Karl Litzmann

Karl Litzmann (22 January 1850 – 28 May 1936) was a German World War I general and later Nazi Party member and politician.

Karl Litzmann
Nickname(s)Lion of Brzeziny
Born(1850-01-22)22 January 1850
Neuglobsow, Stechlin, Brandenburg
Died28 May 1936(1936-05-28) (aged 86)
Neuglobsow, Stechlin, Germany
Allegiance North German Confederation
German Empire German Empire (to 1918)
Germany Weimar Republic (to 1933)
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
Service/branchArmy
Years of service1867–1918
RankGeneral der Infanterie[1]
Commands held
Battles/warsWorld War I
Battle of Łódź
AwardsPour le Mérite with Oakleaves
RelationsWalter Lehweß-Litzmann (grandson)

World War I

He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Łódź (1914); he earned the nickname "the Lion of Brzeziny" there. On 29 November 1914 he was awarded the "Pour le Mérite" for military bravery and Oak Leaves (signifying a second award) on 18 August 1915.[2]

Interwar years

Litzmann became a member of Nazi Party in 1929 having previously become a member of SA. He was elected to the Reichstag in November 1932 but resigned his mandate on 15 December 1932 on grounds that he had responsibilities to the Landtag of Prussia, where he was its most senior member, also known as Father of the House or Alterspräsident. In the election of 5 March 1933, he was re-elected to the Reichstag, but resigned again on 2 April 1933 due to his seat in the Landtag. After the election of 12 November 1933, he again served in the Reichstag until his death in 1936. On 26 August 1933, Prussian Minister President Hermann Göring appointed him to the recently reconstituted Prussian State Council where he also served until his death.[3]

Legacy

After the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the towns of Łódź and Brzeziny were renamed in honour of Karl Litzmann. On 11 April 1940 Łódź was officially retitled by the occupying German forces as Litzmannstadt, while Brzeziny later became Löwenstadt (lion city). After World War II the towns reverted to their original Polish names.

Passau named a street after him.[4]

Karl Litzmann was an Honorary Citizen of Neuruppin. The honorary citizenship was withdrawn in 2007.

He was the father of Karl-Siegmund Litzmann (1893–1945) who was General Commissioner for Estonia in the Reichskommissariat Ostland during the German occupation 1941–1944. He was also grandfather to Walter Lehweß-Litzmann (1907–1986).

References
  1. "Karl Litzmann". The Prussian Machine. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  2. "Orden Pour le Mérite". Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  3. Lilla, Joachim (2005). Der Prußische Staatsrat 1921–1933: Ein biographisches Handbuch. Düsseldorf: Droste Verlag. p. 220. ISBN 978-3-770-05271-4.
  4. Anna Rosmus Hitlers Nibelungen, Samples Grafenau 2015, pp. 249f
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