265 Field Tunic of General of Infantry Dietrich v. Choltiz.
Olive green cloth with green collar and original sewn general's collar tabs in gilt metal thread embroidery (bullion) on red cloth backing. Sewn-in shoulder boards for infantry general made of metal thread braiding with two rank stars (large version). On red cloth backing. Additional sewn-in metal button under the right shoulder board with the inscription: "Nouveaute de Paris". Original sewn breast eagle of gilded metal thread braiding (bullion) on black cloth backing. Gilt light metal buttons. Crimean shield sewn onto the left sleeve on olive green cloth backing. Medal loops sewn on both upper breast pockets.
Original lining with manufacturer's label of the tailor's firm: "Tailleur Griffoul Paris" as well as name label with the designation: " Mr. von Choltiz Gen. der Inf.".
Somewhat worn and stained in some places, but overall in fine condition.
Exceptionally rare and historically highly interesting uniform jacket of museum significance.
Dietrich von Choltitz (* 9 November 1894 in Gräflich Wiese; † 5 November 1966 in Baden-Baden) was a German infantry general in the Second World War and in 1944 city commander of Greater Paris. He became best known for his role in the liberation of Paris.
Choltitz was born in the family castle Gräflich Wiese near Neustadt in Upper Silesia. His father Hans von Choltitz (1865-1935) was a major in the Prussian army. He fought in Flanders during the First World War, but mainly on the Somme, and was last commander of the Uhlan Regiment "Prince August of Württemberg" (Posensches) No. 10 from 9 February 1918. His mother was Gertrud, née von Rosenberg (* 1865); his uncle, Hermann von Choltitz (1868-1947), was Silesian General President from 1907 to 1920.
Choltitz attended the cadet corps in Dresden from 1907; during this time he also served as a page at the Royal Saxon Court. On 6 March 1914, he joined the 8th Infantry Regiment "Prinz Johann Georg" No. 107 of the Saxon Army in Leipzig as an ensign. After the outbreak of the First World War, he was deployed with the regiment on the Western Front, where he was promoted to lieutenant on 16 October 1914 and wounded shortly afterwards. From 30 January to 31 March 1915 he acted as company commander and was then adjutant of the III Battalion. Choltitz was then leader of the MG supplementary platoon 649 from 31 July 1916 to 24 July 1917, after which he was appointed adjutant of the replacement battalion of his parent regiment. For carrying out a reconnaissance mission into the front lines during the Third Battle of Flanders, Choltitz was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of St. Heinrich on 26 December 1917. For his work during the war, he also received both classes of the Iron Cross, the Knight's Cross II Class of the Order of Albrecht as well as the Order of Merit with Swords and the Wounded Badge in Silver.
After the end of the war and the demobilisation of the regiment, Choltitz worked as a section adjutant at the Border Guard East and was transferred to the Grenzjäger Battalion 12 on 5 May 1919. Already one day later followed his command to the riding school Soltau. On 1 October 1919, Choltitz was accepted into the Provisional Reichswehr and transferred to the Reichswehr Infantry Regiment 38. After a year, he was transferred to Infantry Regiment 11, and two months later he was transferred again, this time as an eskadron officer to the 12th (Saxon) Rider Regiment. From 10 January to 20 May 1922, he was ordered to attend the training course for cavalry intelligence officers. Choltitz then returned to troop duty and, with effect from 1 February 1924, became an orderly officer and leader of the intelligence platoon at the regimental staff in Dresden. In this capacity, he was promoted to first lieutenant on 1 November 1924. From 3 October 1927 to 15 February 1928 he completed an officers' weapons training course, was transferred to the 4th Eskadron on 15 October 1928 and became its chief six months later. Choltitz held this position until 30 September 1934 and in the meantime was promoted to Rittmeister on 1 April 1929. On 20 August 1929, Dietrich von Choltitz married Huberta von Garnier. On 1 August 1935 he first became a major and from 1 February 1937 commander of the III Battalion of Infantry Regiment 16 in Oldenburg. On 1 April 1938, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
After the beginning of the Second World War, Choltitz's battalion was mainly involved in the occupation of the bridges of Rotterdam by airborne troops in 1940. For this he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 18 May 1940. In September 1940, von Choltitz became commander of Infantry Regiment 16, from 1941 as colonel. In the war against the Soviet Union, von Choltitz's unit, subordinate to the 22nd Infantry Division, which was assigned to the 11th Army, was instrumental in the conquest of Sevastopol in June 1942. He had received the German Cross in Gold on 8 February 1942[6] and rose to the rank of Lieutenant General by early March 1943 with R.D.A. from 1 February 1943. He commanded, for example, the 11th Panzer Division and - deputising for Lieutenant General Walter Hahm - the 260th Infantry Division from 27 August to 6 October 1942, was deputy commander and later commander of various army and tank corps; in Italy from March 1944 and on the Western Front from June 1944. Shortly before the Americans broke out of the beachhead of the Normandy landings, von Choltitz was commander of a 7th Army corps deployed in the western section there. From 25 July 1944, his corps was involved in the fighting associated with Operation Cobra, where it suffered heavy losses.
Commander of Paris
On 1 August 1944, Choltitz was promoted by Hitler to General of the Infantry and appointed Commanding General and Wehrmacht Commander of Greater Paris. He set up his headquarters in the Hôtel Le Meurice. Choltitz arrived in Paris on 9 August 1944, succeeding Hans von Boineburg-Lengsfeld (who had been recalled in the aftermath of the failed assassination attempt on Hitler on 20 July 1944). In the 16 days that followed, he defied several of Adolf Hitler's orders to defend Paris to the last man or to leave it as a destroyed city.
Through a mixture of actively contacting the Resistance and demonstrating strength in the form of military parades and threats, Choltitz possibly prevented an uprising and revolt by the population. In August 1944, the Swedish Consul General in Paris, Raoul Nordling, was able to prevent the demolitions ordered by Hitler through his mediation between the French resistance movement and the German city commander. Choltitz was therefore later referred to in some quarters as the "Saviour of Paris".
According to another account, Choltitz, on the one hand, did not have the appropriate military resources for such extensive destruction; on the other hand, he was explicitly warned several times by the Allies that he would be treated as a war criminal and not just as a prisoner of war if he carried out the destruction order. He also had his headquarters defended to the last and signed the surrender only after his capture - he chose this way (according to Collins/Lapierre) to avoid falling into the hands of the Résistance or the mob.
He surrendered the city to Major General Leclerc, representing the regular French forces, at 14:45 on 25 August 1944.
Choltitz was taken to the British prisoner of war camp at Trent Park, where the conversations of the captured officers were secretly intercepted and recorded. In these, Choltitz's closer connections to the resistance became apparent for the first time.
In April 1947, Choltitz was released from captivity. He remained in Baden-Baden-Lichtental until his death, dying of a long-standing war-related illness (emphysema) on 5 November 1966 in the city hospital in Baden-Baden. On 9 November 1966, he was buried in the main cemetery in Baden-Baden in the presence of high-ranking German officers (Major General Paul Köhler and Major General Otto Lechler, among others, as a delegation from the Federal Ministry of Defence) and high-ranking French officers (Colonel Wagner, City Commander of Baden-Baden, Colonel de Ravinel and others). Choltitz was a Knight of the French Legion of Honour.