| Oskar Wittman | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | July 14, 1902 Lubeck, Germany |
| Died | August 6, 1975 Berlin, Germany |
| Affiliation(s) |  Germany
|
| Rank | Commander of the Latvian 12th Corps |
| Final Position | Lieutenant General |
| Key Conflicts | World War I World War II |
| Key Battles | Siege of Leningrad Battle of Riga Operation Vernichtung |
Oskar Wittman was a German military officer, commanding the Latvian 12th Corps from 1941 to 1945. He was a Lieutenant General in the Wehrmacht, but commanded a Latvian military force. Wittman surrendered the Corps in 1945, or whatever was left of it.
Biography[]
Oskar Wittman was born in Lubeck, and fought in the Wehrmacht in 1918, during World War I. He was wounded fighting in the Baltic Freikorps against the Russians, fighting for the independence of Latvia, and Wittman became an officer in the Latvian Army. Wittman was posted in command of the Latvian 12th Corps during World War II in 1941, and he fought alongside Germans during the invasion of Russia, Operation Barbarossa. Wittman served in the Siege of Leningrad, but he was promoted when he was dispatched to fight in the Latvian theater. Wittman fought in the Battle of Riga, in which his corps bore the brunt of the fighting, and he fought in "Operation Vernichtung", a failed counteroffensive by the German military. He surrendered the last few thousand troops of XII Corps to the Russians at Kaunas, Lithuania. He died in peace in Berlin after serving as a prisoner of war for a few years.