Heinz Greiner

Heinrich Greiner
Nickname(s)	Heinz "The Lion of Yelnya"
Born	(1895-08-12)12 August 1895 Amberg Germany
Died	Rottach-Egern Germany
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1914–45
Rank	Major-General (Generalleutnant)
Commands held	Infantry Regiment 63 Infantry Regiment 499 268th Infantry Division 362nd Infantry Division
Battles/wars	World War I Siege of Antwerp First Battle of Ypres Second Battle of Ypres Second Battle of the Aisne Battle of Arras German Revolution of 1918-1919 World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Białystok–Minsk Battle of Smolensk (1941) Yelnya Offensive Battle of Moscow Battle of Smolensk (1943) Italian Campaign Operation Diadem Battle of Monte Cassino Battle of Garfagnana Gothic Line Offensive Operation Grapeshot
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Heinrich "Heinz" Greiner (12 August 1895 – 19 November 1977) was a highly decorated German officer in the Imperial German Army during World War I and the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Iron Cross and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.

Early Life and World War I

Greiner was born 12 August 1895 in Amberg, Bavaria. Upon graduating from Amberg Gymnasium, Greiner joined the Bavarian Army as an Officer Cadet and was assigned to the 13th Infantry Regiment in March 1914. Less than five months later Greiner's unit was mobilized and the young officer saw action with the German Army on the Western Front. Eventually taking command of a Machine Gun Company he saw fierce combat in Belgium and was wounded outside Flanders leading to a brief period of convalescence before returning to his unit for the remainder of the War.

Interwar Period

With the conclusion of the First World War Greiner returned to Bavaria as commander of the 19th Infantry Regiment. He later became a respected instructor and tactical theorist at the Military Academy of Munich, saw assignments to both Augsburg and Landshut and served as an adviser in the suppression of the Bavarian Spartacist uprising.

World War II

At the opening of the Second World War, Heinrich Greiner had reached the rank of Oberst and was Commander of the 268th Infantry Regiment. His unit, leaning heavily upon its engineer elements, was one of the first German Army units to see action in Poland. He went on to a short staff position during the Battle of France and returned to the Eastern Front just prior to Operation Barbarossa and led the 499th Regiment. Greiner and the 499th were responsible for preventing a complete Soviet encirclement in the Yelnya Offensive, during which Greiner, for his stiff, hold-out defense of Wehrmacht forces evacuating the salient, earned the nickname the "Lion of Yelnya" from his soldiers. His leadership qualities were swiftly recognized and he was subsequently awarded command of the 268th Infantry Division. That command was to last until 1944 when the Division, along with much of Army Group Centre was nearly obliterated by the Soviet Army as the tide of the war began to turn. Greiner was then transferred to Italy where he took command of the 362nd Infantry Division in the defense of the peninsula against invading Allied forces. He led a series of decisive counterattacks on Allied forces outside of Rome that slowed enemy progress up the peninsula and earned Greiner his final promotion to Generalleutnant in addition to a lengthy stay in a Bavarian Hospital due to wounds sustained in combat.

Greiner was released from medical care in early April 1945 and finding the war all but lost began preparations for an orderly surrender of German forces throughout Italy and Southern Germany. In his final action as a Wehrmacht General, Greiner deposed Nazi officials who stubbornly attempted a final defense of Munich. Following his capitulation Greiner was held as an Allied Prisoner of War until his release and subsequent retirement in 1947.

Greiner died 19 November 1977.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (4 December 1914)
  • 1st Class (25 November 1918)
• Wound Badge (1914)
  • in Black
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (4 October 1939)
  • 1st Class (20 October 1939)
• Eastern Front Medal
• Clasp to the Iron Cross
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 22 September 1941 as Colonel (Oberst ) and commander of Grenadier Regiment 499.
  • 572nd Oak Leaves on 5 September 1944 as Major-General (Generalleutnant) and commander of the 362nd Infantry Division
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award First Class
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (2 June 1944)

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
2 June 1944	In diesem Frontabschnitt haben sich die 65. Infanteriedivison unter Generalleutnant Pfeiffer, die durch Teile der 4. Fallschirmjägerdivision verstärkte 3. Panzergrenadierdivision unter Generalmajor Hecker und eine aus Einheiten des Heeres und der Fallschirmtruppe zusammengestellte Kampfgruppe unter Generalleutnant Greiner, hervorragend unterstützt durch Artillerie und durch Flakartillerie der Luftwaffe, besonders ausgezeichnet.	In this section of the front have the 65th Infantry Division under Lieutenant General Pfeiffer, augmented by parts of the 4th Airborne Division which reinforced the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division under Major General Hecker and units from the Army and the parachute troops assembled combat group under Lieutenant General Greiner, well supported by artillery and anti-aircraft artillery of the Luftwaffe, particularly distinguished themselves.

Footnotes

• ^a Lexikon der Wehrmacht and World War 2 Awards .com list his first name as Heinrich instead of Heinz

See also

• Race to the Sea
• Bavarian Army
• German Army (German Empire)
• Freikorps
• Operation Barbarossa
• German–Soviet military parade in Brest-Litovsk
• Italian Campaign (World War II)
• Winter Line
• Gustav Line
• Operation Shingle
• Gothic Line

External links

• World War 2 Awards.com
• Lexikon der Wehrmacht
• Ritterkreuztraeger 1939-1945
• Heinz Greiner @ Axis Biographical Research at the Wayback Machine (archived October 28, 2009)

Military offices
Preceded by Generalleutnant Erich Straube	Commander of 268th Infantry Division 6 January 1942 – November 1943	Succeeded by Unit disbanded
Preceded by None	Commander of 362nd Infantry Division November 1943 – 1 January 1945	Succeeded by Generalmajor Max Reinwald