Years of service 1905–201935–45 Other work Police Officer Service/branch German Army | Name Karl Strecker | |
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Battles/wars World War IWorld War IIBattle of FranceOperation BarbarossaBattle of Kiev (1941)First Battle of KharkovBattle of Stalingrad Commands held 79th Infantry Division, 17e corps d'armee, XI Army Corps | ||
Karl Strecker (20 September 1884 – 10 April 1973) was a highly decorated General der Infanterie in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several corps.
Born the son of a Prussian officer in Radmannsdorf, West Prussia (present-day Trzebieluch, Poland), Strecker in 1905 joined the infantry regiment No. 152 of the German Army at Marienburg in the rank of a Leutnant, promoted to Hauptmann (captain) in World War I.
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. Karl Strecker was captured by Soviet troops at Stalingrad in February 1943. He was held in captivity until 1955. Strecker's postwar claim that he was promoted to Generaloberst on the last day of the battle is unsubstantiated.