{{Short description|Austrian general in the armed forces of Nazi Germany}} {{Infobox military person |name=Julius Ringel |birth_date=16 November 1889 |death_date={{d-da|11 February 1967|16 November 1889}} |image=Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R63746, Julius Ringel.jpg |image_size=200px |caption=Ringel in 1941 |birth_place=Völkermarkt, Duchy of Carinthia, Austria-Hungary |death_place=Bayerisch Gmain, Bavaria, West Germany |nickname= |allegiance= Austria-Hungary<br/>Austria<br/>Nazi Germany |branch=Austro-Hungarian Army<br/>Austrian Army<br/>German Army |service_years=1905–1945 |rank=''General der Gebirgstruppe'' |commands=3rd Mountain Division<br/>5th Mountain Division<br/>LXIX Army Corps<br/>Army Corps Ringel |unit= |battles= |awards=Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |other_work= }}
'''Julius 'Papa' Ringel''' (16 November 1889 – 11 February 1967) was an Austrian general in the armed forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. He fought in the Western and Eastern fronts, as well as the Balkan Campaign.<ref name="Williamson">Williamson 2012.</ref> Ringel commanded the 3rd Mountain Division, 5th Mountain Division, LXIX Corps,<ref name="Antill">Antill 2012, p. 21.</ref> Wehrkreis XI and the Army Corps Ringel.<ref name="Palazzo">Palazzo 2007.</ref> He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.
==Early life== Julius Ringel was born in Völkermarkt in the Austrian state of Carinthia. In 1905, he was admitted to a military school in Vienna, graduating on 18 August 1909.
==Service in the Austro-Hungarian and Austrian Armies== Following his education, Fähnrich Ringel was assigned to the k.u.k. ''Landwehr Infanterie-Regiment 4'' (a mountain infantry unit) and a year later, he was promoted to Leutnant. During World War I, Ringel saw action in Galicia and the Italian Alps where he was taken prisoner of war in 1918. Upon his return to the newly formed Republic of German Austria, Ringel fought against the troops of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia occupying Carinthia. Following the Carinthian Plebiscite and the creation of the First Austrian Republic, Ringel was transferred to the Austrian Federal Army where he rose to the rank lieutenant colonel in 1932.
==Service in the Wehrmacht== As an avid supporter of the Nazi Party, Ringel strongly encouraged the union of Austria with the German Reich and after the Anschluss enthusiastically joined the Wehrmacht with the 3rd Mountain Division.<ref>Thomas & Wegmann 1994, p. 216.</ref> On 1 February 1939, Ringel was promoted to colonel. When World War II began, he was assigned to the 268th Infantry Division as a regimental commander and he took part in the campaign in the West.
On 7 June 1940, Ringel returned to the 3rd Mountain Division, becoming its commander on 14 July 1940. In October, he was promoted to major general and appointed commander of the newly established 5th Mountain Division. The division saw its first action in the spring of 1941 in the Balkans Campaign and took part in the operations codenamed Marita and Merkur aimed to capture mainland Greece and Crete. For his leadership during these operations Ringel was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 13 June 1941. The operation in Crete was still underway when Ringel ordered his mountaineers to carry out reprisals against civilians who fought the invading Germans.<ref name="Stroud">Stroud 2015, p. 47.</ref>
In November 1941, Ringel's division was posted back to Germany for rest and reorganization. In March 1942 it was sent to the Eastern Front southeast of Leningrad, to take part in the operations against the Soviet Volkhov Front. For his actions, Ringel was promoted to lieutenant general and in October 1943 received the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross. Ringel's division was transferred to Italy in December 1943 to man the Winter Line near the town of Cassino. Four months later, he was appointed commander of the LXIX Army Corps in Croatia. In June, Ringel was promoted to the General of the mountain troops and put in charge of the Military District Salzburg (''Wehrkreis XVIII (Salzburg)'') from which the Army Corps Ringel was formed. He held this appointment until the end of the war. He died in Bayerisch Gmain in 1967.
