse
Verwundetenabzeichen in Silber 1918
Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer 1934
Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht 1. bis 4. Klasse
Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 2. Klasse 1939 (6. Oktober 1939)
Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 1. Klasse 1940 (27. Mai 1940)
Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Gold 1940
Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (27. Oktober 1941)
Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen
Ehrenblattspange des Heeres (8. Dezember 1941)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (14 January 1942) as Oberst and Kommandeur Schützen-Regiment 12 / 4.Panzer-Division. In the freezing depths of the Russian winter of 1941, with the German front collapsing after the failed drive on Moscow, the 4. Panzer-Division received orders to withdraw from the Tula-Orel sector on 6 December. Blizzards howled across the snow-covered plains, vehicles froze solid, and Soviet infantry and tanks pressed hard on the retreating columns. On 28 December Oberst Smilo Freiherr von Lüttwitz took personal command of the sector around Belev. Two days later, instead of continuing the retreat, he launched a daring counterattack southeastward from the village of Anina. Leading his Schützen-Regiment 12 through waist-deep snow and bitter cold, with panzers grinding forward under artillery fire and Soviet machine guns raking the open fields, his men smashed through enemy positions in a fierce assault. By 1 January 1942 the attack had not only achieved its objectives but far exceeded them, driving all the way to the mouth of the Nugrj river and restoring a stable defensive line. This bold stroke amid the chaos of the great winter retreat earned him the Ritterkreuz for outstanding defensive successes and personal leadership under the most extreme conditions.
Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #426 (16 March 1944) as Generalleutnant and Kommandeur 26.Panzer-Division. By late 1943 the division was holding the eastern sector of the southern Italian front in the rugged hills between Orsogna and Poggiofiorito. On the night of 7 December New Zealand troops of the British Eighth Army launched a surprise broad-front attack under cover of darkness and heavy artillery. Fog and rain turned the olive groves and stone-walled terraces into a muddy nightmare as waves of infantry surged forward with tanks in support. Generalleutnant von Lüttwitz’s panzergrenadiers and remaining tanks met the assault head-on. In savage close-quarters fighting amid exploding shells and the crack of small-arms fire, his men held every ridge and village, counterattacking repeatedly to throw the New Zealanders back. The division’s firm stand completely halted the enemy breakout. The official Wehrmachtbericht of 9 December 1943 praised “the firm standing and determination of the 26. Panzer-Division under the command of Generalleutnant Freiherr von Lüttwitz” that prevented any penetration in the eastern sector. For this masterful defense against a surprise attack on difficult terrain, he received the award.
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern #76 (4 July 1944) as Generalleutnant and Kommandeur 26.Panzer-Division. During the desperate fighting withdrawal north of Rome in June 1944, von Lüttwitz conducted a brilliant series of delaying actions and local counterattacks around Lake Bolsena, through the Tiber valley and onward to the Orcia sector. Allied pressure was relentless: American and British forces poured forward with overwhelming air support and armour, forcing constant movement under constant bombardment. His division fought a skillful rearguard, buying precious time for the German lines to stabilize farther north. The climax came on 1 July 1944 near the Cecina river. Launching a sharp armoured counterattack, Lüttwitz personally directed his panzers and grenadiers in a lightning thrust that smashed into the advancing enemy and recaptured the key village of Saline. In the dusty Tuscan hills, amid burning vehicles and the roar of tank guns, his troops drove the Americans back across the river line in one of the last successful German counterstrokes of the Italian campaign. For this outstanding leadership and the decisive action at Saline, he was awarded the Schwerter.
Großes Verdienstkreuz mit Stern des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Legion of Merit
Ehrenritterkreuz zum Johanniterorden 1953 / Rechtsritter-Kreuz zum Johanniterorden 1963

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Smilo Walther Hinko Oskar Constantin Wilhelm Freiherr von Lüttwitz was a German general of the Wehrmacht during World War II who rose to the rank of General der Panzertruppe and commanded armored formations on the Eastern Front and in Italy with notable success before continuing his career in the postwar Bundeswehr as one of the few former Wehrmacht generals to achieve senior command in the new West German army. Born on 23 December 1895 in Straßburg into one of Prussia’s most distinguished military families he was the son of General Walther Freiherr von Lüttwitz a key figure in the suppression of the 1920 Kapp Putsch and Louise Gräfin von Wengersky. He had one brother who fell in 1916 and three sisters while his own family life included marriage to Maria von Thielmann and four children whose names remain largely unrecorded in public sources. Raised in the evangelical faith he embodied the traditional Prussian officer ethos of duty loyalty and initiative that defined his long service across three German armies spanning two world wars and the Cold War era. His decorations culminated in the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords making him one of the highest-decorated panzer commanders of the Italian campaign.

Lüttwitz entered military service at the outbreak of the First World War enlisting on 3 August 1914 as a Fahnenjunker in the elite Leib-Dragoner-Regiment 2. Großherzoglich Hessisches Nr. 24 stationed in Darmstadt. Within months he was thrust into the Eastern Front’s titanic struggles participating in the decisive Battle of Tannenberg and the subsequent advances through Kurland the Düna crossings and the vast plains of Ukraine and southern Russia. Twice wounded in 1915 he earned the Iron Cross Second and First Class along with several princely bravery medals while serving as ordnance officer at the staff of X Army Corps under Army Group Kronprinz where his father also held high command. By 1918 he had risen to regimental adjutant and witnessed the final chaotic operations before the armistice returning home with the Wound Badge in Silver and a reputation for cool-headed leadership under fire that would serve him throughout his career.

