Karl Litzmann

Karl Litzmann
Karl Litzmann
Nickname(s)	Lion of Brzeziny
Born	(1850-01-22)22 January 1850 Neuglobsow, Stechlin, Brandenburg
Died	28 May 1936(1936-05-28) (aged 86) Neuglobsow, Stechlin, Germany
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Army
Years of service	1867–1918
Rank	General der Infanterie[1]
Commands held	49th (6th Pomeranian) Infantry 74th Infantry Brigade 39th Division 3rd Guards Infantry Division XXXX Reserve Corps
Battles/wars	World War I Battle of Łódź
Awards	Pour le Mérite with Oakleaves
Relations	Walter Lehweß-Litzmann (grandson)

Karl Litzmann (January 22, 1850, Neuglobsow, Stechlin, Brandenburg – May 28, 1936, Neuglobsow, Stechlin, Germany) was a German World War I general and later Nazi Party member and state politician.

World War I

He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Łódź (1914); he earned the nickname "the Lion of Brzeziny" there. On 29 November 1914 he was awarded the "Pour le Mérite" for military bravery and Oak Leaves (signifying a second award) on 18 August 1915.^[2]

Interwar years

Litzmann became a member of Nazi Party in 1929 having previously become a member of SA; he was elected to the Reichstag in 1932 but declined to serve on grounds that he had responsibilities to the Prussian State Parliament (where he was its most senior member [also known as Father of the House or Alterspräsident]).

Legacy

After the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the towns of Łódź and Brzeziny were renamed in honour of Karl Litzmann. On 11 April 1940 Łódź was officially retitled Litzmannstadt, while Brzeziny later became Löwenstadt (lion city). After World War II the towns reverted to their Polish names.

Passau named a street after him.^[3]

Karl Litzmann was an Honorary Citizen of Neuruppin. The honorary citizenship was withdrawn in 2007.

He was the father of Karl-Siegmund Litzmann (1893-1945) and grandfather to Walter Lehweß-Litzmann (1907-1986).

References

External links

• Media related to Karl Litzmann at Wikimedia Commons