World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseKarl Hans Maximilian von Le Suire joined the German Army in 1916, and remained with the limited Weimar military during the inter-war years. He saw invasion and occupation duties during the German annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia, then participated in the invasions of Poland and France early in the European War. After Germany turned on its once ally, the Soviet Union, he led troops in the Caucasus region of southern Russia, briefly commanding 46th Infantry Division in Feb 1943. In May 1943, he was made the commanding officer of 117th Jäger Division in the Balkan Peninsula. In this role, during Operation Kalavryta, he issued the order to destroy the town of Kalavryta, Greece as retribution for the killing of 78 German soldiers by Greek ELAS partisan fighters. On 13 Dec 1943, troops under his command marched all males aged 12 and older to a hill overlooking the town and executed them by machine guns; 500 were killed and 13 survived. Many women and children were locked up in a school, which was then set aflame; about 200 were killed. On 14 Dec, his troops burned down the Greek War of Independence landmark Agia Lavra monastery. Many of the homes were looted, some of which were later burned down. Over 2,000 livestock were seized by the division. In Nov 1944, while serving as the commanding officer of XXXXIX. Gebirgskorps (Mountain Corps), he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. In the final months of the European War, he saw action against the Soviet advances in Silesia and Czechoslovakia. He was captured by Soviet troops in May 1945 and he would pass away in captivity in Stalingrad, Russia.

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Karl von Le Suire Timeline