During the turbulent Weimar Republic years Lüttwitz remained in the drastically reduced Reichswehr serving in traditional cavalry formations including Reiter-Regiment 7 in Breslau and Reiter-Regiment 6 in Pasewalk where he honed his horsemanship and staff skills. The rise of armored warfare under Heinz Guderian captivated him and in 1934 he transferred to the newly created Panzertruppe embracing the revolutionary doctrine of combined-arms operations. By 1935 he commanded Panzeraufklärungsabteilung 5 and in 1938 became the personnel officer IIa at Heeresgruppe 4 demonstrating administrative talent alongside his field prowess. When World War II erupted in 1939 he served as adjutant to XV Army Corps during the rapid conquests of Poland and France earning the 1939 Spanges to both classes of the Iron Cross and laying the groundwork for his later divisional commands.

Lüttwitz received his first independent regimental command on 24 July 1940 when he took over Schützen-Regiment 12 within the 4th Panzer Division. Transferred to the Eastern Front in 1941 the formation fought bitterly in the Tula-Orel sector as part of the drive on Moscow. When the great winter offensive collapsed in December 1941 and Soviet counterattacks threatened to shatter the German lines Lüttwitz assumed command of the critical sector around Belev on 28 December. Despite blizzards that froze engines and waist-deep snow that slowed every movement he launched a daring counterstroke southeast from the village of Anina on 30 December. Leading his grenadiers and supporting panzers personally through artillery barrages and raking machine-gun fire his troops smashed Soviet defensive positions in hand-to-hand fighting and by 1 January 1942 had driven all the way to the mouth of the Nugrj river restoring a coherent defensive line. This audacious action amid the chaos of the great retreat earned him the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross on 14 January 1942 and promotion to higher responsibilities.

Rapidly promoted through the ranks Lüttwitz took command of the 4th Schützen-Brigade in March 1942 before assuming leadership of the 26th Panzer Division on 24 July 1942. The division was rushed to the Italian theater in late 1943 where it faced the British Eighth Army in the rugged hills east of Orsogna. On the night of 7 December 1943 New Zealand troops launched a surprise broad-front assault under cover of darkness heavy rain and fog that turned olive groves and stone terraces into a quagmire. Waves of infantry supported by tanks surged forward but Lüttwitz’s panzergrenadiers met them head-on in savage close-quarters combat amid exploding shells and the chatter of small arms. Repeated counterattacks thrown in by the division threw the attackers back from every ridge and village preventing any breakthrough. The official Wehrmacht communiqué of 9 December 1943 explicitly praised the “firm standing and determination” of the 26th Panzer Division under Generalleutnant Freiherr von Lüttwitz leading directly to the award of the Oak Leaves on 16 March 1944.

The Swords were conferred for Lüttwitz’s masterful rearguard operations during the German withdrawal north of Rome in June 1944. Under relentless pressure from American and British forces backed by overwhelming air support and armor the 26th Panzer Division conducted a series of skillful delaying actions around Lake Bolsena through the Tiber valley and into the Orcia sector. The decisive moment came on 1 July near the Cecina river where Lüttwitz personally directed a sharp armored counterattack. In the dusty Tuscan hills amid burning vehicles and the thunder of tank guns his panzers and grenadiers smashed into the advancing enemy recapturing the key village of Saline and driving American troops back across the river line in one of the last successful German counterstrokes of the entire Italian campaign. This brilliant leadership under extreme pressure earned him the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords on 4 July 1944.

In the final months of the war Lüttwitz briefly commanded the 9th Army in September 1944 before taking charge of LXXXV Army Corps where he openly resisted orders for summary executions of deserters and civilians facing a Reichskriegsgericht trial yet retaining his post through the chaos of the collapsing front. Captured by Allied forces in May 1945 he endured two years as a prisoner of war before returning to civilian life. He worked at the Evangelischen Akademie Friedewald then served as chief executive of the Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe from 1954. In 1957 the Bundeswehr recalled him to active duty and on 1 June he became the first commanding general of III Corps in Koblenz a position he held with distinction until his retirement on 31 December 1960 at the rank of Generalleutnant. In later years he chaired the Gesellschaft für Wehrkunde and rose to president of the Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe while also receiving the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and the American Legion of Merit. Smilo Freiherr von Lüttwitz died in Koblenz on 19 May 1975 at the age of 79 leaving a legacy as both a wartime panzer leader and a bridge between the old and new German armed forces.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smilo_Freiherr_von_L%C3%BCttwitz
http://www.historicalwarmilitariaforum.com/topic/6937-ritterkreuztr%C3%A4ger-photos-in-color-thread/?page=5&tab=comments#comment-36744
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/11491/L%C3%BCttwitz-Freiherr-von-Smilo.htm
https://www.walter-frentz-collection.de/fotoarchiv/personenarchiv-a-z/personen-l-m/