|
Kurt Wilhelm Albert Karl Agricola (15 August 1889 – 27 December 1955) was a German Army officer who rose to the rank of ''Generalleutnant''. A native of Saxony, Agricola entered army service in 1908. During World War I he served mostly as Adjutant in various units. During the interwar era, he held numerous staff assignments and continued to rise through the army's ranks under the Nazi regime. However, his aspiring career ended abruptly in January 1939, when he was sent into retirement on political grounds because of his marriage to a Jewish woman. Reactivated again upon the start of World War II, Agricola received exclusively positions behind the front line. As rear area commander of the 2nd Army in the occupied Soviet union during 1941/43, Agricola brought changes in the Wehrmacht's harsh occupation policies and was successful in maintaining control of his area of occupied territory from Soviet partisans. Shortly after the war's end, he was arrested by Soviet authorities, convicted of war crimes and remained in captivity for a decade. One of the last German prisoners in the Soviet Union, he was released in October 1955 and died shortly thereafter in West Germany. ==Early life and World War I== Kurt Agricola was born in Döbeln, then in the Kingdom of Saxony, on 15 August 1889, into an Saxon family that traced its roots back in the 16th century. He was the second and youngest son of Rudolf Agricola (3 October 1860 – 29 July 1914), an officer of the Royal Saxon Army who finally rose to the rank of ''Oberstleutnant'' (Lieutenant Colonel) and became director of the Garrison Administration (''Garnisonsverwaltung–Direktor'') of Dresden, and Elisabeth, née Drenkmann (14 May 1865 – 23 October 1937), whose family was elevated to nobility in 1901 (whereupon her birth name changed to "von Drenkmann"). He had an older brother, Werner Eduard Alfred Agricola (19 August 1887 – 29 June 1962).〔''Gothaisches genealogisches Taschenbuch der adeligen Häuser: zugleich Adelsmatrikel der im Ehrenschutzbunde des deutschen Adels vereinigten Verbände Teil 2'' (in German). Justus Perthes Verlag 1941, p. 134; David V. Agricola (1974): ''Agricola family history; a genealogy of the Ackermann–Agricola and Bauer–Agricola families of Eisenach, Thüringen, 1574–1974''. Cleveland〕 Little is known of his early life; he attended the ''Gymnasien'' in Leipzig (''König–Albert–Gymnasium'') and Dresden.〔König–Albert-Gymnasium (until 1900 Königliches Gymnasium) in Leipzig: ''Schüler-Album 1880-1904/05'', Friedrich Gröber, Leipzig 1905〕 Following his father's career, 18–year–old Agricola entered army service on 1 April 1908 as ''Fahnenjunker'' (Officer Cadet) in the 12th Royal Saxon Infantry Regiment No. 177 (''königlich sächsisches 12. Infanterie–Regiment Nr. 177'') in Dresden.〔Wegner, ''Stellenbesetzung'', p. xxi〕 He became ''Fähnrich'' (Cadet Sergeant) in November of the same year and was commissioned a ''Leutnant'' (Second Lieutenant) on 19 August 1909, with a ''Patent'' from 20 August 1907.〔The ''Patent'' was a written document validating a commission or promotion and defined an official date of effect.〕〔Bradley, Hildebrand and Röverkamp, ''Die Generale des Heeres 1921–1945 Band 1'', p. 23–24〕 The following years, he served primarily as Adjutant, a function that was given to capable officers and gave an early advancement potential within the army. It was obvious that Agricola pursued a distinguished career as staff officer, and (typically for officers with his aims, who participated in specialized courses) attended a weapon repairs course in late 1913.〔〔Hürter, ''Hitlers Heerführer'', p. 54〕 When World War I broke out, Agricola was mobilized along with his regiment, just a few days after the death of his father. Agricola served mostly at the Western front, and although he never received a troop command throughout the war (only staff assignments), this indicated that he was destined for a more ambitious career than most of his fellow troop officers; he became Adjutant of a battalion in his regiment on 2 August 1914, participated in the battle of the Marne in September and was promoted to ''Oberleutnant'' (First Lieutenant) in December. In early January 1915 he served as the regimental Adjutant of his pre–war regiment until August 1916, when he was temporarily elevated to Brigade Adjutant. In that capacity, he saw action at the Battle of the Somme, where he distinguished himself numerous times. On 9 January 1917 he was transferred to the staff of the 219th (10th Royal Saxon) Infantry Division, occupying a relatively quiet sector of the front line in Lorraine. A few weeks later, on 27 January, he was promoted to ''Hauptmann'' (Captain) and four days later, the last King of Saxony, Frederick Augustus III, bestowed him with one of Saxony's highest decorations, the Military Order of St. Henry, in recognition of his conduct during the battle of Somme the previous year. He received his last wartime assignment on 25 May 1917, when he was transferred to the staff of the XII (1st Royal Saxon) Army Corps.〔〔Richter, ''Der Königlich Sächsische Militär-St. Heinrichs-Orden 1736-1918'', p. 123〕 Becoming a staff officer — a group considered the ''élite'' of the German Army — required a three–year course at the War Academy in Berlin after some years of active service.〔Hürter, ''Hitlers Heerführer'', p. 55–56〕 Agricola's ambition to become a staff officer, however, was thwarted by the war, as the War Academy closed upon its outbreak. Apart from his relevant staff appointments, he had the chance to participate in a special staff officers course from January to February 1918. During the course of war, he was decorated with numerous awards, including both classes of the Iron Cross and other awards from his native Saxony.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Kurt Agricola」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|