Wehrmacht Generals Who Became Bundeswehr Officers (& other ranks with dual service)

Discussion in 'Axis Units' started by Gerard, Aug 26, 2005.

  1. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

    Does anyone know which, if any of the Wehrmacht Generals became officers in the Bundeswehr?

    Spidge very kindly e-mailed me a link about Bridgend POW Camp in Wales which held most of the Wehrmacht High command after the War. One of the pictures has Field Marshal Von Manstein standing in 1971 with Walther Wenck who appears to have a Bundeswehr uniform on. I know Rommel's Deputy Hans Speidel became a Bundeswehr Commander and it seems that Walther Wenck also became one. any others????
     
  2. Kiwiwriter

    Kiwiwriter Very Senior Member

    Adolf Heusinger, who was wounded in the Attentat on July 20, 1944, became a general in the Bundeswehr. And Adm. Bernhard Rogge, who commanded the disguised merchant raider Atlantis, became an Admiral in the Bundesmarine.
     
  3. Brownag

    Brownag Member

    Didn't Adolf Galland serve as a senior officer in the W. German Air force? I'd be surprised if there were any generals / admirals in both East and West German armies in the 1950s-1970s (perhaps even the 1980s given how young some of the soldiers were in 1945) who hadn't served in the German armed forces during the war.
    A U-Boat commander, whose name I can't recall right now, was an admiral post-war so I'm guessing anyone who wasn't a Nazi or SS was eligible serve after the war.

    Cheers

    Adam
     
  4. Kiwiwriter

    Kiwiwriter Very Senior Member

    I forgot about fighter ace "Macky" Steinhoff. I believe he finished WW2 as a general (and suffered horrendous burns in an air crash), and became a general in the postwar Luftwaffe.
     
  5. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

    Originally posted by Kiwiwriter@Aug 31 2005, 03:00 PM
    I forgot about fighter ace "Macky" Steinhoff. I believe he finished WW2 as a general (and suffered horrendous burns in an air crash), and became a general in the postwar Luftwaffe.
    [post=38431]Quoted post[/post]
    Indeed Kiwiwriter and I had also forgotten about him. He was injured in a Crash in March 1945 when his Me262 was jumped by Mustangs, he was either landing or taking off when it happened. I cant remember the Squadron number but it was set up by himself and Galland and comprised solely of Luftwaffe Aces, was it JG 52? Anyway he survived and became a post war General in the Luftwaffe.
     
  6. Kiwiwriter

    Kiwiwriter Very Senior Member

    Originally posted by Gotthard Heinrici+Sep 1 2005, 06:35 AM-->(Gotthard Heinrici @ Sep 1 2005, 06:35 AM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-Kiwiwriter@Aug 31 2005, 03:00 PM
    I forgot about fighter ace "Macky" Steinhoff. I believe he finished WW2 as a general (and suffered horrendous burns in an air crash), and became a general in the postwar Luftwaffe.
    [post=38431]Quoted post[/post]
    Indeed Kiwiwriter and I had also forgotten about him. He was injured in a Crash in March 1945 when his Me262 was jumped by Mustangs, he was either landing or taking off when it happened. I cant remember the Squadron number but it was set up by himself and Galland and comprised solely of Luftwaffe Aces, was it JG 52? Anyway he survived and became a post war General in the Luftwaffe.
    [post=38463]Quoted post[/post]
    [/b]
    The elite Jet unit was "Jagdverband 44," or "JV 44." All a bunch of generals.
     
  7. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    My 'favourite' longserving German officer: Oberleutnant Rudolf Witzig: falshirmjaeger-pionierezug, at Eben Emael he and 85 men captured 1200 for the loss of 6, got knights cross for that (along with iron cross first and second on same day), crete, north Africa, eastern front (oak leaves), stayed in, Oberst in Bundeswehr until retiring in 1974.
    Not a general but an impressive record nonetheless.
     
  8. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

  9. Ollie Garchy

    Ollie Garchy Junior Member

    Does anyone know which, if any of the Wehrmacht Generals became officers in the Bundeswehr?

    Spidge very kindly e-mailed me a link about Bridgend POW Camp in Wales which held most of the Wehrmacht High command after the War. One of the pictures has Field Marshal Von Manstein standing in 1971 with Walther Wenck who appears to have a Bundeswehr uniform on. I know Rommel's Deputy Hans Speidel became a Bundeswehr Commander and it seems that Walther Wenck also became one. any others????

    The list is rather long: A host of former Wehrmacht officers found new posts in Adenauer’s government and the emerging military. In May 1950, General Gerhard von Schwerin had already started planning for the creation of a federal police force -- a force to be equipped with heavy mortars and other weapons not normally associated with such organizations. Three other retired generals, later joined by a long list of others, closed ranks in a small organization in the “Zentrale für Heimatdienst”. These men -- Johann Adolf Graf von Kielmansegg, Axel von dem Bussche and Achim Oster -- had already worked on defence concepts for several years.
     
  10. think von manstein either adviced or served in the w german army too...
     
  11. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Following up on a comment by GH in a MG thread about one of Guderian's sons.
    I see his surviving son Heinz Gunter became a 'Major General and Inspector of Panzer Troops' in the Bundeswehr after his WW2 service, retiring in 1974.

    I wonder if there are still Guderians in the BW Panzerwaffe? Bet there are.
    Hell of a name to carry in tank circles.


    [​IMG]
    He's written a memoir:
    From Normandy to the Ruhr
     
  12. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

    Here's an excerpt from his Wiki page:

    After the creation of the Bundeswehr, Guderian returned to the army and was given command of Panzerbattalion 3 (later 174) and, later, Panzerbrigade 14. He also served in a variety of staff assignments, culminating in service as Inspector of Panzer Troops for the Bundeswehr. He retired in 1974.

    Seems that he got the same post as his dad, Inspector of Panzer Troops. A Guderian commanding formations of Leopard Tanks, his dad would have been proud of him!
     
  13. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Seems that he got the same post as his dad, Inspector of Panzer Troops. A Guderian commanding formations of Leopard Tanks, his dad would have been proud of him!
    I was thinking about that given his apparently exalted position at the time of Leopard 1's development. Imagine a room full of designers. military men and other selection types; "What shall we call it?", the famously named Inspector smiles and says "I have a suggestion" :D.
     
  14. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

    LOL!!! Yeah It's not beyond the realms of possibility that it went a bit like that alright!!
     
  15. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

    What, the "von Kluge"?
     
  16. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

    What, the "von Bock"?
    Za, I'm not sure I follow your train of thought :huh: Can you please explain to this idiot Irishman what you mean?? :D
     
  17. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

    Sorry, edited ;) Guderian and von Kluge weren't really in the best of congeniality, as such ...
     
  18. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

    Aaaahhh Thanks for editing Za, I get it now!! Good one!
     
  19. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Bit of an omission from this thread.
    Just noticed on a Documentary that Speidel was CiC NATO ground forces 1957-63.:
    Hans Speidel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    WW2 ----------------------------NATO
    [​IMG] - [​IMG]

    Have any of the WW1 types got a picture of him from an earlier period? Or weimar service? Seems he signed up in 1914.

    That's quite some military career... Funny to think some that visit here and were serving in that postwar period had a former Nazi general and July Bomb-plotter as their chief.

    Cheers,
    Adam.
     
  20. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Taking it a little further..Were they still allowed to wear their decorations for bravery from WW2?
     

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