Vincenz Müller
Encyclopedia
Vincenz Müller was a German
military officer and general
who served in the Imperial German
army, the Wehrmacht Heer, and after the war in the National People's Army
of the German Democratic Republic
, where he was also a politician.
into a non-military family, being the son of a tanner
. As a lieutenant
he spent much of World War I
in Turkey
with the German military mission to the Ottoman Empire
. He was wounded by a grenade fragment at Gallipoli
, and was then transferred to Baghdad
and the Persian Front, returning to Germany after contracting malaria
and typhus
. In 1917 he returned to Turkey
as a tactics instructor for Turkish officers.
After the war, he continued to serve with the Reichswehr
in a variety of staff roles and was promoted to captain.
, and by 1938 had risen to the role of General Staff Officer of Army Group 2. During this period, he is known to have had some contact with the conservative anti-Nazi resistance in the Heer through Erwin von Witzleben
, but did not commit himself as an active plotter.
If his political affiliations remained unclear, Müller showed complete willingness to serve the Nazis' military plans and advance his Wehrmacht career. As a staff officer he was involved in planning Operation Tannenbaum
, the aborted 1940 invasion of Switzerland
, and Operation Barbarossa
, the invasion of the Soviet Union
. By 1943, Müller had become a lieutenant-general and was given command of the 56th Infantry Division
, part of Fourth Army of Army Group Centre
. By 1944 Müller was commander of XII Corps.
Müller found himself thrust into prominence during events in the Belorussian SSR in late June 1944. Along with the rest of Fourth Army, XII Corps found itself encircled east of Minsk
by Soviet forces during the latter's strategic offensive, Operation Bagration. Müller's corps was probably the least-damaged of the trapped forces, and on 3 July he was given overall command of the encircled units of Fourth Army, around 100,000 troops, which by 5 July were as much as 100 km behind Soviet lines. Despite signalling by radio that he was confident that a breakout could be achieved, Müller, who had joined the breakout attempt of the 18th Panzergrenadier Division, was captured by 8 July and most of Fourth Army was destroyed.
During his time as a POW Müller had an apparent change of views and professed to have become an anti-Nazi: within days of his capture he had joined the National Committee for a Free Germany
and the Bund Deutscher Offiziere led by Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach
. He was one of a group of generals captured during Operation Bagration (including Edmund Hoffmeister
, the commander of XXXXI Panzer Corps
, and Rudolf Bamler
of the 12th Infantry Division) who became especially prominent in NKFD activity. Unlike many of his colleagues, however, Müller claimed to have become a staunch Communist. Along with Bamler, Müller is known to have attended special training in Krasnogorsk
late in 1944, and is believed to have been recruited by the Soviet secret services to spy on fellow NKFD members, such as Friedrich Paulus
.
. During this period he is believed to have continued to act as an informant for East German state security.
After 1952 Vincenz Müller returned to a military career and was given the responsibility of reconstructing East Germany's armed forces; he was returned to the rank of Lieutenant-General. After heading the Ministry of the Interior, and successfully developing the Volkspolizei
, he was appointed the Chief of Staff of the newly formed National People's Army
- effectively the second-in-command of the East German military behind Willi Stoph
. Müller's later career is perhaps the most significant example of the East German regime's use of former Nazis and military officers, the so-called Ehemaligen, in reconstructing its state apparatus. He was, however, known to be in favour of the independence of the NVA from the Soviet military, and to have maintained some contacts in the West through military and Bavarian circles (Western intelligence services in fact attempted to persuade Müller to defect during this period). He is also known to have conducted secret discussions with the West German Finance Minister, Fritz Schäffer
, on a possible détente between East and West Germany.
After being gradually sidelined, Müller retired in 1958 amidst longstanding concerns over his political reliability to the East German administration, and came under increasing pressure from the Stasi
. He was said to be suffering from schizophrenia
, and was hospitalised for a period in 1960; allegations also resurfaced that he had been involved in the mass killing of Jews in Artemovsk
and the shooting of POWs. He died in 1961, under somewhat controversial circumstances, in a fall from the balcony of his home on the day he was scheduled to return to hospital; it was rumoured that he had committed suicide when a police vehicle drew up outside.
