Walter Weiß

Walter Weiß, also spelt Weiss (5 September 1890 – 21 December 1967), was a German general during World War II. In 1945 he became commander in chief of Army Group North on the Eastern Front. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.

Walter Weiß
Born	(1890-09-05)5 September 1890 Tilsit, Province of East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died	21 December 1967(1967-12-21) (aged 77) Aschaffenburg, Bavaria, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service / branch	German Army
Years of service	1908–1945
Rank	Generaloberst
Commands	26 Infantry Division XXVII Army Corps 2nd Army Army Group North
Battles / wars	First World War World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Career

Weiss was born in Tilsit, East Prussia^[1] and joined the Army on 19 March 1908.^{[citation needed]}

At the beginning of the Second World War, during the Polish Campaign, he was given command of I. Army Corps, holding the position chief of the general staff on 1 September.^{[citation needed]}

On 15 December 1940 he took command of the 97th Jäger Division, leading the division with the rank of major-general until 15 January 1941.^[2]

On 15 January 1941 command of the 26th Infantry Division. This Division was subordinated to Army Group Centre and participated in Operation Barbarossa.

Weiss took command of the XXVII Army Corps on 1 July 1942. Weiss led the 2nd Army on the Eastern Front from 3 February 1943 on. From 27 July to 5 August 1944, this involved leading the 2nd Army's defence and withdrawal battles during the Russian summer offensive Operation Bagration between the Pripyat and Bug River, including the evacuation of Brest-Litovsk on 28 July 1944.^[3]

In January 1945, he asked Adolf Hitler for permission to withdrawal his forces further west as a result of attacking forces under the leadership of Konstantin Rokossovsky having reached the Vistula Lagoon. Hitler denied the request.^[4] He also requested to withdrawal his forces from the town of Grudziądz but was denied permission by Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler, resulting in a significant battle that destroyed much of the town.^[5]

He received command of Army Group North on 12 March 1945 and was tasked with the defence of Gdańsk Bay which his forces were unable to achieve.^[6] He later surrendered the Army Group to the American forces.^{[citation needed]}

He died 21 December 1967.^{[citation needed]}

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class (9 September 1914) & 1st Class (15 December 1915)^[7]
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (19 September 1939) & 1st Class (2 October 1939)^[7]
• German Cross in Gold on 19 February 1943 as General der Infanterie and commanding general of the XXVII. Armeekorps^[8]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 12 September 1941 as Generalmajor and commander of the 26.Infanterie-Division^[9]
  • Oak Leaves on 5 November 1944 as Generaloberst and Commander-in-Chief of the 2. Armee^[9]