Karl Pfeffer-Wildenbruch
Encyclopedia
Karl Pfeffer Wildenbruch (June 12, 1888 – January 29, 1971) was a staff officer of the German General Staff during World War I and a Obergruppenführer
General der Waffen-SS
und der Polizei
, during World War II, he commanded the 4th SS Polizei Division
and the VI SS Army Corps
and the IX SS Mountain Corps, he was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves
.
. After finishing high school he became a Fahnenjunker in the 22 Field Artillery Regiment in March 1907 and promoted to Leutnant, in August 1908 and in 1911 given command of the Military Technical School in Berlin.
who was the commander of the 1st Turkish Army, his next posting was as the IA to the German Military mission in Constantinople
from May to November 1917. At the end of 1917 he returned to Germany, as a staff officer with the 11th Infantry Division
.
At the end of the war he remained on the General staff of the ZBV 55 and XXIV reserve corps.
and Magdeburg
.
From 1928 he was in Santiago de Chile as the Chief of the Chilean Carabinieros
, returning to Germany in 1933.
In June 1933, Pfeffer Wildenbruch became an Oberstleutnant
in the National Police Regiment at Frankfurt an der Oder and from May 1936 he was the Inspector General of Police schools, being promoted to Generalmajor der Polizei
in May 1937.
In March 1939, he joined the SS, service number was 292 713 and served on the staff of the Reichsführer-SS
, being promoted to SS-Brigadeführer in April 1939.
with the rank of SS-Gruppenführer and Generalleutnant der Polizei. After the Battle of France
he returned to the staff of the Reichsführers-SS, until being made the chief of the colonial police in the Reich ministry in from 1941 to 1943.
In October 1943 he took over as commander of the VI SS Corps, with a promotion to SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS und Polizei.
In December 1944 was appointed commander of the IX SS Mountain Corps, which was stationed in Budapest
, Hungary
.
He was responsible for the defence of the Hungarian capital, after it had been encircled by the advancing Russian forces, from the 24 December 1944 to the 11 February 1945
The siege of Budapest was one of the longest and bloodiest city struggles of the Second World War and the fight lasted 102 days. For his defence of the city he was awarded with the Knight's Cross on 11 January 1945 and the Oakleaves on 1 February 1945. During the attempt to break out from Budapest he was seriously wounded and captured by the Russians. On 10 August 1949 he was sentenced to 25 years of labor camp
s, but after Stalin's death he was released in October 1955.
Karl Pfeffer Wildenbruch, was killed in a traffic accident on 29 January 1971 at Bielefeld
.
Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
General der Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
und der Polizei
Polizei
Polizei is the German word for police. It might refer to:-National agencies:*Bundespolizei - Federal Police of Germany*Bundespolizei - Federal Police of Austria*Bundeskriminalamt - Federal Criminal Office of Germany, comparable to the FBI...
, during World War II, he commanded the 4th SS Polizei Division
4th SS Polizei Division
The SS Polizei Division was one of the thirty-eight divisions fielded as part of the Waffen-SS during World War II.The division was formed in 1939 as part of the Ordnungspolizei...
and the VI SS Army Corps
VI SS Army Corps
VI SS Army Corps or VI. SS-Freiwilligen-Armeekorps was a unit of the Waffen SS during World War II. It was formed in October 1943, to command the Latvian Waffen SS divisions. It fought in the northern sector of the Eastern Front as part of the 18th Army...
and the IX SS Mountain Corps, he was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
.
Early life
Karl Pfeffer-Wildenbruch was born on 12 June 1888, in Kalkberge, RüdersdorfRüdersdorf
Rüdersdorf is a municipality in the district Märkisch-Oderland, in Brandenburg, Germany.-Overview:It is situated 26 km east of Berlin . Rüdersdorf is famous for its limestone-open-pit mining. Today some parts of the mine are used as a museum...
