Generalleutnant fritz bayerlein biography
Fritz bayerlein biography...
Fritz Bayerlein, 1899-1970
Fritz Bayerlein (1899-1970) was a German general who served in almost every theatre of operations during the Second World War, from the opening invasion of Poland to the last major German offensive in the Ardennes, and including the campaigns in North Africa and Normandy.
Bayerlein was one of the younger senior German officers of the Second World War, and unlike many of his colleagues didn't come from the officer class.
Generalleutnant fritz bayerlein biography
He had entered the German army at the age of 16 as a private, and served on the Western Front, before joining the tiny Reichswehr in 1921. He received staff officer training, before joining the infant armoured forces. He was promoted to major on 1 June 1938, and served with a Panzer division during the invasion of Poland in 1939.
For the next few years Bayerlein served under two of Germany's most famous commanders, first Guderian and later Rommel. He became Guderian's Operations Officer after the Polish campaign, and served with him f