(Photo courtesy of Gareth Collins)
Generalmajor Paul Betz
Born: 10 Jul 1895 in Harburg, Elbe
Died: 10 May 1944 outside Sevastopol, Crimea, USSR (KIA)
Promotions:
Fähnrich (08 May 1915); Leutnant (05 Aug 1915); Hauptmann (01 Oct 1934); Major (01 Apr 1939); Oberstleutnant (01 Sep 1940); Oberst (01 Apr 1942); Generalmajor (nachträglich) (28 Jun 1944)
Career:
Entered Army Service (18 Aug 1914)
War Volunteer, later Fahnenjunker in the 9th Pioneer-Battalion, later Platoon-Leader in the 30th Pioneer-Battalion (18 Aug 1914-00 Nov 1918)
Transferred back into the 9th Pioneer-Battalion (00 Nov 1918-31 Dec 1918)
Retired from Army Service (31 Dec 1918)
Detached to the Selection-Course at the Army Sports School in Wünsdorf (17 May 1934-15 Jul 1934)
Detached to Course for Reactivated Commissioned Officers in Sperenberg (15 Jul 1934-01 Oct 1934)
Reactivated to Army Service (01 Oct 1934)
Company-Chief in the Pioneer-Battalion Sperenberg (01 Oct 1934-15 Oct 1935)
Company-Chief in the 20th Pioneer-Battalion (15 Oct 1935-12 Oct 1937)
Instructor at the War School in Munich (12 Oct 1937-26 Aug 1939)
Führer-Reserve OKH (26 Aug 1939-12 Sep 1939)
Transferred to the Staff of the Military-Commander Posen (12 Sep 1939-30 Oct 1939)
Course-Director of the Technical Courses at the Pioneer-School II (30 Oct 1939-05 Feb 1940)
Commander of the 2nd Pioneer-Instruction-Battalion (05 Feb 1940-01 May 1941)
Commander of the 900th Pioneer-Battalion (01 May 1941-24 Nov 1941)
Führer-Reserve – Military-District-Command VII (24 Nov 1941-28 Feb 1942)
Commander of the 1st Pioneer-Instruction-Battalion (28 Feb 1942-15 Jul 1942)
Führer-Reserve – To the Disposal of Pioneer-School II (15 Jul 1942-21 Jul 1942)
Commander of the 700th Special-Purpose-Pioneer-Regiment-Staff (21 Jul 1942-05 Dec 1943)
Leader of Battle-Group Betz (Battle-Group Sevastopol), Corps-Pioneer-Leader of the XXXIX. Mountain-Corps (05 Dec 1943-01 Apr 1944)
Fortress-Commandant Sevastopol and Commander of the 615th Grenadier (Field-Training) Regiment (01 Apr 1944-02 May 1944)
Delegated with the Leadership of the 50th Infantry-Division (02 May 1944-10 May 1944)
Killed-in-Action (10 May 1944)

Awards & Decorations:
- Ritterkreuz (3109): am 16.06.1944 als Oberst und Führer der 50. Infanterie-Division
- Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (525/65): am 10.02.1944 als Oberst und Kommandeur Pionier-Regiments-Stab z.b.V. 700
- 1914 EK I
- 1914 EK II
- Verwundetenabzeichen, 1918 in Schwarz
- Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer 1914/1918
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. Klasse
- Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 13.03.1938
- Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 01.10.1938
- Spange zum EK I: 16.09.1941
- Spange zum EK II : 22.10.1939
- Kriegsverdienstkreuz II. Klasse mit Schwertern
- Medaille “Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/1942”
- Kommandeurkreuz des Kgl. Rumän. Ordens der Krone mit Schwertern


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