Heinz Hellmich

{{Infobox military person

| name = Heinz Hellmich

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1890|6|9|df=y}}

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1944|6|17|1890|6|9|df=y}}

| birth_place = Karlsruhe, Germany

| death_place = Cherbourg, France

| image =

| caption =

| nickname =

| allegiance = {{Flag|German Empire}}
{{Flag|Weimar Republic}}
{{Flag|Nazi Germany}}

| branch = Army

| serviceyears = 1908–1944

| rank = Generalleutnant

| commands =

| unit =

| battles = World War I

----

World War II

| awards = Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

| laterwork =

}}

Heinz Hellmich (9 June 1890 – 17 June 1944) was a German general (Generalleutnant) in the Wehrmacht during World War II and a posthumous recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.{{sfn|Fellgiebel|2000|p=221}}

On 1 April 1942, Hellmich was appointed commander of the 141st Reserve Division. In 1943, he worked with a Soviet defector, Red Army general Andrey Vlasov, and other volunteers from the Soviet Union as "General of the Eastern Troops" (General der Osttruppen), a position he held until early January 1944.{{sfn|Strikt-Strikfeldt|1973|p=118}}

On 10 January 1944, Hellmich was moved to France and put in a command of the 243rd Infantry Division, a coastal defense division stationed in the Cotentin Peninsula. The division protected the western coast of the Cotentin Peninsula when Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy, began on 6 June 1944. Hellmich was killed by 20-millimeter cannon shells during an Allied air attack on 17 June 1944.Citino, Robert M., "Danger Zone," World War II History, July–August 2016, p. 26.

Awards

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 2 September 1944 as Generalleutnant and commander of 243. Infanterie-Division{{sfn|Scherzer|2007|p=379}}

References

=Citations=

=Bibliography=

{{Cite book| title = Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile

| trans-title = 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

| last = Fellgiebel | first = Walther-Peer | year = 2000

| orig-year = First published 1986

| publisher = Podzun-Pallas | location = Friedberg, Germany

| language = de

| isbn = 978-3-7909-0284-6

}}

{{Cite book| title = Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives

| trans-title = The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives

| last = Scherzer | first = Veit | year = 2007

| publisher = Scherzers Militaer-Verlag | location = Jena, Germany

| language = de

| isbn = 978-3-938845-17-2

}}