Wilhelm 'Willi' Bittrich was a Obergruppenführer (rank equivalent to Lieutenant-General) of the German SS and a Waffen-SS General during World War II. Born in the town of Wernigerode in the Harz mountains of Germany, Bittrich served as an army officer and as a fighter pilot during World War I. He joined the SS-"Verfügungstruppe" in 1934, where he served until 1939, whereupon he joined the "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler". Wikipedia
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