Allegiance Nazi Germany Unit 78th Infantry Division Service/branch German Army | Name Ernst Kaether Rank Oberst der Reserve Commands held 14. | |
Born 25 September 1903
Aachen, Germany ( 1903-09-25 ) Battles/wars World War II
Battle of Berlin Died August 11, 1999, Puchheim, Germany Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Battles and wars Battle of Berlin, World War II | ||
Ernst Kaether (25 September 1903 – 11 August 1999) was a general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.
On 22 April 1945, Kaether briefly replaced General Hellmuth Reymann as commander of the Berlin Defense Area and for the defense of the city of Berlin. Kaether was personally promoted to Generalleutnant by Adolf Hitler for this command. However, Kaether never actually took command of Berlin's defenses for the Battle of Berlin. Before he could take command, Hitler cancelled his promotions and Kaether was replaced by General Helmuth Weidling. For a brief period between Kaether and Weidling, Hitler himself took personal command of the Berlin defenses. Another newly promoted Generalmajor, Erich Bärenfänger, was Hitler's "deputy" commander of the Berlin Defense Area during this brief period.