Heinz Hellmich (9 June 1890 – 17 June 1944) was a German general (Generalleutnant) in the Wehrmacht during World War II and a posthumous recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.[1]
Heinz Hellmich | |
---|---|
Born | Karlsruhe, Germany | 9 June 1890
Died | 17 June 1944 Cherbourg, France | (aged 54)
Allegiance | German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany |
Service/ | Army |
Years of service | 1908–44 |
Rank | Generalleutnant |
Battles/wars | World War I
World War II |
Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
On 1 April 1942, Hellmich was appointed commander of the 141st Reserve Division. In 1943, he worked with a Soviet defector, Red Army general Andrey Vlasov, and other volunteers from the Soviet Union as "General of the Eastern Troops" (General der Osttruppen), a position he held until early January 1944.[2]
On 10 January 1944, Hellmich was moved to France and put in a command of the 243rd Infantry Division, a coastal defense division stationed in the Cotentin Peninsula. The division protected the western coast of the Cotentin Peninsula when Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy, began on 6 June 1944. Hellmich was killed by 20-millimeter cannon shells during an Allied air attack on 17 June 1944.[3]