Hans Kreysing (17 August 1890 - 14 April 1969) was a German general who served in both World Wars, rising to the rank of General der Gebirgstruppe during World War II. He commanded various infantry and mountain units, including the 3rd Mountain Division and later corps and army-level formations on the Eastern Front. Kreysing was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, one of the highest military decorations in Nazi Germany, awarded for his leadership in defensive operations against Soviet forces. Born in Gottingen in the German Empire, he entered military service in 1909 and participated in campaigns across Europe, from the Alps to the Arctic and the steppes of Russia. After the war, he worked with the Red Cross and lived in West Germany until his death in Oldenburg.
Kreysing was born on 17 August 1890 in Gottingen, Lower Saxony, then part of the Province of Hanover in the German Empire. Little is documented about his early family life, but he pursued a military path from a young age. He entered the Imperial German Army on 23 February 1909 as a Fahnenjunker, an officer candidate, and was assigned to the Hannoversches Jager-Bataillon Nr. 10. His training progressed steadily, with promotions to Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier on 1 August 1910, Fahnrich on 1 February 1911, and Leutnant on 18 August 1911. When World War I erupted in 1914, Kreysing served in various theaters, including the mountainous regions of South Tyrol, the Balkans in Serbia, and operations in Greece. His frontline service earned him several decorations, such as the Iron Cross 2nd Class and 1st Class in 1914, the Knight's Cross of the Royal Prussian House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords, the Hamburg Hanseatic Cross, and the Bavarian Military Merit Order 4th Class with Swords. These awards reflected his performance in infantry and mountain warfare, skills that would define his later career.
Following the armistice in 1918, Kreysing remained in the reduced Reichswehr, the interwar German military force limited by the Treaty of Versailles. He continued his professional development, receiving promotions to Oberleutnant on 1 September 1914 (retroactive from wartime), Hauptmann on 1 July 1920, Major on 1 February 1931, Oberstleutnant on 1 March 1934, and Oberst on 1 January 1937. During this period, he held various staff and command positions, adapting to the evolving doctrines of the German army as it secretly rearmed under the Weimar Republic and later the Nazi regime. By the late 1930s, Kreysing was positioned for senior roles, and at the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, he commanded Infanterie-Regiment 16 within the 22nd Infanterie-Division. His unit participated in the invasion of Poland, where he demonstrated effective leadership in mobile warfare. Kreysing married Ilse Vissering, and they had a daughter, Iris Ilse Inka Auguste Helene Martha Blonay Kreysing, born on 11 September 1925 in Norderney, Lower Saxony.
In the early phases of World War II, Kreysing's regiment played a key role in the Western Campaign against France in 1940. As Oberst, he led Infanterie-Regiment 16 with distinction, particularly in identifying and countering an enemy flank attack that threatened to advance an entire division. His quick decision-making and bold countermeasures halted the threat, earning him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 May 1940. He also received the Clasp to the Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class on 24 November 1939 for earlier actions. Promoted to Generalmajor on 1 October 1940, Kreysing took command of the 3rd Gebirgs-Division on 23 October 1940, a unit specialized in mountain and arctic warfare. Under his leadership, the division deployed to Norway and Lapland, participating in operations against Allied forces and supporting the invasion of the Soviet Union in the far north. His command extended into the harsh conditions of the Arctic Front, where logistical challenges and extreme weather tested his strategic abilities.
Kreysing's tenure with the 3rd Mountain Division shifted to the Eastern Front in late 1941, where it engaged in intense combat against Soviet armies. Promoted to Generalleutnant on 1 November 1941, he received the Finnish Liberty Cross 1st Class with Swords on 26 October 1941 for cooperative efforts with Finnish allies. In late 1942, during the defensive battles around Millerovo on the middle Don River, his division held against overwhelming Soviet assaults from two, and later three, enemy corps. Despite encirclement, Kreysing orchestrated a successful breakout and relieved a besieged strongpoint, tying down significant Soviet resources and allowing German forces to stabilize a new defensive line. This resilience earned him the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross on 20 January 1943, the 183rd such award. He commanded the division until 10 August 1943, overseeing operations that highlighted his expertise in defensive warfare under adverse conditions.
In November 1943, Kreysing assumed command of the XVII Army Corps on the Eastern Front, promoted to General der Gebirgstruppe on 1 April 1943. His corps defended the Zaporozhye and Nikopol bridgeheads from late 1943 into early 1944, engaging in prolonged heavy fighting around Nikopol from 5 November 1943 to 15 February 1944. Under his direction, the corps repelled multiple Soviet breakthrough attempts through a combination of defensive stands and counterattacks, inflicting heavy losses including over 1,700 tanks destroyed or captured, hundreds of artillery pieces, and numerous aircraft downed. He was mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 18 February 1944 for these efforts. This defensive success led to the Swords to the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves on 13 April 1944, the 63rd award of its kind. Kreysing briefly stepped down from corps command in April 1944 but returned from 25 May to 28 December 1944.
On 28 December 1944, Kreysing took over the 8th Army, leading it through the final months of the war in defensive actions against advancing Soviet and Allied forces. The army surrendered in Austria in May 1945, marking the end of his active military service. Postwar, Kreysing avoided major denazification proceedings and worked with the Red Cross, contributing to humanitarian efforts in the reconstruction of Germany. He lived quietly in West Germany until his death on 14 April 1969 in Oldenburg at the age of 78. Throughout his career, Kreysing accumulated long-service awards, including the Wehrmacht Long Service Awards for 4, 12, 18, and 25 years, and the Front Fighter's Cross of Honor, underscoring his decades of dedication to the German military.
