Artur Phleps
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| Artur Phleps | |
|---|---|
| 29 November 1881 - 21 September 1944 | |
| Place of birth | Birthälm, Austria-Hungary (now Biertan, Romania) |
| Allegiance | Austria-Hungary, Romania, Germany |
| Years of service | 1914-1944 |
| Rank | Obergruppenführer |
| Unit | 5. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Wiking |
| Commands held | 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division Prinz Eugen, V.SS-Gebirgs-Korps. |
| Awards | Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub |
Artur Martin Phleps (November 29, 1881 – September 21, 1944) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian and German officer who held the rank of Obergruppenführer in the Waffen-SS during World War II. An Austro-Hungarian Army officer in World War I, he served in the Romanian Army during the interwar period, before joining the military forces of Nazi Germany in 1941. Seeing action with the 5. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Wiking, he was later a commander of the 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division Prinz Eugen and the V.SS-Gebirgs-Korps. Phleps was the recipient of numerous decorations, including the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub and the German Cross in Gold.
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[edit] Early life
Artur Phleps was born in Birthälm (present-day Biertan), near Sibiu (Hermannstadt) - a region densely populated by the Germans community commonly referred to as Transylvanian Saxons. His father was a physician who came to Transylvania from Austrian Silesia. After finishing primary school in Sibiu, Phleps attended the Military Academy in Pressburg. Following graduation, he continued officer training and later fought during World War I in the Austro-Hungarian Army, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel of the general staff.
After the war, and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Phleps returned to his native Transylvania, that was given to Romania and joined the Romanian Army. Initially, he was assigned to the Romanian Military Academy in Bucharest and later, as a Lieutenant general, was put in charge of mountain troops, transforming them into elite units within the Romanian Army (see Vânători de Munte).
[edit] German Waffen-SS Service
[edit] 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking
In 1941, Phleps decided to enlist into the German Army. Under his mother's maiden name Stolz, he joined the staff of the 5. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Wiking. He rose quickly in the divisional ranks and after the death of Hilmar Wäckerle, he was given command of the SS-Regiment Westland . Thanks to his organizational skills Phleps was soon promoted to SS-Gruppenführer and in 1942 was tasked by Heinrich Himmler with the organization of a new SS unit composed of Volksdeutsche, or German minorities, from Croatia, Serbia, Hungary and Romania.
[edit] 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen
Largely because of the origin of its soldiers and its military character as a mountain unit, Phleps' new command was designed for anti-partisan warfare and deployed in the Balkans. Initially, all its soldiers were to be volunteers, but as the division struggled to fill its ranks, and conscription was introduced. Beginning in October 1942, the 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division Prinz Eugen fought continuously against the Tito's partisans in so-called Banden-and Partisanenbekämfung and was involved in numerous war crimes against the civilian population.
In recognition of his abilities as a commander of Prinz Eugen, on June 21, 1943 Phleps was promoted to SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Short time later he was also given command of the newly formed V.SS-Gebirgs-Korps..
[edit] V.SS-Gebirgs-Korps
In addition, to the Prinz Eugen Division, Phleps' new command included number of other mountain units, including the notorious and undisciplined 13. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS Handschar. As Prinz Eugen before, the Korps was deployed on anti-partisan duties, mostly in the vicinity of Mostar in Bosnia, against Josip Broz Tito's Partisans.
In September 1943, Phleps was promoted to Höherer SS- und Polizeiführer. In 1944 he returned to Romania in order to personally oversee the preparations against the Red Army's oncoming Jassy-Chişinău offensive (led by Soviet general Rodion Malinovsky). While in the field, trying to get an overview of the situation, Phleps and his aides were captured by the Soviets near Arad. While the exact details of his death are not known, it is likely that the Soviet troops were unaware of his true identity, and killed him during a German air raid — in all probability to prevent his escape.
