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Joachim Lemelsen | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lemelsen in 1941 | |
| Born | 28 September 1888 Berlin, German Empire |
| Died | 30 March 1954 (aged 65) Göttingen, West Germany |
| Allegiance |  German Empire (1907-1918) Weimar Republic (1918-1933) Nazi Germany (1933-1945) |
| Years of service | 1907–45 |
| Rank |  General der Panzertruppe |
| Commands | 5th Panzer Division XLVII Panzer Corps 1st Army 14th Army |
| Battles / wars | World War I
World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
| Signature |  |
Joachim Lemelsen (28 September 1888 – 30 March 1954) was a German general during World War II who rose to army-level command.
During Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, troops of the XLVII Motorized Corps under his command 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".