. After finishing high school he became a Fahnenjunker in the 22 Field Artillery Regiment in March 1907 and promoted to Leutnant, in August 1908 and in 1911 given command of the Military Technical School in Berlin.
World War I
On the outbreak of World War I, he commanded a Battery and was a Regimental Adjutant, then became a staff officer on the German General Staff. He served under Field Marshal General, Colmar von der Goltz, in BaghdadBaghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
who was the commander of the 1st Turkish Army, his next posting was as the IA to the German Military mission in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
from May to November 1917. At the end of 1917 he returned to Germany, as a staff officer with the 11th Infantry Division
11th Bavarian Infantry Division (German Empire)
The 11th Bavarian Infantry Division was a unit of the Royal Bavarian Army, part of the Imperial German Army, in World War I. The division was formed on March 24, 1915 and organized over the next few weeks. It was part of a wave of new infantry divisions formed in the spring of 1915...
.
At the end of the war he remained on the General staff of the ZBV 55 and XXIV reserve corps.
Interwar period
In August 1919 he joined the police service, and spent time in the Reich Ministry of the Interior and was the police commander in OsnabrückOsnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
and Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
.
From 1928 he was in Santiago de Chile as the Chief of the Chilean Carabinieros
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, returning to Germany in 1933.
In June 1933, Pfeffer Wildenbruch became an Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant is a German Army and Air Force rank equal to Lieutenant Colonel, above Major, and below Oberst.There are two paygrade associated to the rank of Oberstleutnant...
in the National Police Regiment at Frankfurt an der Oder and from May 1936 he was the Inspector General of Police schools, being promoted to Generalmajor der Polizei
Polizei
Polizei is the German word for police. It might refer to:-National agencies:*Bundespolizei - Federal Police of Germany*Bundespolizei - Federal Police of Austria*Bundeskriminalamt - Federal Criminal Office of Germany, comparable to the FBI...
in May 1937.
In March 1939, he joined the SS, service number was 292 713 and served on the staff of the Reichsführer-SS
Reichsführer-SS
was a special SS rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945. Reichsführer-SS was a title from 1925 to 1933 and, after 1934, the highest rank of the German Schutzstaffel .-Definition:...
, being promoted to SS-Brigadeführer in April 1939.
World War II
At the end of 1939, he was given command of the 4th SS Polizei Division4th SS Polizei Division
The SS Polizei Division was one of the thirty-eight divisions fielded as part of the Waffen-SS during World War II.The division was formed in 1939 as part of the Ordnungspolizei...
with the rank of SS-Gruppenführer and Generalleutnant der Polizei. After the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
he returned to the staff of the Reichsführers-SS, until being made the chief of the colonial police in the Reich ministry in from 1941 to 1943.
In October 1943 he took over as commander of the VI SS Corps, with a promotion to SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS und Polizei.
In December 1944 was appointed commander of the IX SS Mountain Corps, which was stationed in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)
The Kingdom of Hungary also known as the Regency, existed from 1920 to 1946 and was a de facto country under Regent Miklós Horthy. Horthy officially represented the abdicated Hungarian monarchy of Charles IV, Apostolic King of Hungary...
.
He was responsible for the defence of the Hungarian capital, after it had been encircled by the advancing Russian forces, from the 24 December 1944 to the 11 February 1945
The siege of Budapest was one of the longest and bloodiest city struggles of the Second World War and the fight lasted 102 days. For his defence of the city he was awarded with the Knight's Cross on 11 January 1945 and the Oakleaves on 1 February 1945. During the attempt to break out from Budapest he was seriously wounded and captured by the Russians. On 10 August 1949 he was sentenced to 25 years of labor camp
Labor camp
A labor camp is a simplified detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons...
s, but after Stalin's death he was released in October 1955.
Karl Pfeffer Wildenbruch, was killed in a traffic accident on 29 January 1971 at Bielefeld
Bielefeld
Bielefeld is an independent city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 323,000, it is also the most populous city in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold...
.