Ironically, his disappearance was initially treated as absence without leave, and an arrest warrant for Phleps was issued. Outraged Heinrich Himmler personally conducted the investigation into Phleps' desertion and only after his personal belongings were recovered he was officially listed as killed in action. Posthumously, Phleps was also awarded the Oak leaves to his Knight's Cross and was chosen as a patron of the SS Freiwilligen Gebirgsregiment 13. This unit was allowed to bear a special cuff title with his name. Although the band was manufactured, no war-time photos of it surfaced as of 2004.[1]
[edit] Summary of his SS career
[edit] Dates of rank
- SS-Mann: June 30, 1941
- SS-Oberführer: June 30, 1941
- SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS: November 30, 1941
- SS-Gruppenführer und Generaleutnant der Waffen-SS: April 20, 1942
- SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS: June 21, 1943
[edit] Notable decorations
- Iron Cross Second (1917) and First (1941) Classes
- Clasp to the Iron Cross Second Class (1941)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (1943)
- Oak Leaves - posthumous (1944)
- German Cross in Gold (1944)
- Eastern Front Medal (1942)
- Infantry Assault Badge in Bronze (1943)
- Order of the Star of Romania, Officer’s Cross with Swords on the Ribbon of Military Virtue (1920)
- Order of the Star of Romania, Commander’s Cross (1933)
- Order of the Crown of Romania, Commander’s Cross (1927)
- Order of the Crown of Romania, Grand Cross (1939)
- Romanian Commemorative Cross of the 1916-1918 War (?)
- Croatian Order of the Iron Trefoil, 1st Class (?)
- Order of the Crown of Yugoslavia, 2nd Class (1933)
- Czechoslovakian War Cross (1928)
- Bulgarian Military Merit Order, 2nd Class (1934)
- Austrian Franz Joseph Order, Officer’s Cross with War Decoration and Swords (1918)
- Austrian Order of the Iron Crown, 3rd Class with War Decoration and Swords (1917)
- Austrian Military Merit Cross, 3rd Class with War Decoration and Swords: (1915)
- Austrian Military Merit Medal on the Ribbon of the Bravery Medal with Swords in Silver (1916) and Bronze (1914)
- Austrian Red Cross Decoration, 2nd Class with War Decoration: (1915)
- Austrian Wound Medal with One Stripe(?)
- Austrian Commemorative Cross 1912-1913 (?)
- Austrian Military Jubilee Cross 1848-1908 (1908)
[edit] References
- ^ Williamson, G. (2004). The Waffen-SS. USA: Osprey Publishing. ISBN ISBN 1-84176-590-2.
[edit] Further reading
- The Waffen-SS (4): "24. to 38. Divisions, & Volunteer Legions" (Men-at-Arms) by Gordon Williamson and Stephen Andrew (Osprey Publishing (November 11, 2004), ISBN 1841765929, ISBN 978-1841765921).
- The SS: Hitler's Instrument of Terror: The Full Story From Street Fighters to the Waffen-SS by Gordon Williamson (Motorbooks International, (March 1994), ISBN 0879389052, ISBN 978-0879389055).
- Gebirgsjäger: German Mountain Trooper 1939-45 (Warrior) by Gordon Williamson and Stephen Darko Pavlovic (Osprey Publishing (July 23, 2003), ISBN 1841765538, ISBN 978-1841765532).
- Die Ritterkreuzträger der Gebirgstruppe, Band 2: L-Z by Franz Thomas & Günter Wegmann(Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück, Germany, 1994) - in German.
- Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit. Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, 2001. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.
[edit] See also
- Kurt Waldheim (Appeared in a wartime photograph with Artur Phleps)
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by none |
Commander of 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division Prinz Eugen January 30, 1942 - May 15, 1943 |
Succeeded by SS-Brigadeführer Karl Reichsritter von Oberkamp |
| Preceded by none |
Commander of V.SS-Gebirgs-Korps April 21, 1943 - September 21, 1944 |
Succeeded by SS-Brigadeführer Karl Reichsritter von Oberkamp |