==Decorations== * Austrian Order of the Iron Crown, 3rd Class with War Decoration, Swords and Golden Bar (awarded two times)(10 November 1939)<ref name="Thomas & Wegmann p217">Thomas & Wegmann 1994, p. 217.</ref> * Eastern Front Medal (15 August 1942)<ref name="Thomas & Wegmann p217"/> * Ärmelband ''Kreta'' (10 December 1942)<ref name="Thomas & Wegmann p217"/> * Iron Cross (1939) 2nd class (10 November 1939) & 1st class (15 April 1941)<ref name="Thomas p211">Thomas 1998, p. 211.</ref> * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves ** Knight's Cross on 13 June 1941 as ''Generalmajor'' and commander of the 5. Gebirgs-Division<ref name="Scherzer p631">Scherzer 2007, p. 631.</ref><ref>Fellgiebel 2000, p. 359.</ref> ** Oak Leaves on 25 October 1943 as ''Generalleutnant'' and commander of the 5. Gebirgs-Division<ref name="Scherzer p631"/><ref>Fellgiebel 2000, p. 73.</ref>
==References==
===Citations=== {{Reflist|25em}}
===Bibliography=== {{Refbegin}} * {{Cite book |last1=Antill |first1=Peter |last2=Gerrard |first2=Howard |year=2012 |title=Crete 1941: Germany's lightning airborne assault |series=Campaign |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1846036682 }} * {{Cite book |last=Fellgiebel |first=Walther-Peer |year=2000 |orig-year=1986 |title=Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile |trans-title=The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches |language=de |location=Friedberg, Germany |publisher=Podzun-Pallas |isbn=978-3-7909-0284-6 }} * {{Cite book |last=Palazzo |first= Albert |year=2007 |title=The Battle of Crete |series=Australian Army Campaigns |location=Canberra, Australia |publisher=Australian Military History Publications |isbn=978-0975766910 }} *{{Cite book |first=Julius |last=Ringel |title=Hurra die Gams!, Die 5. Geb. Div. im Einsatz |publisher=Stocker Verlag |location=Graz |year=1994 }} * {{Cite book |last=Scherzer |first=Veit |year=2007 |title=Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives |trans-title=The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives |language=de |location=Jena, Germany |publisher=Scherzers Militaer-Verlag |isbn=978-3-938845-17-2 }} * {{Cite book |last=Stockert |first=Peter |year=1998 |title=Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 4 |trans-title=The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 4 |language=de |location=Bad Friedrichshall, Germany |publisher=Friedrichshaller Rundblick |isbn=978-3-932915-03-1 }} * {{Cite book |last=Stroud |first=Rick |year=2015 |title=Kidnap in Crete: The True Story of the Abduction of a Nazi General |url=https://archive.org/details/kidnapincretetru0000stro |url-access=registration |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1632861948 }} * {{Cite book |last1=Thomas |first1=Franz |last2=Wegmann |first2=Günter |year=1994 |title=Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Teil VI: Die Gebirgstruppe Band 2: L–Z |trans-title=The Knight's Cross Bearers of the German Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Part VI: The Mountain Troops Volume 2: L–Z |language=de |location=Osnabrück, Germany |publisher=Biblio-Verlag |isbn=978-3-7648-2430-3 }} * {{Cite book |last=Thomas |first=Franz |year=1998 |title=Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z |trans-title=The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z |language=de |location=Osnabrück, Germany |publisher=Biblio-Verlag |isbn=978-3-7648-2300-9 }} * {{Cite book |last1=Williamson |first1=G. |last2=McGregor |first2=M. |year=2012 |title=German Commanders of World War II (1): Army |series=Elite |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1780969725 }} * {{Cite web |url=https://greekcitytimes.com/austria-returns-stolen-antiquities-greece/ |title=Austria returns stolen antiquities to Greece |date=November 20, 2017 |website=greekcitytimes.com |publisher=Greek City Times |access-date=November 21, 2017 }} {{Refend}}
{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} {{succession box |before= Generaloberst Eduard Dietl |after= General der Gebirgstruppen Hans Kreysing |title= Commander of ''3. Gebirgs-Division'' |years=14 June 1940 – 23 October 1940 }} {{succession box |before= none |after= Generalleutnant Max-Günther Schrank |title= Commander of ''5. Gebirgs-Division'' |years=1 November 1940 – 10 February 1944 }} {{succession box |before= General der Infanterie Ernst Dehner |after= General der Infanterie Helge Auleb |title= Commander of LXIX Armeekorps |years=31 March 1944 – 24 June 1944 }} {{succession box |before= General der Artillerie Max Grimmeiß |after= dissolved on 8 May 1945 |title= Commander of Wehrkreis XVIII (Salzburg) |years=21 January 1945 – 8 May 1945 }} {{succession box |before= none |after= dissolved on 8 May 1945 |title= Commander of ''Korps Ringel'' |years=February 1945 – 8 May 1945 }} {{s-end}}
{{Knight's Cross recipients of the 5th MD}} {{Authority control}} {{Subject bar | portal1=Austria | portal2=Biography }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ringel, Julius}} Category:1889 births Category:1967 deaths Category:People from Völkermarkt Category:Generals of the Mountain Troops Category:Austro-Hungarian prisoners of war in World War I Category:World War I prisoners of war held by Italy Category:Austrian Nazis Category:Austrian military personnel of World War II Category:Austrian war criminals Category:Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Category:Austro-Hungarian Army officers Category:Art and cultural repatriation after World War II Category:German Army officers of World War II Category:Nazi Party members Category:Nazi war criminals