Ludwig Crüwell

Ludwig Crüwell
Born	(1892-03-20)20 March 1892 Dortmund, Province of Westphalia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died	Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1911–45
Rank	General der Panzertruppe
Commands held	Panzer-Regiment 6 11. Panzer Division Afrika Korps
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Balkan Campaign Invasion of Yugoslavia Eastern Front Operation Barbarossa North African Campaign Western Desert Campaign Tunisia Campaign
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Ludwig Crüwell (20 March 1892 – 25 September 1958), was a German general known for his involvement with the Afrika Korps. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub). 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. Legally it was Germany's highest military decoration at the time of its presentation to Ludwig Crüwell. Crüwell was captured by the British on 29 May 1942, after his plane was forced to land.

Career

Crüwell joined the German Army in 1911 as a Cadet in the 9th (1st Hanoveranian) Regiment of Dragoons. Being promoted to Lieutenant in 1912 he and his regiment went to the front in World War I. Besides serving as Company Commander and Regimental Adjutant in the 450th Infantry Regimentand, Crüwell also was detached to the staff of the 233rd Division. In 1918, shortly before the war ended, he was appointed Adjutant of the 19th Landwehr Brigade. After the war ended he stays in the Reichswehr, and for the next years is constantly shifted from one staff position to the next. In 1928, by now a Rittmeister, he is transferred to the 12th Cavalry Regiment. Utilized in several staff positions Crüwell was posted in the anti-tank troops in 1936, being promoted to Oberst, and in the same year he took over command of the 6th Panzer Regiment.

In the looming of the Invasion of Poland he was posted in the general staff, and, after becoming a Generalmajor on 2 December 1939, during the Battle of France he was Quartermaster of the 16th Army. Crüwell became commander of the 11th Panzer Division in August 1940 and led it into the Balkan Campaign. For his conspicuous services during the Invasion of Yugoslavia, which was a highly successful blitzkrieg due to Crüwell's division, he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Then the division took part in Operation Barbarossa. In early 1941 the division was surrounded by 12 division near Beritchev, and Crüwell narrowly managed to get his bated division out. For this he was promoted to Generalleutnant and received the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross.

Crüwell became commander of the Afrika Korps on 31 July 1941, answering to General Erwin Rommel, who on the same day took command of Panzer Army Africa, consisting of one infantry and two panzer divisions. Due to health reasons he took actual command on 15 September, and was promoted to General der Panzertruppe on 17 December 1941. Known to argue and differ heavily about strategy with Rommel, Crüwell and the Afrika Korps had to clear the Cyrenaica. On 29 May 1942, Crüwell was inspecting operations by air in Libya. His Fieseler Fi 156 pilot mistook British troops for Italian soldiers and landed. Although the pilot was fatally wounded, Crüwell survived and was taken prisoner. General Crüwell remained a prisoner and on March 22, 1943, was intentionally placed with another POW, General Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma (captured in November 1942 while in temporary command of the Afrika Korps), who during the meeting disclosed intelligence regarding the V-2 rocket, i.e. surprise that London was not yet in ruins from German rockets being tested at a "special ground near Kummersdorf" he had visited. This led to the British investigating Peenemünde and following confirmation, carried out a bombing raid on the Peenemünde facilities

After the war Crüwell settled in Essen. He became Chairman of the Verband ehemaliger Angehöriger Deutsches Afrika Korps (Veterans Association of the Germany Africa Corps) and died on 25 September 1958.

Awards

• Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg (24 March 1917)
• Silesian Eagle 1st Class (15 April 1921)
• Iron Cross (1914) 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class (20 September 1914)
  • 1st Class (17 September 1916)
• The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords (23 October 1934)
• Commander's Cross of the (Royal) Hungarian Order of Merit (26 September 1938)
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th to 1st Class
• Panzer Badge in Silver (19 August 1941)
• "Afrika" Cuffband
• Italian Silver Medal of Military Valor (12 February 1942)
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class (22 May 1940)
  • 1st Class (6 June 1940)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 14 May 1941 as Generalmajor and commander of the 11. Panzer-Division
  • 34th Oak Leaves on 1 September 1941 as Generalleutnant and commander of the 11. Panzer-Division
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 2 June 1942

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
Tuesday, 2 June 1942	Bei einem Erkundungsflug über den feindlichen Linien wurde General der Panzertruppen Crüwell abgeschossen und geriet in britische Gefangenschaft.	On a reconnaissance flight over enemy lines General of Panzer Troops Crüwell was shot down and fell into British captivity.

External links

Military offices
Preceded by none	Commander of 11. Panzer Division 1 August 1940 – 15 August 1941	Succeeded by Generalleutnant Günther Angern
Preceded by General der Panzertruppe Philipp Müller-Gebhard	Commander of Afrika Korps 15 September 1941 – 8 March 1942	Succeeded by General der Panzertruppe Walther Nehring
Preceded by General der Panzertruppe Walther Nehring	Commander of Afrika Korps 19 March 1942 – 28 May 1942	Succeeded by General der Panzertruppe Walther Nehring