Max Simon
Encyclopedia
Max Simon was a German SS-Gruppenführer (lieutenant General) und Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS during World War II, who was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves
. Simon was a private in the Prussian Army during World War I and was one of the first members of the SS in the early 1930s. He would rise through the ranks of the SS, and become a Corps commander during World War II. At the end of the war he was captured by the Allies
and put of trial for war crime
s.
.
He served in Macedonia
and on the Western Front
, being awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class (1914)
.
At the end of the war he joined the Freikorps
in Silesia
and fought against the Polish forces. His unit was later incorporated into the Reichswehr
as the 16th Cavalry Regiment and Simon was promoted to Unterfeldwebel.
In May 1933 he joined the SS service number 83 086 and the NSDAP party number 1 350 576, and was assigned to the 47th SS-Standarte in Gera
and was promoted to Untersturmführer
(Second Lieutenant) in November 1934, until ordered to raise a new unit in 1935, 1st SS Totenkopfstandarte Oberbayern and given the rank of Standartenführer
(Colonel).
In 1934 he was appointed as the commander of the Sachsenburg
, concentration camp.
In 1938 he was involved in the Anschluss
of Austria, the occupation of Bohemia
and Moravia
and the occupation of the Sudetenland
.
and was later renamed the 5th Panzer Grenadier regiment in 1943. During the Battle of France
Simon, led his regiment in the capture of Pixie, Lyon
, Orléans
, Tours
and Bordeaux
and then advanced to the border with Spain.
) as part of Army Group North, taking Kraslava
and breaking through the Stalin line, where Simon was wounded.
In the weeks after the invasion Simon's regiment, during the fighting south of Lake Ilmen
, captured huge quantities of Russian equipment and numerous prisoners.
For the fighting in the Battles of the Demyansk Pocket
, Simon was awarded the Knight's Cross and promoted to Oberführer
(Brigadier General).
In December 1942 Simon was promoted again to Brigadeführer
(Major General), prior to being given command of the 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division Reichsführer-SS
.
.
In July 1944 the division was moved to Italy, and fought, never complete, at Anzio and later in the Arno
sector, where it gained a reputation for stability although it suffered heavy losses during the battles in the Apennines. The division also fought against partisans
in the Rückraum area, perpetrating several major atrocities against the civilians,(Sant'Anna di Stazzema massacre
and Marzabotto massacre
) for which Simon was awarded the Oakleaves for the Knight's Cross and the German Cross in Gold
, in October 1944.
The XIII SS Corps deployed to the Lorraine
region against the United States Army
, and from December 1944 defended the Siegfried Line
, now called the western wall.
The XIII SS Army Corps was forced to withdraw into the Saarland
and the Palatinate where it started to destroy the Rhine bridges.
In April 1945 between Main and Jagst
it came up against the 4th US Armored Division and was involved in heavy fighting around the Tauber
- Colombia
line and around Würzburg
and Nuremberg
.
The Corps then fought a withdrawal to the Danube
and around Munich
.
On the orders of Simon the bridges over the Isar
were not blown up, as he believed there was no need as the end of the war was near.
On 1 May 1945 the Corps surrendered to the American forces.
After the war, Max Simon was sentenced to death by a British court for his part in the Marzabotto massacre
. This sentence was later changed to life imprisonment. Simon was pardoned in 1954 and released from prison.
Max Simon died on 1 February 1961 at Lünen
.
Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield....
. Simon was a private in the Prussian Army during World War I and was one of the first members of the SS in the early 1930s. He would rise through the ranks of the SS, and become a Corps commander during World War II. At the end of the war he was captured by the Allies
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
and put of trial for war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s.
Early career
Simon was born in Breslau. In 1917 he joined the Royal Prussian Army's Leib-Kürassier-Regiment Großer Kurfürst, which was part of the 11th Division11th Division (German Empire)
The 11th Division was a unit of the Prussian/German Army. It was formed in Breslau in November 1816 as a brigade, and became the 11th Division on September 5, 1818. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the VI Army Corps . The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of...
.
He served in Macedonia
Macedonian front (World War I)
The Macedonian Front resulted from an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. The expedition came too late and in insufficient force to prevent the fall of Serbia, and was complicated by the internal...
and on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
, being awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class (1914)
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
.