Müller was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
, the German Cross
in Gold, and the Vaterländischer Verdienstorden of the German Democratic Republic
. A posthumous autobiography
, Ich fand das wahre Vaterland (I found the true fatherland), was published in 1963, edited by Klaus Mammach, a SED
historian.
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...
military officer and general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
who served in the Imperial German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
army, the Wehrmacht Heer, and after the war in the National People's Army
National People's Army
The National People’s Army were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic .The NVA was established in 1956 and disestablished in 1990. There were frequent reports of East German advisors with Communist African countries during the Cold War...
of the German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
, where he was also a politician.
Early career
Müller was born in the Kingdom of BavariaKingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
into a non-military family, being the son of a tanner
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
. As a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
he spent much of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
with the German military mission to the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. He was wounded by a grenade fragment at Gallipoli
Battle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
, and was then transferred to Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
and the Persian Front, returning to Germany after contracting malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
and typhus
Typhus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
. In 1917 he returned to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
as a tactics instructor for Turkish officers.
After the war, he continued to serve with the Reichswehr
Reichswehr
The Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....
in a variety of staff roles and was promoted to captain.
Nazi Germany
Now serving with the Wehrmacht Heer, Müller was promoted to colonelColonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, and by 1938 had risen to the role of General Staff Officer of Army Group 2. During this period, he is known to have had some contact with the conservative anti-Nazi resistance in the Heer through Erwin von Witzleben
Erwin von Witzleben
Job-Wilhelm Georg Erdmann Erwin von Witzleben was a German army officer and in the Second World War an Army commander and a conspirator in the July 20 Plot.-Early years:...
, but did not commit himself as an active plotter.
If his political affiliations remained unclear, Müller showed complete willingness to serve the Nazis' military plans and advance his Wehrmacht career. As a staff officer he was involved in planning Operation Tannenbaum
Operation Tannenbaum
Operation Tannenbaum , known earlier as Operation Green, was a planned but cancelled invasion of Switzerland by Nazi Germany during World War II.-Background:...
, the aborted 1940 invasion of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and Operation Barbarossa
Operation 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...
, the invasion of 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....
. By 1943, Müller had become a lieutenant-general and was given command of the 56th Infantry Division
56th Infantry Division (Germany)
-History and Organisation:The division was formed in 1939 in Dresden, in the second wave of mobilisation . After taking part in the Invasion of France in 1940, it spent the remainder of its existence on the Eastern Front, mostly with Army Group Centre...
, part of Fourth Army of Army Group Centre
Army Group Centre
Army Group Centre was the name of two distinct German strategic army groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created on 22 June 1941, as one of three German Army formations assigned to the invasion of the Soviet Union...
. By 1944 Müller was commander of XII Corps.
Müller found himself thrust into prominence during events in the Belorussian SSR in late June 1944. Along with the rest of Fourth Army, XII Corps found itself encircled east of Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
by Soviet forces during the latter's strategic offensive, Operation Bagration. Müller's corps was probably the least-damaged of the trapped forces, and on 3 July he was given overall command of the encircled units of Fourth Army, around 100,000 troops, which by 5 July were as much as 100 km behind Soviet lines. Despite signalling by radio that he was confident that a breakout could be achieved, Müller, who had joined the breakout attempt of the 18th Panzergrenadier Division, was captured by 8 July and most of Fourth Army was destroyed.
Soviet captivity
Müller showed a willingness to cooperate with the Soviets from the time of his capture, issuing an order to troops of the Fourth Army to lay down their weapons.During his time as a POW Müller had an apparent change of views and professed to have become an anti-Nazi: within days of his capture he had joined 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 the Bund Deutscher Offiziere led by Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach
Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach
Walther Kurt von Seydlitz-Kurzbach was a German general. He was born in Hamburg, Germany, into the noble Prussian Seydlitz family. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
. He was one of a group of generals captured during Operation Bagration (including Edmund Hoffmeister
Edmund Hoffmeister
Edmund Hoffmeister was an officer in the German Army, mainly notable for his service in the Wehrmacht Heer during World War II.Hoffmeister's military service began in 1914 in the Imperial German army...
