Willibald Freiherr von Langermann und Erlencamp

General Willibald Karl Moritz Robert Rudolf Freiherr von Langermann und Erlencamp (29 March 1890 – 3 October 1942) was a Panzer General in the German army 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.

Career

He joined the 5th Dragoon Regiment of the Imperial German Army in 1910 and in World War I he reached the rank of Hauptmann. He was then retained in the Reichswehr where he served as a staff officer and was appointed commander of Cavalry Regiment 4 in 1935. He was promoted to Oberst in 1936 and in 1938 he was appointed as the inspector of horses and motor transport.

On 1 March 1940 he was promoted to Generalmajor, and on 7 May 1940 he was named commander of the 29th Infantry Division. For successfully crossing the Marne-Rhine Canal and advancing to the Swiss border he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 15 August 1940.

On 8 September 1940, he was given command of the 4th Panzer Division, which he led at opening stages of Operation Barbarossa. In January 1942 he was promoted to Generalleutnant and commanding general of the XXIV Panzer Corps and he led the German advance on Voronezh. On 17 February 1942 he was awarded the Oakleaves to the Knights Cross and on 1 June 1942 was promoted to General der Panzertruppe. During the summer 1942 offensive he led the corps to the Don River. On 3 October 1942, during a visit to the front at Storozhevoye, the forward trench he was visiting was attacked by Soviet soldiers and he was killed by a hand grenade.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Sudetenland Medal
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (30 May 1940)
  • 1st Class (14 June 1940)
• Panzer Badge
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 15 August 1940 as Generalmajor and commander of 29. Infanterie-Division
  • 75th Oak Leaves on 17 February 1942 as Generalmajor and commander of 4. Panzer-division
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (5 October 1942)

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
Monday, 5 October 1942	Bei den Kämpfen an der Don-Front fand der Kommandierenden General eines Panzerkorps, General der Panzertruppe Freiherr von Langermann und Erlencamp, Träger des Eichenlaubs zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, am 3. Oktober 1943 in vorderster Linie den Heldentod. Seite an Seite mit ihm fiel der Kommandeur einer ungarischen Division, Oberst Nagy, im Kampf um die Freiheit Europas.	In the fighting on the Don front the commanding general of an armored corps, General of Panzer Troops Freiherr von Langermann und Erlencamp, bearer of the Oak Leaf to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, met an heroic death on 3 October 1943 on the front line. Side by side with him fell the commander of a Hungarian division, Colonel Nagy, in the struggle for the freedom of Europe.

Footnotes

• ^a Regarding personal names: Freiherr is a former title (translated as Baron). In Germany since 1919, it forms part of family names. The feminine forms are Freifrau and Freiin.

External links

• Lexikon der Wehrmacht
• World War 2 Awards.com

Military offices
Preceded by Generalleutnant Joachim Lemelsen	Commander of 29. Infanterie-Division 7 May 1940 – 1 July 1940	Succeeded by Generalmajor Walter von Boltenstern
Preceded by Generalleutnant Hans Reichsfreiherr von Boineburg-Lengsfeld	Commander of 4. Panzer-Division 8 September 1940 – 27 December 1941	Succeeded by General der Panzertruppen Dietrich von Saucken
Preceded by General der Panzertruppen Leo Freiherr Geyr von Schweppenburg	Commander of XXIV. Armeekorps 7 January 1942 – 21 June 1942	Succeeded by redesignated XXIV. Panzerkorps
Preceded by XXIV. Armeekorps	Commander of XXIV. Panzerkorps 21 June 1942 – 3 October 1942	Succeeded by General der Panzertruppen Otto von Knobelsdorff