At the end of the war he joined the Freikorps
Freikorps
Freikorps are German volunteer military or paramilitary units. The term was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards. Between World War I and World War II the term was also used for the paramilitary organizations that arose during...
in Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
and fought against the Polish forces. His unit was later incorporated into the Reichswehr
Reichswehr
The Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....
as the 16th Cavalry Regiment and Simon was promoted to Unterfeldwebel.
In May 1933 he joined the SS service number 83 086 and the NSDAP party number 1 350 576, and was assigned to the 47th SS-Standarte in Gera
Gera
Gera, the third-largest city in the German state of Thuringia , lies in east Thuringia on the river Weiße Elster, approximately 60 kilometres to the south of the city of Leipzig and 80 kilometres to the east of Erfurt...
and was promoted to Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the German Schutzstaffel first created in July 1934. The rank can trace its origins to the older SA rank of Sturmführer which had existed since the founding of the SA in 1921...
(Second Lieutenant) in November 1934, until ordered to raise a new unit in 1935, 1st SS Totenkopfstandarte Oberbayern and given the rank of Standartenführer
Standartenführer
Standartenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in the so-called Nazi combat-organisations: SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK...
(Colonel).
In 1934 he was appointed as the commander of the Sachsenburg
Sachsenburg (concentration camp)
Sachsenburg was a Nazi concentration camp in eastern Germany, located in Frankenberg, Saxony, near Chemnitz. Along with Lichtenburg, it was among the first to be built by the Nazis, and operated by the SS from 1933 to 1937...
, concentration camp.
In 1938 he was involved in the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
of Austria, the occupation of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
and the occupation of the Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
.
Battle of France
At the start of World War II, the SS Regiment was renamed in October 1939. The 1st SS Totenkopfstandarte Oberbayern, as the 1st Panzer Grenadier Regiment SS Totenkopf Division3rd SS Division Totenkopf
The SS Division Totenkopf , also known as 3. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf and 3. SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf, was one of the 38 divisions fielded by the Waffen-SS during World War II. Prior to achieving division status, the formation was known as Kampfgruppe Eicke...
and was later renamed the 5th Panzer Grenadier regiment in 1943. During 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...
Simon, led his regiment in the capture of Pixie, Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, Orléans
Orléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
, Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
and Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
and then advanced to the border with Spain.
Operation Barbarossa
In July 1941 Simon was involved in the invasion of Russia, (Operation BarbarossaOperation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
) as part of Army Group North, taking Kraslava
Kraslava
Krāslava is a major town in Krāslava municipality, in the Latgalia region of eastern Latvia.-History:* Krāslava was an important hillfort on the waterway from Variags to Greeks since early Middle Ages, part of the orthodox Principality of Jersika in 13th century.* In 1558 was mentioned for the...
and breaking through the Stalin line, where Simon was wounded.
In the weeks after the invasion Simon's regiment, during the fighting south of Lake Ilmen
Lake Ilmen
Ilmen is a historically important lake in the Novgorod Oblast of Russia, formerly a vital part of the Trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks. The city of Novgorod lies six kilometers below the lake's outflow....
, captured huge quantities of Russian equipment and numerous prisoners.
For the fighting in the Battles of the Demyansk Pocket
Demyansk Pocket
The Demyansk Pocket was the name given for the encirclement of German troops by the Red Army around Demyansk , south of Leningrad, during World War II on the Eastern Front. The pocket existed mainly from 8 February-21 April 1942. A much smaller pocket was simultaneously surrounded in Kholm, about ...
, Simon was awarded the Knight's Cross and promoted to Oberführer
Oberführer
Oberführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party dating back to 1921. Translated as “Senior Leader”, an Oberführer was typically a Nazi Party member in charge of a group of paramilitary units in a particular geographical region...
(Brigadier General).
In December 1942 Simon was promoted again to Brigadeführer
Brigadeführer
SS-Brigadeführer was an SS rank that was used in Nazi Germany between the years of 1932 and 1945. Brigadeführer was also an SA rank....
