Paul Drekmann

Dipl.-Ing. Paul Drekmann
Born	13 November 1893 Harburg an der Elbe near Hamburg, Province of Hanover, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died	9 March 1960(1960-03-09) (aged 66) Mülheim, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service / branch	Imperial German Army Reichswehr Heer
Years of service	1914–45
Rank	Generalleutnant
Commands	161. Infanterie-Division 252. Infanterie-Division
Battles / wars	World War I Spanish Civil War World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Johann Paul Friedrich Drekmann (13 November 1893 – 9 March 1960) was a German officer, a Diplom-Ingenieur^{[Notes 1]} and a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Paul Drekmann was captured by British troops in May 1945 and was held until 1947.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (27 January 1916)
  • 1st Class (9 October 1917)
• Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg (19 January 1917)
• Wound Badge (1918)
  • in Black (2 August 1918)
• The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords (15 January 1935)
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award, 4th to 1st Class
• Spanish Cross in Bronze (31 May 1939)
• Sudetenland Medal (12 September 1939)
• War Merit Cross with Swords
  • 2nd Class (30 January 1941)
  • 1st Class (30 January 1942)
• Imperial Order of the Yoke and Arrows, Commander (Encomienda Sencilla) on 20 March 1941
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (9 September 1942)
  • 1st Class (20 October 1942)
• Wound Badge (1939)
  • in Silver (23 February 1943)
• Honour Roll Clasp of the Army (7 October 1943)
• German Cross in Gold (15 April 1944)
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (8 February 1945)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 28 March 1945 as Generalleutnant and commander of 252. Infanterie-Division^[1]

External links

• tracesofwar.com
• Lexikon der Wehrmacht

Notes

1. In German an engineer's degree is called Diplom-Ingenieur (abbreviated Dipl.-Ing.)

References

Citations

1. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 139.

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 Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Thomas, Franz; Wegmann, Günter (2000). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Teil III: Infanterie Band 5: Dr–Em [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the German Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Part III: Infantry Volume 5: Dr–Em] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2575-1.

Military offices
Preceded by Generalleutnant Karl-Albrecht von Groddeck	Commander of 161. Infanterie-Division 28 August 1943 - 15 November 1943	Succeeded by Disbanded after heavy losses
Preceded by Formed from Korps-Abteilung A	Commander of 161. Infanterie-Division 27 July 1944 - 5 September 1944	Succeeded by Disbanded again after heavy losses
Preceded by General der Infanterie Walter Melzer	Commander of 252. Infanterie-Division 1 October 1944 - 25 March 1945	Succeeded by Oberst von Unold