__NOTOC__ Gustav Heistermann von Ziehlberg (10 December 1898 – 2 February 1945) 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 previo ...

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 opposing ...

. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Convicted in connection with the 20 July plot, he was sentenced to death and

executed by firing squad Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French ''fusil'', rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are us ...

. von Ziehlberg was married to Anneliese von Tschischewitz, with whom he had four daughters and two sons. Whilst commanding the 65th Infantry Division in Italy, von Ziehlberg ordered the illegal executions of four SAS men: Captain Patrick Dudgeon, Sergeant William Foster, Corporal James Shortall, and Gunner Bernard Brunt, between September and October 1943. He later fought on the Eastern Front in 1944. Denkzeichen 3 Murellenberg Berlin

On 20 July 1944, von Ziehlberg was ordered to arrest his ''Ia'' staff officer Major

Joachim Kuhn Joachim (; ''Yəhōyāqīm'', "he whom Yahweh has set up"; ; ) was, according to Christian tradition, the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The story of Joachim and Anne first appears in the Biblical apocryphal ...

for his involvement in the 20 July plot. Kuhn together with his friend Lieutenant

Albrecht von Hagen Albrecht von Hagen (11 March 1904 – 8 August 1944) was a German jurist and a resistance fighter in the time of the Third Reich. Life Von Hagen was born in Langen, Pomerania (today Łęgi), on the manor of the original East Brandenburg-Pomer ...

had arranged for the explosive delivered by

Helmuth Stieff Hellmuth Stieff (6 June 1901 – 8 August 1944) was a German general and a member of the OKH (German Army Headquarters) during World War II. He took part in attempts by the German resistance to assassinate Adolf Hitler on 7 and 20 July 1944. C ...

Claus von Stauffenberg Colonel Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (; 15 November 1907 – 21 July 1944) was a German army officer best known for his failed attempt on 20 July 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair. Despite ...

. On 21 July he had accompanied General

Henning von Tresckow Henning Hermann Karl Robert von Tresckow (; 10 January 1901 – 21 July 1944) was a German military officer with the rank of major general in the German Army who helped organize German resistance against Adolf Hitler. He attempted to assassina ...

to the front near Królowy Most, where Tresckow committed suicide. Confronted with the warrant, Kuhn denied any entanglement. Instead of arresting him, Heisterman told Kuhn to transfer his official duties and to proceed to Berlin in order to clear things up. Kuhn used that opportunity to flee towards the forces of the Soviet

2nd Belorussian Front The 2nd Belorussian Front ( Russian: Второй Белорусский фронт, alternative spellings are 2nd Byelorussian Front) was a military formation, of Army group size, of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. Soviet army g ...

. He was taken prisoner and interrogated by the

SMERSH SMERSH (russian: СМЕРШ) was an umbrella organization for three independent counter-intelligence agencies in the Red Army formed in late 1942 or even earlier, but officially announced only on 14 April 1943. The name SMERSH was coined by Josep ...

counter-intelligence agency. Heisterman was charged with negligent disobedience and in September 1944 was sentenced to nine months in prison by the ''

Reichskriegsgericht The Reichskriegsgericht (RKG; en, Reich Court-Martial) was the highest military court in Germany between 1900 and 1945. Legal basics and responsibilities After the Prussian-led Unification of Germany, the German Empire with effect from 1 Octobe ...

'', however he was pardoned for his previous service. He returned to his division, but was again summoned to Berlin on 30 October. Hitler, suspecting him of collaboration with ''

Generaloberst A ("colonel general") was the second-highest general officer rank in the German ''Reichswehr'' and ''Wehrmacht'', the Austro-Hungarian Common Army, the East German National People's Army and in their respective police services. The rank was ...

Ludwig Beck Ludwig August Theodor Beck (; 29 June 1880 – 20 July 1944) was a German general and Chief of the German General Staff during the early years of the Nazi regime in Germany before World War II. Although Beck never became a member of the Na ...

, revoked his sentence and had von Ziehlberg re-arrested to face another trial. On 21 November he was sentenced to death by the ''Reichskriegsgericht'', dishonourably discharged, and stripped of all honors, ranks and titles. The judges openly stated that they had to follow the

Führer ( ; , spelled or ''Fuhrer'' when the umlaut is not available) is a German word meaning "leader" or " guide". As a political title, it is strongly associated with the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. Nazi Germany cultivated the ("leader princip ...

's instructions. Ziehlberg was executed on 2 February 1945 by a Wehrmacht firing squad at a proving ground near

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

in the

Charlottenburg Charlottenburg () is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Prussia, it is best known for Charlottenburg Palace, the ...

(present-day Westend) district of Berlin.

Awards

* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 27 July 1944 as ''

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 ...

'' and commander of 28. Jäger-DivisionFellgiebel 2000, p. 185.

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* *

External links

Gustav Heistermann von Ziehlberg @ Ostdeutsche-Biographie.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ziehlberg, Gustav Heistermann von 1898 births 1945 deaths Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) People from Inowrocław People from the Province of Posen German Army personnel of World War I Prussian Army personnel Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Executed military leaders Reichswehr personnel People executed by Nazi Germany by firing squad Executed members of the 20 July plot German people executed by Nazi Germany German Army generals of World War II Nazi war criminals