Herbert Gundelach (15 June 1899 – 4 November 1971) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

general during the

Second World War 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 ...

Biography

On 15 June 1899, Herbert Gundelach was born in

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...

, Alsace-Lorraine. Gundelach joined the German Army straight from school. After the war, Gundelach made a brilliant military career in the

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...

, which was limited to a standing army of 100 000 men, and then in the Heer, the regular German army. During the

, Herbert Gundelach participated in many significant military operations. From 1939 to 1941, Lieutenant Colonel Gundelach was appointed as General Generalstabsoffizier in the 16th Infantry Division. The 16.Infanterie-Division fought in the campaign against the Balkans in April, 1941, and then later as a part of the southern sector of the Eastern Front in June, 1941. From February to October 1944, Gundelach was

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Afg ...

of the XXVIII. Armeekorps. Herbert Gundelach eventually obtained the rank of

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 ended the war in captivity, surrendering to the Allies in 1945. He was a prisoner of war at

Camp Ritchie Fort Ritchie at Cascade, Maryland was a military installation southwest of Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania and southeast of Waynesboro in the area of South Mountain. Following the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, it closed in 19 ...

in Maryland and was involved with the Hill Project, an effort to use German POWs to translate texts to better understand Military efforts of the Nazi regime following the end of the War. He was released in September 1947. Herbert Gundelach died in 1971.

Decorations

Eisernes Kreuz The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

(1914) 2nd class;''Rangliste des Deutschen Reichsheeres'', Hrsg.: Reichswehrministerium, Mittler & Sohn Verlag, Berlin 1930, (p.164). * Verwundetenabzeichen (wound stripe) (1918) in Schwarz (black); * Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 2nd class; * Eisernes Kreuz (1939) 1st class; *

Deutsches Kreuz The War Order of the German Cross (german: Der Kriegsorden Deutsches Kreuz), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repe ...

in Gold, 26 January 1942;Klaus D. Patzwall und Veit Scherzer: ''Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941-1945, Geschichte und Inhaber Band II'', Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, 2001 (p.154).

References

Sources

* Dermot Bradley: ''Die Generale des Heeres 1921-1945'', vol 4: Fleck-Gyldenfeldt, Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück, 1996, (p. 493-495). 1899 births 1971 deaths German Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from Metz Major generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) People from Alsace-Lorraine Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 2nd class German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States Recipients of the Gold German Cross Prussian Army personnel Reichswehr personnel {{Germany-army-bio-stub