Facts:   - battles: world war i world war ii    - death date: 15 january 1972    - allegiance: german to 1920 -rrb- nazi germany empire -lrb- to 1918 -rrb- weimar republic -lrb-    - commands: rückwärtiges armeegebiet 556    - rank: generalleutnant      - awards: knight 's cross of the iron cross    - birth date: 20 july 1888    - serviceyears: 1907 -- 20 1935 -- 45    - name: artur schmitt    - branch: heer    - death place: munich    - birth place: albersweiler   Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of artur schmitt .
The answer to this question is:
artur schmitt -lrb- 20 july 1888 -- 15 january 1972 -rrb- as a highly decorated generalleutnant in the wehrmacht during world war ii .he was also a recipient of the knight 's cross of the iron cross .the knight 's cross of the iron cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership .artur schmitt was captured by british troops in january 1942 and was held until 1948 .after the arab defeat by israel in 1948 , the arab league recruited schmitt to train arab armies .see the french documentary -lrb- 2014 -rrb- , `` the nazi exiles : the promise of the orient , '' by the french-german filmmaker géraldine schwarz .