Heinrich Graf von Einsiedel
Encyclopedia
Heinrich Graf von Einsiedel (July 26, 1921 – July 18, 2007) was a German
journalist
and politician
.
, was born in Potsdam
, Province of Brandenburg
, as the youngest child to Herbert von Einsiedel (1885–1945) and Irene von Bismarck-Schönhausen (1888–1982). His parents were divorced in 1931.
In World War II
Einsiedel served as a German fighter pilot, initially with Jagdgeschwader 2
over the Western Front, flying the Messerschmitt Bf 109. He took part in escort operations over the cruisers Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen as they made their 'Channel dash' from Brest to Germany in February 1942. Von Einsiedel claimed two of the six Fairey Swordfish
of No. 825 Squadron Fleet Air Arm, who made an unsuccessful low-level torpedo attack.
On one occasion he was shot down and crash-landed near Rotterdam and was also shot down into the Channel and rescued. In June 1942 von Einsiedel was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 3
on the Russian Front for the forthcoming offensive against Stalingrad. Over the next six weeks, he claimed 33 Russian aircraft downed, including four Petlyakov Pe-2 bombers in the space of six minutes on 20 August. He was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold.
On 30 August 1942, during combat with Russian 'Ratas', he was forced to land and was captured by Russian ground forces, becoming a prisoner of war
in the Soviet Union
.
The Soviet authorities soon realised the pilot was a well-connected member of the German nobility and thus a potentially valuable propaganda weapon. On capture von Einsiedel refused to divulge any military intelligence to his captors. He finally agreed however to send an open letter home stating he was being treated correctly and that Germany was going to lose the war, and that his great-grandfather Otto von Bismarck, would never have invaded Russia.
He became a founding member, Vice-president and commissary of propaganda of the National Committee for a Free Germany
and lead a propaganda unit which broadcast and distributed leaflets to German forces.
Released after the war, von Einsiedel initially worked for the East German newspaper Tägliche Rundschau, but became increasingly disillusioned with the Soviet regime, experiencing at first hand the Russian corruption and inefficiency. He was given permission to visit West Berlin on behalf of the NKVD
for intelligence gathering purposes. While meeting his mother he was arrested by US Forces and sentenced by an American court for spying and having forged documents. He was released on appeal.
Despite a highly publicised press conference when back in the East, he was by now seen as a liability by the Soviet authorities.
He thus relocated to West Germany
in late 1948, where he worked as a translator, script-writer and journalist. The governing Socialist Unity Party acknowledged von Einsiedel as a bonafide anti-fascist but a petit bourgeois who, "as soon as the class war became acute", had wavered and switched political camps for his own self interests.
Von Einsiedel also wrote 'The Shadow of Stalingrad: Being the Diary of Temptation' in 1953, which attempted to tell his complex story. Eventually von Einsiedel joined the film industry, as a scriptwriter and a film soundtrack dubber. He also played the role of a pilot in the drama 'The Last Bridge' (1953) with his first wife, Barbara Rütting
.
He also wrote for the liberal Hamburg weekly, Die Zeit
. He twice won the German bridge championship and played in the bridge World Cup.
Einsiedel was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
from 1957 until 1992 and was elected as a member of the German Bundestag as a candidate of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) from 1994 until 1998.
Einsiedel died in Munich.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
Biography
Einsiedel, a great-grandson of Otto von BismarckOtto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
, was born in Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
, Province of Brandenburg
Province of Brandenburg
The Province of Brandenburg was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946.-History:The first people who are known to have inhabited Brandenburg were the Suevi. They were succeeded by the Slavonians, whom Henry II conquered and converted to Christianity in...
, as the youngest child to Herbert von Einsiedel (1885–1945) and Irene von Bismarck-Schönhausen (1888–1982). His parents were divorced in 1931.
In World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Einsiedel served as a German fighter pilot, initially with Jagdgeschwader 2
Jagdgeschwader 2
Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" was a World War II Luftwaffe wing. It was named after World War I fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen.-History:...
over the Western Front, flying the Messerschmitt Bf 109. He took part in escort operations over the cruisers Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen as they made their 'Channel dash' from Brest to Germany in February 1942. Von Einsiedel claimed two of the six Fairey Swordfish
Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War...
of No. 825 Squadron Fleet Air Arm, who made an unsuccessful low-level torpedo attack.
On one occasion he was shot down and crash-landed near Rotterdam and was also shot down into the Channel and rescued. In June 1942 von Einsiedel was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 3
Jagdgeschwader 3
Jagdgeschwader 3 Udet was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. The Geschwader operated on all the German fronts in the European Theatre of World War II. It was named after Ernst Udet in 1942.-Campaign in the West :...
on the Russian Front for the forthcoming offensive against Stalingrad. Over the next six weeks, he claimed 33 Russian aircraft downed, including four Petlyakov Pe-2 bombers in the space of six minutes on 20 August. He was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold.
On 30 August 1942, during combat with Russian 'Ratas', he was forced to land and was captured by Russian ground forces, becoming a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
He became a founding member, Vice-president and commissary of propaganda of the National Committee for a Free Germany
National Committee for a Free Germany
The National Committee for a Free Germany was a German anti-Nazi organization that operated in the Soviet Union during World War II.- History :...
and lead a propaganda unit which broadcast and distributed leaflets to German forces.
Released after the war, von Einsiedel initially worked for the East German newspaper Tägliche Rundschau, but became increasingly disillusioned with the Soviet regime, experiencing at first hand the Russian corruption and inefficiency. He was given permission to visit West Berlin on behalf of the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
for intelligence gathering purposes. While meeting his mother he was arrested by US Forces and sentenced by an American court for spying and having forged documents. He was released on appeal.
Despite a highly publicised press conference when back in the East, he was by now seen as a liability by the Soviet authorities.
He thus relocated to West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
in late 1948, where he worked as a translator, script-writer and journalist. The governing Socialist Unity Party acknowledged von Einsiedel as a bonafide anti-fascist but a petit bourgeois who, "as soon as the class war became acute", had wavered and switched political camps for his own self interests.
Von Einsiedel also wrote 'The Shadow of Stalingrad: Being the Diary of Temptation' in 1953, which attempted to tell his complex story. Eventually von Einsiedel joined the film industry, as a scriptwriter and a film soundtrack dubber. He also played the role of a pilot in the drama 'The Last Bridge' (1953) with his first wife, Barbara Rütting
Barbara Rütting
Barbara Rütting is a German film actress and author. She appeared in 50 films between 1952 and 1979. She was born in Ludwigsfelde-Wietstock, Germany.-Selected filmography:* The Last Bridge * Mädchen ohne Grenzen...
.
He also wrote for the liberal Hamburg weekly, Die Zeit
Die Zeit
Die Zeit is a German nationwide weekly newspaper that is highly respected for its quality journalism.With a circulation of 488,036 and an estimated readership of slightly above 2 million, it is the most widely read German weekly newspaper...
. He twice won the German bridge championship and played in the bridge World Cup.
Einsiedel was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
from 1957 until 1992 and was elected as a member of the German Bundestag as a candidate of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) from 1994 until 1998.
Einsiedel died in Munich.
Literature
- Heinrich Graf von Einsiedel, Joachim Wieder: Stalingrad und die Verantwortung des Soldaten, ISBN 3776617780 (German)
- Heinrich Graf von Einsiedel: Tagebuch der Versuchung. 1942 - 1950, 1950; als Ullstein TB (1985): ISBN 3548330460 (German)
- Heinrich Graf von Einsiedel: Der Überfall, Hoffmann und Campe 1984, ISBN 3455086772 (German)