Wilhelm Falley
Wilhelm Falley (25 September 1897 – 6 June 1944) was the first German general to be killed during the Normandy landings in France.
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He was commander of the 91st Infantry Division.
Wilhelm Falley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 25 September 1897 Metz, Alsace-Lorraine, German Empire |
| Died | 6 June 1944 (aged 46) Picauville, Normandy, Occupied France |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | Germany |
| Service/ | German Army |
| Years of service | 1914–44 |
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Commands held | 91st Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Relations | Leopold Wilhelm Adolf Falley (brother) Claus Falley (son) |
Career
Promoted to major general in December 1943, and lieutenant general in May 1944, he held various commands before being appointed Commander of the 91st Infantry Division in April 1944. Falley was the first German general to fall in action during the Normandy landings. On D-Day, Falley was returning from Rennes, where a war game had been organised by the German High Command, to his Division headquarters, in Picauville. Falley was killed in an ambush carried out by paratroopers of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division, on the country road outside the rear wall of the German 91st Infantry Division's headquarters, Chateau de Bernaville, in Picauville, southwest of Sainte-Mère-Église, Normandy.
Awards and decorations
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 26 November 1941 as Oberstleutnant and commander of 4th Infantry Regiment
References
Citations
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