Kreysing was born on 17 August 1890 in Gottingen, Lower Saxony, then part of the Province of Hanover in the German Empire. Little is documented about his early family life, but he pursued a military path from a young age. He entered the Imperial German Army on 23 February 1909 as a Fahnenjunker, an officer candidate, and was assigned to the Hannoversches Jager-Bataillon Nr. 10. His training progressed steadily, with promotions to Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier on 1 August 1910, Fahnrich on 1 February 1911, and Leutnant on 18 August 1911. When World War I erupted in 1914, Kreysing served in various theaters, including the mountainous regions of South Tyrol, the Balkans in Serbia, and operations in Greece. His frontline service earned him several decorations, such as the Iron Cross 2nd Class and 1st Class in 1914, the Knight's Cross of the Royal Prussian House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords, the Hamburg Hanseatic Cross, and the Bavarian Military Merit Order 4th Class with Swords. These awards reflected his performance in infantry and mountain warfare, skills that would define his later career.
Following the armistice in 1918, Kreysing remained in the reduced Reichswehr, the interwar German military force limited by the Treaty of Versailles. He continued his professional development, receiving promotions to Oberleutnant on 1 September 1914 (retroactive from wartime), Hauptmann on 1 July 1920, Major on 1 February 1931, Oberstleutnant on 1 March 1934, and Oberst on 1 January 1937. During this period, he held various staff and command positions, adapting to the evolving doctrines of the German army as it secretly rearmed under the Weimar Republic and later the Nazi regime. By the late 1930s, Kreysing was positioned for senior roles, and at the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, he commanded Infanterie-Regiment 16 within the 22nd Infanterie-Division. His unit participated in the invasion of Poland, where he demonstrated effective leadership in mobile warfare. Kreysing married Ilse Vissering, and they had a daughter, Iris Ilse Inka Auguste Helene Martha Blonay Kreysing, born on 11 September 1925 in Norderney, Lower Saxony.
In the early phases of World War II, Kreysing's regiment played a key role in the Western Campaign against France in 1940. As Oberst, he led Infanterie-Regiment 16 with distinction, particularly in identifying and countering an enemy flank attack that threatened to advance an entire division. His quick decision-making and bold countermeasures halted the threat, earning him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 May 1940. He also received the Clasp to the Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class on 24 November 1939 for earlier actions. Promoted to Generalmajor on 1 October 1940, Kreysing took command of the 3rd Gebirgs-Division on 23 October 1940, a unit specialized in mountain and arctic warfare. Under his leadership, the division deployed to Norway and Lapland, participating in operations against Allied forces and supporting the invasion of the Soviet Union in the far north. His command extended into the harsh conditions of the Arctic Front, where logistical challenges and extreme weather tested his strategic abilities.
Kreysing's tenure with the 3rd Mountain Division shifted to the Eastern Front in late 1941, where it engaged in intense combat against Soviet armies. Promoted to Generalleutnant on 1 November 1941, he received the Finnish Liberty Cross 1st Class with Swords on 26 October 1941 for cooperative efforts with Finnish allies. In late 1942, during the defensive battles around Millerovo on the middle Don River, his division held against overwhelming Soviet assaults from two, and later three, enemy corps. Despite encirclement, Kreysing orchestrated a successful breakout and relieved a besieged strongpoint, tying down significant Soviet resources and allowing German forces to stabilize a new defensive line. This resilience earned him the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross on 20 January 1943, the 183rd such award. He commanded the division until 10 August 1943, overseeing operations that highlighted his expertise in defensive warfare under adverse conditions.
In November 1943, Kreysing assumed command of the XVII Army Corps on the Eastern Front, promoted to General der Gebirgstruppe on 1 April 1943. His corps defended the Zaporozhye and Nikopol bridgeheads from late 1943 into early 1944, engaging in prolonged heavy fighting around Nikopol from 5 November 1943 to 15 February 1944. Under his direction, the corps repelled multiple Soviet breakthrough attempts through a combination of defensive stands and counterattacks, inflicting heavy losses including over 1,700 tanks destroyed or captured, hundreds of artillery pieces, and numerous aircraft downed. He was mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 18 February 1944 for these efforts. This defensive success led to the Swords to the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves on 13 April 1944, the 63rd award of its kind. Kreysing briefly stepped down from corps command in April 1944 but returned from 25 May to 28 December 1944.
On 28 December 1944, Kreysing took over the 8th Army, leading it through the final months of the war in defensive actions against advancing Soviet and Allied forces. The army surrendered in Austria in May 1945, marking the end of his active military service. Postwar, Kreysing avoided major denazification proceedings and worked with the Red Cross, contributing to humanitarian efforts in the reconstruction of Germany. He lived quietly in West Germany until his death on 14 April 1969 in Oldenburg at the age of 78. Throughout his career, Kreysing accumulated long-service awards, including the Wehrmacht Long Service Awards for 4, 12, 18, and 25 years, and the Front Fighter's Cross of Honor, underscoring his decades of dedication to the German military.
Source:
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Kreysing
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/34541/Kreysing-Hans.htm
https://grokipedia.com/
https://rk.balsi.de/index.php?action=list&cat=300
https://www.unithistories.com/units_index/index.php?file=/officers/personsx.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20091027052912fw_/http://geocities.com/orion47.geo/index2.html
https://forum.axishistory.com/
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/
https://www.bundesarchiv.de/en/
https://www.geni.com/people/Hans-Kreysing/6000000053046672095
https://books.google.com/
http://www.geocities.ws/orion47.geo/WEHRMACHT/HEER/General2/KREYSING_HANS.html
https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Hans_Kreysing
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