Career
Gebirgs-Armeekorps. The Knight"s Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. In November 1943, the German 117th Jäger Division began a mission named Unternehmen Kalavryta (Operation Kalavryta), intending to encircle Greek guerrilla fighters in the mountainous area surrounding Kalavryta. During the operations, some German soldiers were killed and 77 of them, who were taken prisoners, were executed by the Greek guerrillas.
On 10 December 1943 von Le Suire signed the order for the German division to "level the locations Mazeika and Kalavryta" (die Orte Mazeika und Kalawrita dem Erdboden gleich zu machen).
In total, more than 1200 civilians were killed during the reprisal operations. About 1,000 houses were looted and burned and more than 2,000 sheep and other large domestic animals were seized by the Germans.
The event is known as the Massacre of Kalavryta. Karl von Le Suire was captured by Soviet troops in May 1945 and died in Soviet captivity on 18 June 1954 in a prisoner of war camp at Stalingrad.
Iron Cross (1914) Wehrmachtbericht reference Bibliography.