(Major General), prior to being given command of the 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division Reichsführer-SS
16th SS Panzergrenadier Division Reichsführer-SS
The 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division Reichsführer-SS was a Panzergrenadier formation of the Waffen-SS during World War II.-History:Formed in November 1943 when Volksdeutsche recruits were added to the Sturmbrigade Reichsführer SS, which was used as the cadre in the formation of the new division...
.
16th SS Panzergrenadier Division Reichsführer-SS
This new Waffen SS division would be formed in Hungary from Simon's old regiment and the Sturmbrigade Reichsführer SSSturmbrigade Reichsführer SS
The Sturmbrigade Reichsführer-SS was a German military unit of World War II. It was formed in February 1943 when Adolf Hitler ordered the Begleit-Bataillon Reichsführer-SS , which had proved itself in battle, be upgraded to the status of an assault brigade or Sturmbrigade thus Sturmbrigade...
.
In July 1944 the division was moved to Italy, and fought, never complete, at Anzio and later in the Arno
Arno
The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber.- Source and route :The river originates on Mount Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a southward curve...
sector, where it gained a reputation for stability although it suffered heavy losses during the battles in the Apennines. The division also fought against partisans
Partisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
in the Rückraum area, perpetrating several major atrocities against the civilians,(Sant'Anna di Stazzema massacre
Sant'Anna di Stazzema massacre
The Sant'Anna di Stazzema massacre was a Nazi German atrocity in the village of Sant'Anna di Stazzema, Italy, in the course of an operation against the Italian resistance movement in 1944, during the Italian Campaign of World War II.-Facts:...
and Marzabotto massacre
Marzabotto massacre
The Marzabotto massacre was a World War II mass murder of at least 770 civilians by Germans, which took place in the territory around the small village of Marzabotto, in the mountainous area south of Bologna...
) for which Simon was awarded the Oakleaves for the Knight's Cross and the German Cross in Gold
German Cross
The German Cross was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 17 November 1941 as an award ranking higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross respectively ranking higher than the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords but below the Knight's Cross of the War Merit...
, in October 1944.
XIII SS Corps
In November 1944, Simon was promoted to SS-Gruppenführer (Lieutenant General) und Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS, and given command of the XII SS Corps.The XIII SS Corps deployed to the Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
region against the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, and from December 1944 defended the Siegfried Line
Siegfried Line
The original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916–1917 in northern France during World War I...
, now called the western wall.
The XIII SS Army Corps was forced to withdraw into the Saarland
Saarland
Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
and the Palatinate where it started to destroy the Rhine bridges.
In April 1945 between Main and Jagst
Jagst
The Jagst is a right tributary of the Neckar in northern Baden-Württemberg. It is 189 km long. Its source is in the hills east of Ellwangen, close to the Bavarian border. It winds through the towns Ellwangen, Crailsheim, Kirchberg an der Jagst, Langenburg, Krautheim, Möckmühl and Neudenau...
it came up against the 4th US Armored Division and was involved in heavy fighting around the Tauber
Tauber
For the singer, see Richard Tauber.For the mathematician, see Alfred Tauber.The Tauber is a river in Franconia, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Main and is 122 km in length...
- Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
line and around Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
and Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
.
The Corps then fought a withdrawal to the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
and around Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
On the orders of Simon the bridges over the Isar
Isar
The Isar is a river in Tyrol, Austria and Bavaria, Germany. Its source is in the Karwendel range of the Alps in Tyrol; it enters Germany near Mittenwald, and flows through Bad Tölz, Munich, and Landshut before reaching the Danube near Deggendorf. At 295 km in length, it is the fourth largest river...
were not blown up, as he believed there was no need as the end of the war was near.
On 1 May 1945 the Corps surrendered to the American forces.
After the war, Max Simon was sentenced to death by a British court for his part in the Marzabotto massacre
Marzabotto massacre
The Marzabotto massacre was a World War II mass murder of at least 770 civilians by Germans, which took place in the territory around the small village of Marzabotto, in the mountainous area south of Bologna...
. This sentence was later changed to life imprisonment. Simon was pardoned in 1954 and released from prison.
Max Simon died on 1 February 1961 at Lünen
Lünen
Lünen or Luenen is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located north of Dortmund along the Lippe River. It is the largest town of the Unna district, and part of the green Münster area....
.