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Otto Lasch

Otto Lasch (25 June 1893 in Pleß, Oberschlesien – 28 April 1971) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the LXIV Corps. Lasch commanded German forces in the Battle of Königsberg and surrendered the city of 9 April 1945.

Born~Died Jun 25, 1893 ~ Apr 29, 19710 views in 30 daysLast edited Oct 15, 2026, 4:38 PM

Details

Born ~ Died: Jun 25, 1893 ~ Apr 29, 1971
Born: (1893-06-25)25 June 1893, Pleß, German Empire
Died: 28 April 1971(1971-04-28) (aged 77), Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
Allegiance: German Empire, Nazi Germany
Branch: German Army
Service years: 1914–1918, 1935–1945
Rank: General of the Infantry
Conflicts: World War I World War II
Awards: Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Location: 49.9833, 18.9500

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Contents

1.Career
2.Awards and decorations
3.References
4.Notes

Otto Lasch (25 June 1893 in Pleß, Oberschlesien – 28 April 1971) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the LXIV Corps. Lasch commanded German forces in the Battle of Königsberg and surrendered the city of 9 April 1945.

Career

After World War I, Lasch served in the Freikorps in the East Prussian city of Lyck.¹ He joined the Wehrmacht in 1935 and later took part in Operation Barbarossa, playing a pivotal role in capturing Riga in early July 1941.² He rose to the rank of General of the Infantry³ and functioned as Commandant of Königsberg in East Prussia from November 1944 onward. As Fortress Commandant of Königsberg he was responsible for defending the city and maintaining order among the flood of refugees fleeing from the advancing Red Army.

Following heavy fighting and a three month siege of the city during the Battle of Königsberg by the 36-division-strong 3rd Byelorussian Front under Ivan Chernyakhovsky, Lasch disobeyed Hitler's orders and surrendered Königsberg to the Red Army on 9 April 1945. As a result of his surrender Hitler sentenced him in absentia to death by hanging, and his family in Berlin (plus his wife and eldest daughter who were in Denmark), was arrested.⁴⁵ They were released after the Surrender of the Wehrmacht. Lasch went into Soviet captivity and was convicted as a war criminal in the Soviet Union and sentenced to twenty-five years in a corrective labor camp. He was released in 1955.⁶ Lasch died in Bonn in 1971 and is buried in Bad Godesberg with his wife, who predeceased him.

Lasch authored So fiel Königsberg. Kampf und Untergang von Ostpreußens Hauptstadt, which was published in 1958. In 1965 he wrote Zuckerbrot und Peitsche about his years as a Soviet prisoner of war.

Awards and decorations

Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class (5 October 1914) & 1st Class (2 July 1916)⁷
Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (13 September 1939) & 1st Class (20 October 1939)⁷
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight's Cross on 17 July 1941 as Oberst and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 43
- Oak Leaves on 10 September 1944 Generalleutnant and commander of 349. Infanterie-Division

References

Citations

Biography

Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9.

Notes

Michael Wieck (2003). A Childhood Under Hitler and Stalin: Memoirs of a "certified" Jew. Univ of Wisconsin Press. pp. 274–. ISBN 978-0-299-18544-2. ↩
Andrej Angrick; Peter Klein (15 January 2012). The 'Final Solution' in Riga: Exploitation and Annihilation, 1941–1944. Berghahn Books. pp. 62–. ISBN 978-0-85745-601-4. ↩
de:Otto Lasch ↩
Willemer, Wilhelm. "The German Defence of Berlin 1945". www.allworldwars.com. Retrieved 9 April 2019. ↩
R. Loeffel (29 May 2012). Family Punishment in Nazi Germany: Sippenhaft, Terror and Myth. Springer. pp. 88–. ISBN 978-1-137-02183-0. ↩
Andrej Angrick; Peter Klein (15 November 2009). The 'Final Solution' in Riga: Exploitation and Annihilation, 1941–1944. Berghahn Books. pp. 450–. ISBN 978-1-84545-608-5. ↩
Thomas 1998, p. 13. ↩ ↩

Career

Following heavy fighting and a three month siege of the city during the Battle of Königsberg by the 36-division-strong 3rd Byelorussian Front under Ivan Chernyakhovsky, Lasch disobeyed Hitler's orders and surrendered Königsberg to the Red Army on 9 April 1945. As a result of his surrender sentenced him to death by hanging, and his family in Berlin (plus his wife and eldest daughter who were in ), was . They were released after the . Lasch went into and was convicted as a in the Soviet Union and sentenced to twenty-five years in a corrective labor camp. He was . Lasch died in in 1971 and is buried in with his wife, who predeceased him.

This page is based on “Otto Lasch” from English Wikipedia, (r1379844975) CC BY-SA 4.0 used under the license. The original authors are listed in its page history.

Last edited Oct 15, 2026, 4:38 PM · r127169 · Text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Michael Wieck (2003). A Childhood Under Hitler and Stalin: Memoirs of a "certified" Jew. Univ of Wisconsin Press. pp. 274–. ISBN 978-0-299-18544-2. ↩
Andrej Angrick; Peter Klein (15 January 2012). The 'Final Solution' in Riga: Exploitation and Annihilation, 1941–1944. Berghahn Books. pp. 62–. ISBN 978-0-85745-601-4. ↩
de:Otto Lasch ↩
Willemer, Wilhelm. "The German Defence of Berlin 1945". www.allworldwars.com. Retrieved 9 April 2019. ↩
R. Loeffel (29 May 2012). Family Punishment in Nazi Germany: Sippenhaft, Terror and Myth. Springer. pp. 88–. ISBN 978-1-137-02183-0. ↩
Andrej Angrick; Peter Klein (15 November 2009). The 'Final Solution' in Riga: Exploitation and Annihilation, 1941–1944. Berghahn Books. pp. 450–. ISBN 978-1-84545-608-5. ↩
Thomas 1998, p. 13. ↩ ↩²

Michael Wieck (2003). A Childhood Under Hitler and Stalin: Memoirs of a "certified" Jew. Univ of Wisconsin Press. pp. 274–. ISBN 978-0-299-18544-2. ↩
Andrej Angrick; Peter Klein (15 January 2012). The 'Final Solution' in Riga: Exploitation and Annihilation, 1941–1944. Berghahn Books. pp. 62–. ISBN 978-0-85745-601-4. ↩
de:Otto Lasch ↩
Willemer, Wilhelm. "The German Defence of Berlin 1945". www.allworldwars.com. Retrieved 9 April 2019. ↩
R. Loeffel (29 May 2012). Family Punishment in Nazi Germany: Sippenhaft, Terror and Myth. Springer. pp. 88–. ISBN 978-1-137-02183-0. ↩
Andrej Angrick; Peter Klein (15 November 2009). The 'Final Solution' in Riga: Exploitation and Annihilation, 1941–1944. Berghahn Books. pp. 450–. ISBN 978-1-84545-608-5. ↩
Thomas 1998, p. 13. ↩ ↩

Otto Lasch

Career

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References

Notes

Career

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Awards and decorations

References

Notes

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Otto Lasch

Career

Awards and decorations

References

Notes

Footnotes

Career

Opinions 0

Awards and decorations

References

Notes

Footnotes

Sub-pages

Nearby events

Career

Awards and decorations

References

Notes

Footnotes

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