German Army General in World War II - Kurt Eugene Adam started his military career on August 4, 1914, as an officer cadet and was assigned as an Officer Aspirant in the 13th Field Artillery Regiment. He was relived of duty (due to illness), on September 24, 1914, but was later reactivated on August 1, 1915, seeing considerable action throughout the remainder of World War I. He was awarded both the 1st and 2nd Class Iron Cross. In 1918 at the wars end, he remained in the German Army serving in the new Reichswehr (interim period German military), continuing into World War II. He became the first General Staff Officer of the 1st Army High Command, on November 10, 1940. He was next promoted to Oberst (Colonel) on April 1, 1941 and assigned as Chief of the General Staff of the XXV Army Corps on October 1, 1941. Then appointed as the commander of the 687th Grenadier Regiment, of the 336th Infantry Division on July 15, 1943 and was awarded the German Cross in Gold on January 16, 1944. Then on February 10, 1944, he was appointed as the new divisional commander of the 111th Infantry Division, succeeding Generalmajor Erich Gruner, who was later killed in action on May 12, 1944 in Crimea. After the failure of the German summer offensive at Kursk (Operation Citadel) the German army was forced to retreat, and the 111th Division gradually fell back to the West, defending the approaches to Melitopol to the end of September 1943, then to Nikopol until February 1944. In May 1944, he was put in charge of "Fortress Sevastopol" and the division was tasked with the defense of Crimea, where it was eventually destroyed. The last remnants were evacuated by ship in May 1944, and the division was officially disbanded. In June 1944, Generaloberst Adam was reassigned as Chef of Staff of the Generalkommando V. Armeekorps and then later promoted to Generalmajor on April 1, 1945, and was soon after captured by allied forces. He was held in a POW Camp in England, until his release on June 30, 1947. He lived the remainder of his life in his home town of Stuttgart. (Bio by: Jay Lance)

NOTES:
Father: Eugen Adam (+1921), Government Director
Mother: Anna née Pamparter