Otto Lancelle

Otto Lancelle
Otto Lancelle in 1939
Born	(1885-03-27)27 March 1885 Xanten, Germany
Died	3 July 1941(1941-07-03) (aged 56) Krāslava, Soviet Union
Allegiance	German Empire  Weimar Republic  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Army; SA
Years of service	1905–41
Rank	Generalleutnant (Posthumously); SA-Oberführer (SA)
Commands held	121st Infantry Division
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Battle of France Operation Barbarossa †
Awards	Pour le Mérite 1914 Iron Cross I & II Class 1939 I & II Class House Order of Hohenzollern Prussian Life Saving Medal Order of the Zähringer Lion Merit Cross Wound Badge in Silver German Sports Badge Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Children	Kraft Lancelle

Otto Lancelle (27 March 1885 – 3 July 1941) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II and a recipient of both the Pour le Mérite and Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest military awards of German Empire and Nazi Germany, respectively. During the Interwar period, he joined the Der Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten and Nazi Party, and participated in the Beer Hall Putsch.^[1]

Lancelle was killed by a sniper on 3 July 1941 at the Krāslava Bridgehead on the Daugava near Krāslava, Latvia. He was the first German general, who was killed in (de facto) Soviet territory after the attack on the Soviet Union. He was posthumously promoted to Generalleutnant and awarded the Knight's Cross.

Lancelle was first buried next to the Krāslava Lutheran Church, and later reinterred in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The Polish town of Rzgów was renamed Lancellenstätt in his honor by the occupiers from 1943 to 1945. A memorial marker on the site of his death was installed by his son Kraft in July 1994, which was removed by authorities in November 2022.^[2]

Awards and decorations[edit]

• Pour le Mérite (9 October 1918)^[3]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 27 July 1941 (posthumously) as Generalmajor and commander of 121. Infanterie-Division^[3]

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