Kowel 1944: Mühlenkamp with the LVI. Panzerkorps.

[Dieter Zinke]

The pic (April / May 1944, Kowel area) shows:
First row from left Generalmajor Heinrich Nickel (Kommandeur 342. Infanterie-Division), General der Infanterie Friedrich Hossbach (Kommandierender General des LVI. Panzerkorps), Generalleutnant Johann de Boer (Kommandeur 26. Infanterie-Division), Generalleutnant Carl Becker (Kommandeur 263. Infanterie-Division).
Second row (black uniform) Generalmajor Karl Decker (Kommandeur 5. Panzerdivision), SS-Standartenführer Johannes Mühlenkamp (commander SS-Panzer Regiment 5 “Wiking”) and (with KC) Oberst ClemensBetzel (temporarily charged with command of the 4. Panzerdivision).

Best
Oberstab

[JC]

Oberstab,

I've seen this photo before and I'm sure the caption is incorrect. The man next to Mühlenkamp is Betzel not the man with RK.

JC

[J.N. Houterman]

Let's have a somewhat closer look at those faces, and then we see that JC is right. Betzel is the one with the German Cross in Gold, not with the Kinght's Cross.

Cheers,

Hans

[JC]

Hello Hans,

Yes, by all means.

I probably should have said IF any of these men are Betzel it is the man next to the man identified as Mühlenkamp, not the man with the "RK" in the second row. After all, Betzel received his DKiG on 11 March 1943, but didn't receive the RK until 5 September. But decorations aside, the man next to Mühlenkamp looks much more like Clemens Betzel than the RKT does.

BR........JC

BTW, it looks to me like some of the RK displayed in the photo are photographically added. Anyone else notice that?

[freiherr]

Good news.

No1 was Mj Anton Berg ... confirmed by checking Biblio Verlag
No 2 was nobody less than GenLt Josef Rintelen!! Betzel didn't earn his RK until 05.09.44. Rintelen was Obst from 02.06.41 to 01.08.44, having won his RK 05.08.40.

Cheers
Freiherr