__NOTOC__ Generalleutnant Ernst Maisel (16 September 1896 – 16 December 1978) was a general in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. As a

Generalmajor is the Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and Royal Danish Air Force. As a two-star ...

he was Chief of the Office Group for Officers' Education and Welfare of the Army Personnel Office. One of his responsibilities in this appointment was to be court protocol officer of the Army

court of honour A court of honor (or court of honour) is an official event constituted to determine various questions of social protocol, breaches of etiquette, and other allegations of breaches of honor, or entitlement to various honors. In English the ter ...

that investigated army officers suspected of involvement in the

20 July plot On 20 July 1944, Claus von Stauffenberg and other conspirators attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of Nazi Germany, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia, now Kętrzyn, in present-day Poland. The ...

. In this capacity on 14 October 1944 he arrived with General

Wilhelm Burgdorf Wilhelm Emanuel Burgdorf (15 February 1895 – 2 May 1945) was a German general during World War II, who served as a commander and staff officer in the German Army (Wehrmacht), German Army. In October 1944, Burgdorf assumed the role of the chief ...

at the home of Field Marshal

Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...

. Burgdorf had been instructed by Field Marshal

Wilhelm Keitel Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel (; 22 September 188216 October 1946) was a German field marshal and war criminal who held office as chief of the '' Oberkommando der Wehrmacht'' (OKW), the high command of Nazi Germany's Armed Forces, duri ...

to offer Rommel three choices: report to Hitler to exculpate himself; admit guilt, take poison, receive a state funeral, and obtain immunity for his family; or face a treason trial. Rommel drove away with Burgdorf and Maisel and committed suicide shortly thereafter. In the last days of the war, Maisel was appointed commander the 68th Infantry Division with the rank of

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of O ...

. He was taken into captivity by the Americans on 7 May 1945, was released in March 1947 and died aged 82 in 1978.

Awards

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight' ...

on 6 April 1942 as ''

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish ...

'' and commander of the Infanterie-Regiment 42Fellgiebel 2000, p. 301.

References

Citations

{{Reflist, 25em

Bibliography

{{Refbegin * {{Cite book , last=Fellgiebel , first=Walther-Peer , author-link=Walther-Peer Fellgiebel , year=2000 , orig-date=1986 , title=Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile , trans-title=The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches , language=German , location=Friedberg, Germany , publisher=Podzun-Pallas , isbn=978-3-7909-0284-6 {{Refend {{Knight's Cross recipients of the 46th ID {{Subject bar , portal1=Biography , portal2=Military of Germany , portal3=World War II {{Authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Maisel, Ernst 1896 births 1978 deaths People from Landau Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) German Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States People from the Palatinate (region) People from the Kingdom of Bavaria Military personnel from Rhineland-Palatinate German Army personnel of World War II {{Germany-mil-bio-stub