Walter Lange
Dr. med. dent.
Walter Lange
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Oak Leaves ceremony on 15 September 1943 at the Führerhauptquartier "Wolfschanze", from left to right: Adolf Hitler, Paul Schultz (hidden), Oberst Dr. med. dent. Walter Lange, Major Theodor Tolsdorff, Oberst Günther Pape, Major Dr. Franz Bäke
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Born | Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
14 July 1898
Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, West Germany |
Allegiance | German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1929) Nazi Germany |
Service/ |
Heer |
Years of service | 1916–29 1936–45 |
Rank | Oberst of the Reserves |
Commands held | Grenadier-Regiment 43, Grenadier-Regiment 917 |
Battles/wars | World War I
World War II |
Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Other work | dentist |
Dr. med. dent. Walter Lange[Notes 1] (14 July 1898 – 30 October 1982) was a highly decorated Oberst of the Reserves in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Contents
Career
First World War
Walter Lange volunteered in 1916, serving on the Western Front with 422 Regiment.
Inter-war
At the end of the war, Lange remained in the service of the post-war German Army. Promoted to lieutenant in 1923, he resigned to attend dental school in 1929. Lange graduated as a doctor of medical dentistry in 1934. In 1936 he re-enlisted as a reservist and was promoted Captain of the Reserves on 1 July 1938.
Second World War
At the start of the war, he was recalled, taking part in the invasion of Poland with Landwehr Infanterie Regiment 162. In May 1941, Lange was assigned to command of the 2nd Battalion of his regiment, leading it in the invasion of the Soviet Union in June. He then was transferred to Grenadier Regiment 43 in September 1942, leading it in the fighting around Lake Ladoga.
On 10 February 1943 Lange was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel of the Reserves and awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The promotion and award were followed by another promotion, to Colonel of the Reserves on 1 July 1943, and the award of Oak Leaves on 13 September 1943, in recognition of his contribution to the fighting around Lake Ladoga. Soon afterward, he was withdrawn from front-line service and assigned to the general officer reserve of the German Army.
Lange assumed command of Grenadier Regiment 917 on 8 May 1944 in the south of France. He was captured by the French on 30 July 1944.
Awards and decorations
- Iron Cross (1914)
- Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
- German Cross in Gold on 14 March 1942 as Major der Landwehr in the III./Infanterie-Regiment 43[2]
- Honour Roll Clasp of the Army (19 November 1942)[1]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight's Cross on 19 January 1941 as Oberstleutnant and commander of Grenadier-Regiment 42[3]
- 300th Oak Leaves on 13 September 1943 as Oberst of the Reserves and commander of Grenadier-Regiment 43[4]
See also
Notes
- ↑ In German a Doctor of Medical Dentistry is abbreviated as Dr. med. dent. (Doctor medicinae dentariae).
References
Citations
Bibliography
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External links
- Use dmy dates from December 2015
- 1898 births
- 1982 deaths
- People from Berlin
- German military personnel of World War I
- German military personnel of World War II
- Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class
- Recipients of the Gold German Cross
- Reichswehr personnel
- Prussian Army personnel
- German dentists
- People from the Province of Brandenburg