Karl-Wilhelm Specht

Karl-Wilhelm Specht (22 May 1894 – 3 December 1953) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. He served on the "Court of Military Honour," a drumhead court-martial that expelled many of the officers involved in the 20 July Plot from the army before handing them over to the People's Court. Specht surrendered to the Soviet forces at the end of the war and died in Voikovo prison camp on 3 December 1953.

Grave in Cherntsy

Karl-Wilhelm Specht
Born	22 May 1894
Died	3 December 1953(1953-12-03) (aged 59) Voikovo prison camp near Ivanovo
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service / branch	Army
Years of service	1914–45
Rank	General of the Infantry
Battles / wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class (22 January 1915) & 1st Class (28 April 1917)^[1]
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (21 December 1939) & 1st Class (9 June 1940)^[1]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 8 September 1941 as Oberst and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 55^[2]
  • 60th Oak Leaves on 16 January 1942 as Oberst and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 55^[3]

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1998, p. 333.
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 328.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 52.

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.
• Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9.