Walther Lucht cleaning his Shoes

Walther Lucht cleaning his shoes outside his bunkhouse in a POW camp, 24 November 1945. Ritterkreuzträger Walther Lucht (26 February 1882 – 18 March 1949), a General der Artillerie of the Wehrmacht, spent the final years of his life as a prisoner of war following Germany’s defeat in the Second World War. After serving as commander of LXVI. Armeekorps and later briefly leading the 11. Armee during the desperate final campaigns of 1945, Lucht surrendered to American forces in May 1945. As one of Germany’s senior generals and a holder of both the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes and Eichenlaub, he was placed in Allied captivity during the occupation period. Unlike many German officers captured by the Soviet Union, Lucht remained in Western Allied hands, where conditions were generally less severe and where he was subjected primarily to interrogation and administrative detention rather than long-term punitive imprisonment. During his captivity he witnessed the collapse of the military system to which he had devoted more than four decades of service, beginning in the Imperial German Army and continuing through the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht. Released from American captivity in 1948, he returned to civilian life in post-war Germany, but his freedom was short-lived. On 18 March 1949, less than a year after his release, Lucht was killed in a motor vehicle accident near Heilbronn.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Walther_Lucht_cleaning_his_shoes_outside_his_bunkhouse_in_POW_camp_(cropped).jpg

Heeresgruppe B Officers in 1945

A rare shot of Field Marshal Walter Model with other generals in March 1945, taken from the book "Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model (1891 - 1945). Dokumentation eines Soldatenlenbens" by Hansgeorg Model and Dermot Bradley. First row from left to right: Generalleutnant Hanskurt Höcker (Kommandeur 167. Volksgrenadier-Division), Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model (Oberbefehlshaber Heeresgruppe B), General der Artillerie Walther Lucht (Kommandierender General LXVI. Armeekorps), General der Infanterie Otto Hitzfeld (Kommandierender General LXVII. Armeekorps), and Generalmajor Theodor Tolsdorff (Kommandeur 340. Volksgrenadier-Division). Second row from left to right: Oberstleutnant im Generalstab Elmar Warning (Chef des Generalstabes LXVII. Armeekorps) and Oberst Theodor Pilling (IIa Heeresgruppe B).

Source :
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=18435&hilit=theodor+tolsdorff

German Generals as POW of the Americans

 

German POWs gather by the american Military Intelligence Service and engaged in writing the Tactical History of WW II for the Historical Division. Their identification as follows:

1: General der Infanterie Friedrich Köchling (Ritterkreuz on 31 July 1942)
2: General der Artillerie Walther Lucht (Ritterkreuz on 30 January 1943 and Eichenlaub on 9 January 1945)
3: General der Panzertruppe Leo Reichsfreiherr Geyr von Schweppenburg (Ritterkreuz on 9 July 1941)
4: Unknown
5: General der Infanterie Walter Hoernlein (Ritterkreuz on 30 July 1941 and Eichenlaub on 15 March 1943)
6: General der Infanterie Otto-Maximilian Hitzfeld (Ritterkreuz on 30 October 1941, Eichenlaub on 17 January 1942 and Schwerter on 9 May 1945)
7: General der Panzertruppe Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz (Ritterkreuz on 27 May 1942, Eichenlaub on 3 September 1944 and Schwerter on 9 May 1945)

Source :
Photo and ID courtesy of Graveland

Bio of General der Artillerie Walther Lucht

As a 19-year-old high school graduate, Walther Lucht (26 February 1882 - 18 March 1949) joined the Imperial Army on June 27, 1901 as a Fahnenjunker. He came to the East Prussian Foot Artillery Regiment "von Linger" No. 1, where he was promoted to lieutenant after attending the Glogau War School on October 18, 1902. On October 18, 1911 he was promoted to first lieutenant. At that time he served in the 8th battery of his regiment in Lötzen. On January 1, 1913, he was appointed regimental aide. On October 1, 1913, he was commanded to the War Academy. When the First World War broke out, he was still assigned to the war academy in Berlin, but immediately returned to his regiment and went into the field as a battery leader. In October 1914 he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class. On November 4, 1914, he was promoted to captain. As such, he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class. In autumn 1916 he left his regiment. During the rest of the First World War, he was transferred to various general staff positions. At the end of the war he was on the staff of the 75th Reserve Division as Ia. During the war, he was awarded many other awards. After the war he was taken over by the Imperial Army. In the interim army he was deployed in the spring of 1920 as chief of the 5th battery in the Reichswehr Artillery Regiment 2. When the 100,000 man army of the Reichswehr was formed, he was then taken over into the 2nd (Prussian) artillery regiment. On October 1, 1921, he was transferred to the Reich Ministry of Defense in Berlin, where he served in the Army Transport Department (T 7) in the Troops Office (TA) until autumn 1924. On October 1, 1924, he was transferred to the General Staff of the 7th Division of the Reichswehr in Munich for two years. There he then became a member of the Munich Line Commission. On December 1, 1925, he was promoted to major. On April 1, 1927, he was transferred to Group 1 from Berlin. On October 1, 1928 he was transferred to the staff of the Glogau Command. On April 1, 1930, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. On October 1, 1930, he was transferred to the 5th Artillery Regiment. There he was appointed commander of the 1st division of the 5th Artillery Regiment in Fulda on November 1, 1930. It was adopted on March 31, 1932. He was given the character of a colonel. He now went to China as a military advisor for three years. He then served as a complementary officer aspirant at the training manager in Karlsruhe. In the fall of 1937, he was drafted back into military service as a lieutenant colonel (E) as part of the increase in troops and was available to the chief of the General Staff of the Army. He was launched in October 1937 as an artillery commander with the Condor Legion. Promoted to Colonel (E) on June 1, 1938. For his services to the Legion, he was awarded the Medalla de la Campaña de España, the Cruz de Guerra de España and the Spanish Cross in gold with swords. On July 1, 1939, he was appointed Training Manager 2 in Heilbronn. With the mobilization for the Second World War, he took command of the Artillery Regiment 215 as commander in the summer of 1939. On February 6, 1940 he was appointed Artillery Commander 44 (Arko 44) and in this function on February 17, 1940 as Major General promoted. In the western campaign he was given both braces to his iron crosses. At the beginning of February 1942 there was a short interlude as Higher Artillery Commander 310 (HArko 310) in the formation of the staff. On February 17, 1942, he was assigned to lead the 87th Infantry Division. Already on March 1, 1942, he took command of the 336th Infantry Division. On March 12, 1942, he was awarded the German Cross in Gold. On November 1, 1942, he was promoted to lieutenant general. On January 30, 1943, he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for the successful defense fights in the Don region. Appointed commander in the Kretsch Strait section on July 22, 1943, he was promoted to artillery general on October 1, 1943. This month he was also put in the driver's reserve. On November 1, 1943, he assumed command of the LXVI. Reserve corps. By renaming the staff on August 5, 1944, he became commanding general of the LXVI. Army Corps appointed. On January 9, 1945, he received the oak leaves for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his achievements in the Ardennes Offensive. At the beginning of March 1945 he was considered missing in the 15th Army basin, but was able to make his own way with a few hundred soldiers. At the end of March 1945, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the 11th Army to be reorganized in the Kassel area. On April 20, 1945, he became Commanding General of the XIII. Army Corps appointed. However, he was already captured on April 23, 1945 in the Harz Mountains. Finally, he was released from prison in 1948.

Source :
https://jp-militaria.de/epages/c8160b69-739a-486c-b016-ca431d292e5b.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/c8160b69-739a-486c-b016-ca431d292e5b/Categories/34/15
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/L/LuchtW-R.htm