Hermann von Oppeln-Bronikowski
German general
Died when: 67 years 260 days (812 months)Star Sign: Capricorn
Hermann von Oppeln-Bronikowski (2 January 1899 – 19 September 1966) was an Olympic equestrian, winning a gold medal in the team dressage at the 1936 Olympics.
He later served as a panzer general during World War II.He won an Iron Cross in 1918 as a lieutenant during World War I.
During World War II, in Poland in 1939 and then the Russian Front where he served with distinction, having several panzers shot out from under him and personally leading several ad hoc attacks.
He was considered an excellent panzer commander, but had problems with higher authority as he was an excessive drinker.An Oberst commanding the 100th Panzer Division at Falaise, France; he was visited at 8.15 on 11 May 1944 by Rommel, who is satisfied with the forces' defensive preparations, but says to him – You're lazy stinkers, what happens if the enemy invasion begins before 8.30!
Von Oppeln (who had gone to sleep in his now crumpled and tobacco-smelling uniform, and still has alcohol on his breath) could only reply Catastrophe and Rommel laughs.
Von Oppeln led a panzer counter-attack on the invading forces immediately after the D-Day Invasion, and was told by his commanding officer that if he did not throw the British back into the sea, the war would be lost.
The counter-attack subsequently failed.Some of his panzers managed to reach the coast, but were soon forced to withdraw.D Day was the major turning point of the war in the west, and as well as being there and leading the Wehrmacht's last chance counter attack, he had also been present at the Eastern fronts turning point battle too.
He led the doomed counter attack of 22nd Panzer division on 19th November 1942 against the Soviet attack that encircled Stalingrad.
So he led both of the German attacks that failed, and sealed the fate of their respective campaigns.He commanded the 20th Panzer Division and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.
He was among Cornelius Ryan's interviewees when Ryan was preparing The Longest Day.He died of a heart attack in 1966.
