Artur Phleps

Artur Phleps, born on November twenty-ninth, eighteen eighty-one, was a notable figure in military history, serving in various capacities across multiple armies. Initially an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army, he specialized in mountain warfare and logistics during World War I, achieving the rank of Oberstleutnant by the war's conclusion.

In the interwar years, Phleps transitioned to the Romanian Army, where he rose to the rank of General de divizie and served as an adviser to King Carol. However, his outspoken criticism of the government led to his sidelining and eventual dismissal from military service.

In nineteen forty-one, he joined the Waffen-SS under the name Stolz, quickly ascending to the rank of SS-Standartenführer. He saw significant action on the Eastern Front, commanding the SS Motorised Division Wiking and later the 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen. His leadership extended to the 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar and the V SS Mountain Corps, where his units were implicated in numerous atrocities against civilians in occupied territories.

Phleps's final military role was as plenipotentiary general in south Siebenbürgen, where he orchestrated the evacuation of ethnic Germans to the Reich. His military accolades included the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and the German Cross in Gold. Tragically, he was killed following the Romanian coup d'état in nineteen forty-four, posthumously receiving the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross.