Generalmajor Georg Benthack

[ccj]

I am looking for photos of this man.
I do have some info on this man and one photo of him as a Jr. Officer. Can anyone show a photo of Benthack as a general?


GENERALMAJOR GEORG BENTHACK (RK)
Born: 02 Mar 1894 in Hamburg
Died: 17 Aug 1973 in Hamburg
Promotions:
Gefreiter (19 Sep 1915); Unteroffizier (19 Dec 1915); Vizefeldwebel und Offiziers-Aspirant (19 Jan 1917); Leutnant der Reserve (20 Nov 1917); Hauptmann (E) (01 Oct 1936); Hauptmann (02 Jan 1937); Major (01 Jan 1940); Oberstleutnant (17 Dec 1941); Oberst (01 Jun 1943); Generalmajor (01 Dec 1944)
Career:
Entered Army Service (Reserves) (21 Nov 1914)
War Volunteer in the 2nd Guards-Foot-Artillery-Regiment (21 Nov 1914-31 Jul 1915)
Transferred into the 273rd Foot-Artillery-Battery (31 Jul 1915-26 Oct 1916)
Transferred into the 10th Artillery-Ranging-Troop (26 Oct 1916-16 Dec 1917)
Transferred into the Replacement-Battalion of the 16th Foot-Artillery-Regiment (16 Dec 1917-15 Nov 1918)
Regiments-Adjutant of the 16th Foot-Artillery-Regiment (15 Nov 1918-10 Jun 1919)
Retired from Army Service (10 Jun 1919)
Selection-Exercise with the 3rd Observation-Battalion, Jüterbog (13 May 1936-19 May 1936)
Supplemental-Officer-Aspirant with the 3rd Observation-Battalion and 20th Observation-Battalion to perform Service-Tests (02 Jul 1936-30 Sep 1936)
Entered Army Service as Supplemental-Officer (01 Oct 1936); Active-Officer (02 Jan 1937)
Employed with the Staff of the 20th Observation-Battalion (01 Oct 1936-12 Oct 1937)
Battery-Chief in the 20th Observation-Battalion (12 Oct 1937-21 Oct 1939)
Course for Officers of the Artillery-Observation-Troop (11 Feb 1938-24 Feb 1938)
Detached to Course for Artillery-Observers (06 Jun 1939-30 Jun 1939)
Commander of the 20th Observation-Battalion (21 Oct 1939-21 Nov 1941)
Course-Director with the Instruction-Staff B at Artillery School II, Jüterbog (21 Nov 1941-30 Mar 1943)
Course for Regimental-Commanders at Artillery School I, Berlin (29 Jun 1942-31 Jul 1942)
Commander of the II. Battalion of the 25th Motorised-Artillery-Regiment (30 Mar 1943-17 May 1943)
Führer-Reserve OKH (17 May 1943-15 Aug 1943)
Commander of the 619th Artillery-Regiment (15 Aug 1943-01 Dec 1943)
Fortress Artillery Commander Crete (01 Dec 1943-09 Oct 1944)
Commander Fortress Crete and Delegated with the Leadership of the 133rd Fortress-Division (09 Oct 1944-01 Dec 1944)
Commander of the 133rd Fortress-Division (01 Dec 1944-18 Jan 1945)
Commander of the Fortress-Division Kreta (18 Jan 1945-09 May 1945)
In British captivity until 00 Jun 1945 when he was appointed Fortress-Commander of Crete under British Senior-Command (00 Jun 1945-1948)
Released (1948)

Awards & Decorations:
- - Ritterkreuz: am 21.05.1945 als Generalmajor und Komm. Festungs-Division und Kommandant Platzes Kreta
- - 1939 EK I –S-: 05.06.1940
- - 1939 EK II –S-: 03.10.1939
- - 1914 EK I: 04.05.1919
- - 1914 EK II: 27.05.1917
- - Hamburgisches Hanseatenkreuz: 20.07.1916
- - Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer: 20.11.1934
- - Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV Klasse: 01.04.1937
- - Heeres-Flakabzeichen

[Vienna]

Hi ccj!

You can find him under Bridgend, Island Farm ...

http://www.specialcamp11.fsnet.co.uk/index.html

Regards
Vienna

[ccj]

Thanks,

Does anyone know where to locate other photos of this man? Surely there is a picture of this man wearing the uniform of a general.

[ccj]

Someone purchased thes documents at auction. I would pay all expenses and compensation for copies of these documents for my research of Benthack's career.

Moved by moderator D. Zinke:

Georg Benthack was of course found innocent of the charges against him as he was operating under the authorization of the British Army to maintain order on the Island of Crete to which he was the commander of prior to and directly after the war's end.

and another post, same author, same day
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=82989

[ccj]

Well, it's been a long time now and I'm still looking for more information and photos of Benthack if anyone can help

[refman]

I would love it if you could keep me posted on your research of him. My genealogy has a Benthack who was orphaned in Hamburg & moved to Denmark. His son then moved to America & so I would love to find if I am related to this general.

[ccj]

So far nothing new on Benthack. It's sad really because I've searched so much and haven't really found anything new. no photos, no new data...

[malvinas82]

Hi, I hope this helps




Georg Benthack's Ritterkreuz


RK preliminary award document.

These have been on my PC for ages now, so don't ask me about sources.

Regards,
Agustin.

[Dieter Zinke]

Auweia Agustin
The award certificate is a horrible fake supposedly from the workshop of the counterfelter Konrad Kujau (the creator of the so-called Hitler Diaries) by order of Walther-Peer Fellgiebel, the boss of the infamous OdR ?!?

Don't you believe it! There*s a sucker born every minute

Dieter Z.

[malvinas82]

Auweia Agustin
The award certificate is a horrible fake supposedly from the workshop of the counterfelter Konrad Kujau (the creator of the so-called Hitler Diaries) by order of Walther-Peer Fellgiebel, the boss of the infamous OdR ?!?

Don't you believe it! There*s a sucker born every minute

Dieter Z.

Wooow! Didn't know that Dieter, thanks! I'll be more careful next time.

[ccj]

How would you know this? Can you offer evidence and examples?

[askropp]

Apart from the fact that Benthack's "decoration" was issued after the unconditional surrender and thus has to be considered unlawful and without legal justification, making it ineffective, it was not approved by Dönitz before May 21, so no document could have been signed on "May 4". This is an obvious attempt to make it seem valid, May 4 being before the surrender. It is also signed only by a mere Major (don't know if there was a real Kleinschmidt), of course the signature of Burgdorf is missing, as he was already dead on May 4. How is the certificate supposed to have gotten to Crete anyway?

[refman]

The Germans were, as we all know were about being efficient. I am sure they had blank forms on Crete that would have been filled out once they got an order from Berlin. Maybe that would explain a jr officer signing it. just food for thought.

[Dieter Zinke]

Lieber refman,
from your post, I understand that you have not understood the complexity of the process (application of the Knight's Cross awards, approval, signature by the award claimants in the OKW)! How can an order, which was awarded (against applicable German law) after the capitulation, be signed back before the armistice? Only the "OdR" (Ordensgemeinschaft der Ritterkreuzträger) was invented for a long time after the war in its own power perfection to do so. The certificate may never be signed in Crete itself, a stock of blank forms is definitely excluded!
I strongly recommend the purchase of the book by Veit Scherzer "Ritterkreuzträger 1939 - 1945" for the detailed study of the complicated details, then no questions remain open.

Dieter Z.