Alfred Schlemm

Alfred Schlemm
Born (1894-12-08)8 December 1894
Rudolstadt, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, German Empire
Died 24 January 1986(1986-01-24) (aged 91)
Ahlten near Hannover, Lower Saxony, West Germany
Allegiance  Nazi Germany
Service/branch  Luftwaffe
Years of service 1913–45
Rank General der Fallschirmtruppe
Commands held XI Fliegerkorps
1st Flieger-Division
II Luftwaffe Field Corps
1 Fallschirm-Armee
Battles/wars Anzio
Battle of the Reichswald
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Alfred Schlemm (8 December 1894 – 24 January 1986) was a German General der Fallschirmtruppe in the Wehrmacht. His last command in World War II opposed the advance of the First Canadian Army through the Reichswald in February 1945.

Early life and military career

Schlemm was born in Rudolstadt in the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, a part of the German Empire. He joined the Imperial German Army in 1913. During the inter-war years, Schlemm served in a variety of staff, training and regimental posts until, in October 1937, he was attached to the Reich Air Ministry. In February 1938, he transferred from the Army to the Luftwaffe and was appointed an Oberst in the Luftwaffe General Staff and in June 1938, he became Chief of Staff of Air Defense Zone West.

World War II

In October 1939, he became Chief of Staff of Luftgau [Air Zone] XI, under Generalleutnant Ludwig Wolff and in December 1940, Schlemm was appointed Chief of Staff of the XI Air Corps under General der Flieger Kurt Student. The Corps was the headquarters staff of Germany’s parachute and air landing forces which, on 20 May 1941, the Germans used for Operation Merkur, the airborne invasion of Crete. At least 6,000 airborne troops were lost and the conquest of Crete effectively ended all plans for large-scale German airborne operations.

Eastern Front

From February 1942, Schlemm was attached to the General Command of the 8th Air Corps (Generaloberst Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen) on the Eastern Front, where he became Commander of Luftwaffen-Gefechtsverbande ("Battle Formation") Schlemm assigned to the XXXX Panzer Corps and the LVI Panzer Corps in General der Infanterie Gotthard Heinrici’s 4th Army. Schlemm became commander of the 1st Air Division in June 1942.

In October 1942, he became Commanding General of the II Luftwaffe Field Corps on the Eastern Front and, later, in Italy. Schlemm’s corps comprised four Luftwaffe Field Divisions and held the line from south of Nevel to the Dvina River east of Vitebsk, under the 3rd Panzer Army of Army Group Centre. In February and March 1943, the II Luftwaffe Field Corps participated in Operation Kugelblitz against the Soviet partisan northeast of Vitebsk. On 6 October 1943, part of Schlemm's corps collapsed under a major Soviet attack, resulting in a 10-mile gap in the German lines and the abandonment of Nevel. The entire II Luftwaffe Field Corps fell back to new positions west of Gorodok.

Italy

Withdrawn from the line in November 1943, Schlemm’s four divisions were attached to the LIII and IX Army Corps and were transferred to Italy. On 1 January 1944, Schlemm’s headquarters staff, redesignated as 1st Air Corps, took control of a reserve force of 24,000 troops in the Rome area. They were initially dispatched from Rome to bolster the Winter Line along the Garigliano River, but soon Schlemm’s corps were urgently transferred to oppose the Allied beachhead at Anzio (Operation Shingle). Schlemm led the German troops for three days until command formally passed to Generaloberst Eberhard von Mackensen, Commander-in-Chief of the 14th Army. The Corps fought at Anzio for the next three months. Schlemm was cited in the official Armed Forces Communiqué and received the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross for his efforts.

After the Winter Line was breached at Cassino and the Anzio bridgehead breakout, Schlemm's Corps joined the German withdrawal through central Italy. By August 1944, they were lodged in the Arno and Gothic Line defensive positions in the northern Apennines. Schlemm relinquished command of the Corps to Generalleutnant Richard Heidrich.

Reichswald

Schlemm succeeded Generaloberst Kurt Student as Commander-in-Chief of the 1st Parachute Army on the Western Front in the Netherlands. The 1st Parachute Army was engaged defending the Reichswald against the Canadian First Army.

The Canadian First Army and Lieutenant-General William H Simpson’s U.S. Ninth Army compressed Schlemm’s forces into a small bridgehead on the west bank of the Rhine opposite Wesel. On 10 March 1945, the rearguard of the 1st Parachute Army evacuated their bridgehead, destroying the bridge behind them. He was wounded in an air attack on his command post at Haltern eleven days later and command of his forces passed to General Günther Blumentritt.

Post war

In May 1945, Schlemm became a prisoner of war and was held by the British until October 1947.[1] Alfred Schlemm died on 24 January 1986 at Ahlten near Hannover.

Awards and decorations

References

Citations

  1. ↑ "General der Fallschirmtruppe Alfred Schlemm". Some of the Prisoners held at Special Camp 11. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
  2. 1 2 Thomas & Wegmann 1986, p. 263.
  3. ↑ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 408.
  4. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 378.

Bibliography

  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. 
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. 
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die 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 [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. 
  • Thomas, Franz; Wegmann, Günter (1986). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Teil II: Fallschirmjäger [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the German Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Part II: Paratroopers] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-1461-8. 
Military offices
Preceded by
General Martin Fiebig		 Commander of 1. Flieger-Division (1942-1945)
1 July 1942 – 1 October 1942 		Succeeded by
Generalleutnant Hermann Plocher
Preceded by
Generaloberst Kurt Student		 Commander of 1. Fallschirmarmee
18 November 1944 – 20 March 1945 		Succeeded by
General der Infanterie Günther Blumentritt
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