Clemens Betzel

Clemens Betzel
Born	9 June 1895 Ulm
Died	27 March 1945(1945-03-27) (aged 49) Danzig
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany (to 1945)
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1914 - 1945
Rank	Generalleutnant
Commands held	4. Panzer-Division
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Annexation of Austria Annexation of the Sudetenland Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Białystok–Minsk Battle of Kiev (1941) Battle of Moscow Battle of Kursk Lublin–Brest Offensive Battle of Radzymin (1944) Courland Pocket East Pomeranian Offensive †
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Clemens Betzel (9 June 1895 – 27 March 1945) was a German general who commanded the 4. Panzer-Division during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Clemens Betzel was killed on 27 March 1945 in Danzig.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Cross of Honor
• Anschluss Medal
• Sudetenland Medal
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (24 September 1939)
  • 1st Class (11 October 1939)
• General Assault Badge (7 February 1942)
• Eastern Front Medal (19 August 1942)
• German Cross in Gold (11 March 1943)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 5 September 1944 as Generalmajor and commander of 4.Panzer-Division ^[1]
  • 774th Oak Leaves on 11 March 1945 as Generalleutnant and commander of 4. Panzer-Division ^[2]
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (3 November 1944)

References

Citations

1. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 112.
2. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 82.

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.

External links

• Lexikon der Wehrmacht
• World War 2 Awards.com
• Ritterkreuztraeger 1939-1945

Military offices
Preceded by General der Panzertruppen Dietrich von Saucken	Commander of 4. Panzer-Division 1 May 1944 – 27 March 1945	Succeeded by Oberst Ernst-Wilhelm Hoffmann

Persondata
Name	Betzel, Clemens
Alternative names
Short description	German General and Knight's Cross recipient
Date of birth	9 June 1895
Place of birth	Ulm, Germany
Date of death	27 March 1945
Place of death	Danzig, East Prussia