Johann Mickl

Who was Johann Mickl?

Johann Mickl was an Austrian-born Generalleutnant and division commander in the German Army during World War II. He served with Austro-Hungarian forces on the Eastern and Italian Fronts in World War I, and with the Austrian Army until the Anchluss in 1938, when it was absorbed by the Wehrmacht. He fought in the invasion of Poland and Battle of France, then commanded divisions during the German campaigns in North Africa, on the Eastern Front and against the Yugoslav Partisans before dying of wounds inflicted in the last month of the war. He was one of only 882 recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.