(Photo courtesy of Gareth Collins)
Generalmajor Helmut Bechler
Born: 02 Jun 1898 in Grün, District Auerbach, Vogtland
Died: 09 Jan 1971 in Kassel
Promotions:
Unteroffizier (30 Sep 1915); Fähnrich (03 Dec 1915); Leutnant (21 Oct 1916); Hauptmann (15 Jul 1934); Major (01 Apr 1939); Oberstleutnant (01 Feb 1942); Oberst (15 Feb 1943); Generalmajor (30 Jan 1945)
Career:
Entered Army Service (10 Jun 1915)
Fahnenjunker in the 16th Royal Saxon 182nd Infantry-Regiment (10 Jun 1915-11 Jul 1916)
Detached to Fahnenjunker-Course at Döberitz (01 Sep 1915-06 Nov 1915)
Wounded, in Hospital (11 Jul 1916-21 Dec 1916)
Ordinance-Officer with the Staff of the II. Battalion of the 182nd Infantry-Regiment (21 Dec 1916-14 Mar 1918)
Platoon-Leader and Signals-Officer in the II. Battalion of the 182nd Infantry-Regiment (14 Mar 1918-04 Dec 1918)
At the same time, was Company-Leader in the 182nd Infantry-Regiment (06 Aug 1918-14 Aug 1918)
Adjutant of the I. Battalion of the 182nd Infantry-Regiment (04 Dec 1918-19 Feb 1919)
Granted Leave for Studies at Berlin (19 Feb 1919-27 Mar 1919)
Platoon-Leader and Temporary-Adjutant of the I. Battalion in the Assault-Infantry-Regiment of the Guards-Cavalry-Rifle-Division (27 Mar 1919-21 Jun 1919)
Company-Leader in the 56th Reichswehr-Infantry-Regiment (21 Jun 1919-10 Dec 1919)
Adjutant of the II. Battalion of the 20th Infantry-Regiment (10 Dec 1919-01 Mar 1920)
Ordinance-Officer with the Staff of the III. Battalion of the 37th Infantry-Regiment (01 Mar 1920-01 Oct 1920)
Transferred into the 24th Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1920-31 Dec 1920)
Retired from Army Service (31 Dec 1920)
Reactivated to Army Service (15 Jul 1934)
Hauptmann with the 11th Infantry-Regiment (15 Jul 1934-01 Oct 1934)
Transferred into Infantry-Regiment Königsbrück (01 Oct 1934-01 Apr 1935)
Company-Chief in Infantry-Regiment Königsbrück (01 Apr 1935-15 Oct 1935)
Company-Chief in the 53rd Infantry-Regiment (15 Oct 1935-26 Aug 1939)
Staff-Officers-Course of the IV. Army-Corps in Königsbrück (15 Nov 1937-27 Nov 1937)
Commander of the I. Battalion of the 173rd Infantry-Regiment (26 Aug 1939-06 Jan 1942)
Delegated with the Leadership of the 173rd Infantry-Regiment (06 Jan 1942-25 Feb 1942)
Commander of the 173rd Infantry-Regiment (25 Feb 1942-29 Mar 1943)
Führer-Reserve – Panzer Army High Command 3 (29 Mar 1943-01 Sep 1943)
Führer-Reserve OKH (01 Sep 1943-15 Oct 1943)
Commander of the 504th Grenadier-Regiment (15 Oct 1943-31 Aug 1944)
Führer-Reserve – Detached to Division Leaders Course (31 Aug 1944-11 Oct 1944)
Delegated with the Temporary-Leadership of the 275th Infantry-Division (11 Oct 1944-22 Nov 1944)
Delegated with the Temporary-Leadership of the 85th Infantry-Division (22 Nov 1944-07 Dec 1944)
Delegated with the Leadership of the 85th Infantry-Division (07 Dec 1944-04 Feb 1945)
Severely wounded in Hürtgenwald, Eifel – in Hospital (07 Dec 1944-15 Mar 1945)
Führer-Reserve OKH – Reserve-Hospital in Königstein, Taunus (15 Mar 1945-00 Jun 1945)
Discharged from the Reserve-Hospital, in Soviet captivity for a number of weeks, then fled to the West in June 1948 (00 Jun 1945)

Awards & Decorations:
- Ritterkreuz (2849): am 26.03.1944 als Oberst und Kommandeur des Grenadier-Regiments 504
- Deutsches Kreuz in Gold: am 19.12.1941 als Major und Kommandeur I. Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment 173
- 1914 EK I: 21.08.1918
- 1914 EK II: 20.07.1916
- RK II. Klasse des Kgl. Sächs. Albrechts-Ordens mit Schwertern: 23.05.1917
- Verwundetenabzeichen, 1918 in Schwarz: 30.09.1918
- Schlesischer Adler-Orden II. Stufe: 29.11.1919
- Schlesischer Adler-Orden I. Stufe: 30.01.1920
- Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer: 05.03.1935
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. Klasse: 02.10.1936
- 1939 Spange zum EK I: 08.06.1940
- 1939 Spange zum EK II: 14.05.1940
- Medaille “Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/1942”
- Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen: 03.07.1944
- Wehrmachtbericht: 02.04.1944


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