Georg Lindemann

Georg Heinrich Lindemann (8 March 1884 – 25 September 1963) was a German cavalry officer and field commander who served in the German army during World War I (Reichswehr) and World War II (Wehrmacht Heer). He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Lindemann survived the Second World War and was released after several years as a prisoner-of-war (POW).

Early life
Georg Lindemann was born in Osterburg (Altmark) in the Province of Saxony. Lindemann was the son of Hermann Lindemann and his wife Elisbeth, née Placke. He was the 1st cousin of Dr. jur. Ernst Lindemann, father of Kapitän zur See Ernst Lindemann, the only commander of the German battleship Bismarck.

Lindemann joined the Prussian Officer corps and served in World War I on both the Eastern Front and the Western Front. After the war, he joined Von Lettow's Freikorps and, during the civil unrest of 1919, helped to crush the Communist Workers Council in Hamburg. In 1930, Lindemann was serving as Commanding officer of the 13th Reiter Regiment.

World War II
With the rise of the NSDAP, Lindemann was promoted to Commander of the Kriegsschule in Hanover. He occupied this position until 1936. In 1936, Lindemann was promoted to Generalleutnant and given command of the 36. Infanterie Division. The division was involved in guarding the Saar region during the Invasion of Poland, and it then took part in the Invasion of France. At the end of the Western campaign, Lindemann was promoted to Cavalry General (General der Kavallerie) and given command of the German L Army Corps (L.Armeekorps). In June 1941, at the launch of Operation Barbarossa, Lindemann's Corps was a part of Army Group North. Lindemann commanded the corps during the Army Group North's advance towards Leningrad. His unit was briefly shifted to the command of Army Group Centre during the operations to capture Smolensk. Lindemann's corps was then shifted back to Army Group North. During the period of his military authority in the area, the Russian city of Gatchina received the name Lindemannstadt in his honour under the German occupation.

On 16 January 1942, Lindemann took the command of the German Eighteenth Army (18. Armee), a part of Army Group North. Later, in the summer of 1942, he was promoted to Colonel-General (Generaloberst).

Lindemann commanded the German Eighteenth Army throughout the campaigns around Leningrad and during the January 1944 retreat from Oranienbaum to Narva. Until 4 February 1944, the Sponheimer Group which defended the Narva Line was subordinated to the 18th Army commanded by Lindemann. He was promoted to command of Army Group North on 31 March 1944. His command of the Army Group was short-lived, and on 4 July 1944 he was relieved and transferred to the Reserve Army. Allegedly German dictator Adolf Hitler gave as reason for this change that Lindemann had become too old and too weak.

After serving a few months in the Reserve Army, Lindemann was put in command of a new staff called "Führungsstab Ostseeküste". From 1 February 1945, he held the post as the "Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces in Denmark" (Wehrmachtsbefehlshaber Dänemark), thereby coming in command of all German troops in Denmark. In April 1945, when the end of the war was apparent to almost all German commanders, Lindemann issued an order to his troops to preserve strict discipline. He further ordered that Denmark had to be defended to the last bullet.

On 3 May, Lindemann went to the Naval Academy at Mürwik to participate in a meeting with the OKW, the new government and the new German Head of State, Grand Admiral (Großadmiral) Karl Dönitz. Lindemann informed Dönitz that he would be able to hold Denmark for at least some time, and he and his colleague in Norway, General Franz Böhme, argued for keeping Denmark and Norway in German custody as bargaining chips in the armistice negotiations soon to come. Dönitz however, sued for immediate peace, and Germany surrendered unconditionally in northwest Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark on 5 May 1945. As commander of "Army Lindemann" (Armee Lindemann), Lindemann was then given the task of dismantling the German occupation of Denmark until 6 June 1945, when he was arrested at his headquarters in Silkeborg.

Post-war
Lindemann was a POW in American custody until 1948. He was not charged for war crimes by either the Allies or by Denmark. After his release, Lindemann went into retirement in West Germany. He died on 25 September 1963.

Awards and decorations

 * Iron Cross (1914)
 * 2nd Class (9 September 1914)
 * 1st Class (28 July 1915)
 * Wound Badge (1914)
 * in Black
 * Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords
 * Cross of Honor in 1934
 * Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
 * 2nd Class (26 September 1939)
 * 1st Class (30 October 1939)
 * Eastern Front Medal
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
 * Knight's Cross on 5 August 1940 as Generalleutnant and commander of the 36. Infantry-Division
 * 275th Oak Leaves on 21 August 1943 as Generaloberst and commander of the 18.Armee
 * Order of the Cross of Liberty 1st Class with Star (29 March 1943)
 * Mentioned twice in the Wehrmachtbericht (29 June 1942 and 12 August 1943)