(1888 – 1954) German general who rose to army-level command. During Operation Barbarossa, troops of his XLVII Motorized Corps executed the criminal 'Commissar Order', prompting Lemelsen to complain: 'Soon the Russians will get to hear about the countless corpses lying along the routes taken by our soldiers...The result will be that the enemy will hide in the woods and fields and continue to fight--and we shall lose countless comrades'. He fought at Dunkirk, Smolensk, Kiev, Kursk, and in Italy. Scarce war-date typed D.S. in indelible pencil, 1p. 4to., [n.p.], Aug. 15, 1942 to O.K.H. In part: '... I comment on the HPA's accusation that as a commanding general...I would not have been entitled to award the E.K. II to Generalleutnant Pflugradt, Kdr. 339. Infr. Div., as follows:The regulations stipulate that the award of E.K. to members of staffs from the Rgts.- etc. staff, ultimately to the upwards, may only be carried out by the OKH. It was not known until now, and in my opinion it cannot correspond to the meaning of this provision that a division commander is considered a member of his staff. The leader of the staff of an army corps or division is the chief of the general staff or the IA. To a certain extent, the Dieser Staff is a unit like any other unit in the division that belongs to the Div. Kdr. as troop commander. I therefore consider myself entitled to appoint one of the troop commanders under my command to the E.K., the awarding of the award to members of these staffs is reserved to the OKH. I ask that the HPA make a decision...' Marginal file and staple holes, a few small tears thereat as well, lightly toned, still very good.