Philipp Kleffel

Philipp Kleffel
Born	9 December 1887 Posen, Province of Posen, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire now Poznań, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland
Died	Coburg, Bavaria, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1905–45
Rank	General der Kavallerie
Commands held	1. Infanterie-Division L. Armeekorps XVI. Armeekorps XXX. Armeekorps 25. Armee
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Battle of Belgium Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Siege of Leningrad Siegfried Line Campaign Liberation of Arnhem
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Philipp Kleffel (9 December 1887 – 10 October 1964) was a highly decorated General der Kavallerie in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several corps. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Philipp Kleffel was captured by British troops in 1945 and was released in 1947.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Frederick August Cross (Oldenburg)
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Eastern Front Medal
• Order of the Cross of Liberty 1st Class with Swords (29 March 1943)
• German Cross in Gold (10 May 1943)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 17 February 1942 as Generalleutnant and commander of 1. Infanterie-Division
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award
• Order of the Cross of Liberty (Finland)

External links

• Lexikon der Wehrmacht
• World War 2 Awards.com
• Ritterkreuztraeger 1939-1945
• Philipp Kleffel @ Axis Biographical Research at the Wayback Machine (archived January 25, 2011)

Military offices
Preceded by Generalleutnant Joachim von Kortzfleisch	Commander of 1. Infanterie-Division 14 April 1940 - 12 July 1941	Succeeded by Generalmajor Dr. Friedrich Altrichter
Preceded by Generalmajor Dr. Friedrich Altrichter	Commander of 1. Infanterie-Division 4 September 1941 - 16 January 1942	Succeeded by Generalleutnant Martin Grase
Preceded by General der Kavallerie Georg Lindemann	Commander of L. Armeekorps 19 January 1942 - 3 March 1942	Succeeded by General der Infanterie Herbert von Böckmann
Preceded by General der Infanterie Herbert von Böckmann	Commander of L. Armeekorps 20 July 1942 - 17 September 1943	Succeeded by General der Infanterie Wilhelm Wegener
Preceded by Generalleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm Neumann	Commander of XXX. Armeekorps 16 December 1944 - 25 April 1945	Succeeded by Generalleutnant Arnold Burmeister
Preceded by General der Infanterie Günther Blumentritt	Commander of 25. Armee 28 March 1945 - May 1945	Succeeded by None