Ernst Feßmann

Who was Ernst Feßmann?

General Ernst Feßmann was a Cavalry General in the German Army who was notable for commanding one of the first Panzer Divisions.

He joined the Bavarian army in the 2nd Royal Bavarian Chevau-légers "Taxis" as an officer cadet on 15 July 1900 and was commissioned as a leutnant. After service in the German Imperial Army in World War I in which he commanded the 2nd Cavalry Regiment he was retained in the Reichswehr in which he commanded a motorized battalion.

From 1934 to 1935 he commanded the Panzer Lehr Brigade and on 15 October 1935 as a generalleutnant he was appointed commander of the 3rd Panzer Division in Berlin, which was one of the first three Panzer Divisions to be created. The other two were the 1st Panzer Division formed in Weimar and commanded by Maximilian von Weichs and the 2nd Panzer Division formed in Würzburg and commanded by Heinz Guderian.

Feßmann retired from the Wehrmacht in September 1937 as a General der Panzertruppe but returned to active service at the outbreak of World War II as commander of the 267 Infantry Division which served on the Western Front and took part in the invasions of Belgium, France and the Netherlands. He retired again on 30 April 1943.