, the commander of XXXXI Panzer Corps
XXXXI Panzer Corps (Germany)
XXXXI Panzer Corps was a tank corps in the German Army during World War II.-Formation and actions:...
, and Rudolf Bamler
Rudolf Bamler
Rudolf Bamler was a German Wehrmacht leader before and during the Second World War...
of the 12th Infantry Division) who became especially prominent in NKFD activity. Unlike many of his colleagues, however, Müller claimed to have become a staunch Communist. Along with Bamler, Müller is known to have attended special training in Krasnogorsk
Krasnogorsk
Krasnogorsk may refer to one of the following:*Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast, a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia*Krasnogorsk, Uzbekistan, a town in Uzbekistan...
late in 1944, and is believed to have been recruited by the Soviet secret services to spy on fellow NKFD members, such as Friedrich Paulus
Friedrich Paulus
Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus was an officer in the German military from 1910 to 1945. He attained the rank of Generalfeldmarschall during World War II, and is best known for having commanded the Sixth Army's assault on Stalingrad during Operation Blue in 1942...
.
The German Democratic Republic
Vincenz Müller was released relatively early from Soviet captivity, in 1948, and joined the National Democratic Party of Germany, the NDPD. From 1949 to 1952 he was the party's deputy chairman and was Vice-President of the East German parliament, the VolkskammerVolkskammer
The People's Chamber was the unicameral legislature of the German Democratic Republic . From its founding in 1949 until the first free elections on 18 March 1990, all members of the Volkskammer were elected on a slate controlled by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany , called the National Front...
. During this period he is believed to have continued to act as an informant for East German state security.
Volkspolizei
The Volkspolizei , or VP, were the national police of the German Democratic Republic . The Volkspolizei were responsible for most law enforcement in East Germany, but its organisation and structure were such that it could be considered a paramilitary force as well...
, he was appointed the Chief of Staff of the newly formed National People's Army
National People's Army
The National People’s Army were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic .The NVA was established in 1956 and disestablished in 1990. There were frequent reports of East German advisors with Communist African countries during the Cold War...
- effectively the second-in-command of the East German military behind Willi Stoph
Willi Stoph
Willi Stoph was an East German politician. He served as Prime Minister of the German Democratic Republic from 1964 to 1973, and again from 1976 until 1989.-Biography:...
. Müller's later career is perhaps the most significant example of the East German regime's use of former Nazis and military officers, the so-called Ehemaligen, in reconstructing its state apparatus. He was, however, known to be in favour of the independence of the NVA from the Soviet military, and to have maintained some contacts in the West through military and Bavarian circles (Western intelligence services in fact attempted to persuade Müller to defect during this period). He is also known to have conducted secret discussions with the West German Finance Minister, Fritz Schäffer
Fritz Schäffer
Fritz Schäffer was a German politician for the Bavarian People's Party and the Christian Social Union . In 1945 he became the first Bavarian Minister-President after World War II...
, on a possible détente between East and West Germany.
After being gradually sidelined, Müller retired in 1958 amidst longstanding concerns over his political reliability to the East German administration, and came under increasing pressure from the Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
. He was said to be suffering from schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
, and was hospitalised for a period in 1960; allegations also resurfaced that he had been involved in the mass killing of Jews in Artemovsk
Artemovsk
Artemovsk may refer to:* Artemivsk, city in Ukraine * Artemivsk, city in Ukraine * Artyomovsk, city in Russia...
and the shooting of POWs. He died in 1961, under somewhat controversial circumstances, in a fall from the balcony of his home on the day he was scheduled to return to hospital; it was rumoured that he had committed suicide when a police vehicle drew up outside.
Müller was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
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...
, the German Cross
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 Gold, and the Vaterländischer Verdienstorden of the German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
. A posthumous autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, Ich fand das wahre Vaterland (I found the true fatherland), was published in 1963, edited by Klaus Mammach, a SED
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
historian.