Generalmajor Hans Bessel

[JuanS]

Hello

I am loking for any photo of Generalmajor Hans Bessel. Sometimes his last name was mispelled Bessell. He wan a Heer general. He was in the pioneer branch
Born: 24 Feb 1893 in Magdeburg

Died: 11 Feb 1979 in Cologne (Köln)

my e mail is jcsanche@iupui.edu
Thanks

Juan

[Gareth Collins]

Hello,
You may find a pic and bio of him at ABR, a site I co-author.

http://www.geocities.com/~orion47/

Regards
Gareth

[JuanS]

It is always nice to lean about history. I have copy of General Hans Beseel Military Carrer but I did not know that he was involved in the construction of the Gustaf line. I have the priviledge of owning his uniform.Thaks to Marc mac for this information .
Under the effect of the American landing in the Salerno area, the OKW, on 12 September, ordered the counterattack but also, regardless of whether it was successful or not, the withdrawal of the 10th Army to the line Grosseto-Ancona, i. e. north of Rome. In view of his so far successful conduct of operations, however, Kesselring was of course in no hurry with this withdrawal to the north. On the evening of 12 September, he discussed with the Commander-in-Chief of the 10th Army the possibility of erecting a fortified line south of Rome, which was later called Gustav Line. In the strict sense of the word, this could not be a line, but rather a system of fortified landmarks, echeloned in depth, at the narrowest point of the Italian peninsula. The line followed the course of the rivers Garigliano, Liri and Rapido, continued via Venato and the Maiella Mountains and reached the Adriatic coast at Tossacesia, a few kilometre! s north of the Sangro. In the weeks that followed, Kesselring had this system of positions developed at full speed by Engineer General Bessel. In the long run, Hitler could not withhold his recognition of Kesselring's vigorous style of command. Unlike the generals on the Eastern Front, Kesselring did not deliver pessimistic estimates of the situation, he demanded that his troops hold their ground, fight and not withdraw, just the kind of language that Hitler liked to hear. Moreover, the Gustav Line, with a length of 135 km, could be defended with fewer forces than the Gothic Line in the Apennines, which was prepared by Rommel, and psychologically the Gustav Line had the great advantage that it covered Rome.

[Bill H.]

Here is some into to go along with the uniform.

Cheers, Bill Huber



Generalmajor Hans Bessel

Born: 24 February 1893 in Magdeburg.

Parents: Oberstudienrat Prof. Hans Bessel and Emma Koenig Bessel

13 March 1913 - Faenrichjunker Pioneer Battalion 11

20 November 1913 – Faenrich

6 August 1914 – appointed Leutnant with date of rank 20 August 1912; Platoon Leader in 1st Company, 11th Pioneer Battalion

January 1916 – Company Commander 1st Co. 11th Pioneer Battalion

18 December 1917 – promoted to Oberleutnant

23 November 1918 - Platoon Leader 11th Engineer Battalion

15 March 1919 - Economics officer for the Command of Mortar forces at Juterbog

1 October 1919 - Reichwehr Engineer Battalion 11

1 June 1920 - Battalion Adjutant

1 October 1920 – Adjutant 5th Engineer Battalion

1 October 1923 - Artillery Regiment 5, und kdt. z. Fuhr. Gen. Ausb. b. W.Krs. Kdo. VII (appointed to General Training Command for military district 7)

1 October 1925 – Company Commander 1st Company Engineer Battalion 5

1 February 1926 – promoted to Haptmann

1 February 1929 – assigned to Cavalry Regiment 15 and appointed as Staff Officer in service of Engineers of the 6th Division.

1 October 1932 - assigned to Infantry Command IV in service to the Reichswehr Inspector General of Engineers.

1 October 1933 – Instructor at the War Academy

1 June 1934 – promoted to Major

1 October 1935 - appointed Commander of Engineer Battalion 43

1 April 1936 – appointed Commander of Engineer Battalion 26

1 January 1937 - promoted to Oberstleutnant

1 April 1938 – appointed Commander of Fortress Engineer Staff 22

15 September 1939 – appointed to Engineer Leadership of Army Group Fhr. v. Hammerstein

1 October 1939 – promoted to Oberst

10 November 1939 - appointed to the Staff of the High Command of Army Group “B”, General of Engineers as Specialist of fortresses

15 January 1940 – appointed to the Staff of Army High Command 4, General of Engineers as Specialist of fortresses

23 April 1940 – appointed as Commander of Construction Troops 5

4 January 1941 – Fuehrer Reserve Wehr Kreis VI (Military District VI)

16 May 1941 - appointed Commander of Engineer Regiment Staff z. b. V. 673

15 June 1942 - appointed Higher Engineering Officer 2

4 March 1943 - appointed Commander of German Verb. Staff in Italy, Army High Command 8

1 April 1943 – promoted to Generalmajor

15 June 1943 – appointed Commander of German Verb. Staff in Italy, Army Group 2 Albania

25 September 1943 - appointed Commander of Facilities Construction for Ober Befehlshaber {Commander} South (Army Group “C” Kesselring).

6 November 1943 – Fuehrer Reserve in Wehr Kreis III (Military District III)

22 December 1943 - Fuehrer Reserve in the Army High Command

January 1945 - in Hospital and Fuehrer Reserve in Wehr Kreis Kommando XI (Military District Command XI)

4 May 1945 – 7 May 1947 – Prisoner of War of US Army



Decorations:

Iron Cross 2nd Class with 1939 Clasp
Iron Cross 1st Class with 1939 Clasp
SMK (Serbian Military Cross?)
Austrian Merit Medal 3rd Class with Crown
German Cross in Silver
And other awards

Married since 6 August 1918 to Elsie Franken Bessel who died 24 November 1940.
Married again since 9 June 1941 to Annelise Kraus Bessel

[Jaime]

00.00.0000 EK I. und II. Klasse
00.00.0000 Herzogl. Sachsen-Meiningisches Ehrenkreuz für Verdienst im Kriege
00.00.0000 k.u.k. Österr. Militär-Verdienstkreuz III. Klasse mit der Kriegsdekoration
00.00.0000 Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz
00.00.0000 Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
00.00.0000 Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung I.-IV.Klasse
00.00.0000 Spange zum EK II. Klasse
00.00.0000 Medaille “Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/1942"
00.00.0000 Kriegsverdienstkreuz I. und II. Klasse mit Schwertern
24.11.1944 Deutsches Kreuz in Silber

[JuanS]

Thanks a lot

Generalmajor Hand Bessel spent a lot of time near Cologne during the war. His home town Magdeburg was under communist rule after the war, he lived in Cologne after the war.
Do anybody know somebody from Cologne Germany that could do research at the public library for a fee?
I may need to travel to Cologne Germany to do the research

thanks a lot

Juan