Walter Krüger (SS general)

Walter Krüger (27 February 1890 – 22 May 1945) was a German SS official during the Nazi era. In World War II, he commanded the SS Division Polizei, the SS Division Das Reich, and the VI SS Army Corps (Latvian). At the end of the war, Krüger committed suicide.

For other people named Walter Krüger, see Walter Krüger (disambiguation).
Walter Krüger
Krüger (left) with Erich Hoepner in October 1941
Born(1890-02-27)27 February 1890
Strasbourg, German Empire
Died22 May 1945(1945-05-22) (aged 55)
Liepāja, Ostland
Allegiance German Empire
 Weimar Republic
 Nazi Germany
Service/branch Waffen-SS
Years of service1908–20, 1935–45
RankObergruppenführer
Service numberSS #266,184
Commands heldSS Division Das Reich
VI SS Army Corps (Latvian)
Battles/warsWorld War I
World War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords

Career

Born in Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorraine, German Empire (today France), Krüger was the son of an army officer and attended cadet school. As a young officer, he joined an artillery regiment during World War I. After World War I, he joined the paramilitary Freikorps and fought in the Baltic region during 1919.

From 1933, Krüger worked in the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht training department. In 1935, he joined the SS-Verfügungstruppe and served as an instructor at the SS Officer's school at the SS-Junker School Bad Tölz. He earned the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, after taking command of the SS Division Polizei, which fought on the Leningrad front.

Krüger became commander of the SS Division Das Reich in March 1943. After that, he went on to become the inspector general of infantry troops of the Waffen-SS. He was then posted to the VI SS Army Corps (Latvian), a paper command. On 22 May 1945[a], Krüger committed suicide in the Courland Pocket fourteen days after the surrender of Nazi Germany.

Awards

References

Citations
  1. Thomas 1997, p. 416.
  2. Scherzer 2007, p. 479.

Bibliography
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.
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