Gottfried von Erdmannsdorff
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German Empire (to 1918)
Weimar Republic (to 1933)
Nazi GermanyGottfried von Erdmannsdorff | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 April 1893 |
| Died | 30 January 1946 (aged 52) |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Allegiance | German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Army (Wehrmacht) |
| Service years | 1913–1933 1934–1945 |
| Rank | Generalmajor |
| Commands | 465th Division "Fortress Mogilev" |
| Conflicts | World War I
|
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Relations | Werner von Erdmannsdorff (brother) |
Gottfried von Erdmannsdorff (25 April 1893 – 30 January 1946) was a German general during World War II. He was convicted by a Soviet military tribunal for war crimes at the Minsk Trial and executed in 1946.
On 27 June 1944 Soviet troops managed to push forward and make a deep breakthrough north of Mogilev by crossing the Dnieper River over a bridge at Trebuchi. The 4th Army dispatched a message to General Erdmannsdorff that Mogilev be held as a "fortified position" and ordered him to hold the town until the very last man. The 4th Army retreated the XXXIX Panzer Corps and the XII Army Corps a full 21km west of Mogilev, leaving the town to its fate against the overwhelming Soviet attacks. Later in the evening General Erdmannsdorff reported that German forces had been weakened and the Soviets had started to reach the edge of the city. Only 2 hours and 40 minutes later General Erdmannsdorff stated that the only part of the city still under his control was the city center and hand to hand combat was starting to take place. The last radio message that was received from Mogilev was at 11 o'clock in the evening and it was Lieutenant General Rudolf Bamler the commanding officer of the 12th Infantry Division requesting that Captain Opke of Artillery Regiment 12 should receive the Oak leaves of the Knight's Cross for "outstanding military exploits".[1]
