Gottfried von Erdmannsdorff
Gottfried von Erdmannsdorff | |
---|---|
Born |
25 April 1893 Kamenz, German Empire |
Died |
30 January 1946 52) Minsk, Soviet Union | (aged
Criminal charge | War crimes |
Criminal penalty | Death penalty |
Trial | Minsk Trial |
Military career | |
Allegiance |
|
Service/ | Wehrmacht |
Rank | Generalmajor |
Battles/wars | Mogilev Offensive |
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.
Minsk Trial
Erdmannsdorff, who was at that time commander of the so-called "Fortress Mogilev" surrendered to the Soviet troops in late June 1944 during the Mogilev Offensive. He was tried by a Soviet tribunal (the Minsk Trial) for crimes committed in Belarus along with 18 other defendants, 14 of whom, including Erdmannsdorff, were sentenced to death on 29 January 1946. The officers were hanged in public (with over 100,000 civilian spectators) in the horse racing venue of Minsk, on 30 January 1946.[1] He was the younger brother of General der Infanterie Werner von Erdmannsdorff.[2]
Awards and decorations
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 20 March 1942 as Oberst and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 171[3]
References
Citations
Bibliography
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Heer, Hannes (1995). "Der Minsker Prozess". Hannesheer.de.