Joachim Ziegler (2 October 1904 – 2 May 1945) was a high-ranking commander in the
Waffen-SS
The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...
of Nazi Germany 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 ...
. He was a commander of the
SS Division Nordland
The 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland (german: 11. SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier-Division "Nordland") was a Waffen-SS division recruited from foreign volunteers and conscripts. It saw action, as part of Army Group North, i ...
, and was a recipient of the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
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' ...
.
Career
Ziegler was awarded the
Spanish Cross
The Spanish Cross (german: Spanien-Kreuz) was an award of Nazi Germany given to German troops who participated in the Spanish Civil War, fighting for nationalist general, later Spanish caudillo, Francisco Franco.
History
With the outbreak o ...
for his participation in the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
, fighting in the
''Condor'' Legion. In 1939 he served as the adjutant in the
3rd Panzer Brigade
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
and on 23 September 1939 he was awarded the
Iron Cross
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 est ...
2nd class followed by a 1st class award on 28 June 1940. On 14 March 1943 he was promoted to ''
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 served on the General Staff of the
XXXXII Army Corps. He was awarded the German Cross in Gold on 15 March 1943 and later was invited by 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 ...
'' to a command position in the Waffen-SS. His SS number was 491,403. From 20 June 1943 Ziegler was the Chief of General Staff of the
III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps
The III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps (''III. (germanisches) SS-Panzerkorps'') was a German Waffen-SS armoured corps which saw action on the Eastern Front during World War II. The ''(germanische)'' (lit. Germanic) part of its designation was granted ...
, and in November 1943 he was granted permission to wear an SS uniform for the duration of his command.
When
Fritz von Scholz
Fritz von Scholz (9 December 1896 – 28 July 1944) was a high-ranking member of the Waffen-SS during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords of Nazi Germany.
Career
Born in 1896, Fritz vo ...
was killed in action on 28 July 1944, he was asked to take over command of the 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division ''Nordland''. On 5 September 1944 he was awarded the Knights Cross for the conduct of the division in action and the Oak Leaves later in April 1945. The division retreated into what was known as the
Courland Pocket
The Courland Pocket (Blockade of the Courland army group), (german: Kurland-Kessel)/german: Kurland-Brückenkopf (Courland Bridgehead), lv, Kurzemes katls (Courland Cauldron) or ''Kurzemes cietoksnis'' (Courland Fortress)., group=lower-alpha ...
. Soviet forces launched major offensives against the German units there. From late October to December 1944, the ''Nordland'' remained in the pocket; by early December the divisional strength was down to 9,000 men. In January 1945, the division was ordered to the Baltic port of
Libau, where it was evacuated by sea.
During the
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II.
After the Vistula– ...
, the ''Nordland'' division was positioned to the south-east of the city and to the east of
Tempelhof Airport
Berlin Tempelhof Airport (german: Flughafen Berlin-Tempelhof) was one of the first airports in Berlin, Germany. Situated in the south-central Berlin borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg, the airport ceased operating in 2008 amid controversy, leav ...
. On 25 April 1945, SS-''Brigadeführer''
Gustav Krukenberg
Gustav Krukenberg (8 March 1888 – 23 October 1980) was a high-ranking member of the Waffen-SS and commander of the SS Charlemagne Division and the remains of the SS Division Nordland during the Battle of Berlin in April 1945. After Krukenberg ...
was appointed the commander of (Berlin) Defence Sector C, which included the ''Nordland'' Division. Ziegler was relieved of his command the same day. The exact reason for the transfer of the command is not clearly known. It was requested by General
Helmuth Weidling
Helmuth Otto Ludwig Weidling (2 November 1891 – 17 November 1955) was a German general during World War II. He was the last commander of the Berlin Defence Area during the Battle of Berlin, and led the defence of the city against Soviet force ...
, commander of the Berlin Defence Area.
After
Hitler's death
Adolf Hitler, Chancellor of Germany#Nazi Germany (1933–1945), chancellor and dictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945, died by suicide via gunshot on 30 April 1945 in the in Berlin after it became clear that Germany would lose the Battle of B ...
on 30 April, Krukenberg assembled most of his escort made up of French volunteers of the
SS ''Sturmbataillon'' "Charlemagne" for the breakout to try and get through the Soviet
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
encirclement of that area of
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
. They joined up with Ziegler and a larger group of Nordland troops. They crossed the Spree just before dawn. Near the
Gesundbrunnen U-Bahn station they came under heavy fire and Ziegler was wounded. Ziegler died from his wounds on 2 May 1945.
Awards
*
Spanish Cross
The Spanish Cross (german: Spanien-Kreuz) was an award of Nazi Germany given to German troops who participated in the Spanish Civil War, fighting for nationalist general, later Spanish caudillo, Francisco Franco.
History
With the outbreak o ...
in Gold with Swords (31 May 1939)
*
Iron Cross
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 est ...
(1939)
** 2nd Class (23 September 1939)
[Thomas 1998, p. 472.]
** 1st Class (28 June 1940)
*
German Cross
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 on 14 March 1943 as ''
Oberstleutnant
() is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedis ...
im Generalstab'' (in the
General Staff
A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...
) of XXXIX. Panzerkorps
[Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 530.]
*
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
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' ...
** Knight's Cross on 5 September 1944 as SS-''
Brigadeführer
''Brigadeführer'' (, ) was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) that was used between the years of 1932 to 1945. It was mainly known for its use as an SS rank. As an SA rank, it was used after briefly being known as ''Untergruppenf ...
'' and commander of the 11. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division ''Nordland''
[Scherzer 2007, p. 805.]
** (848th) Oak Leaves on 28 April 1945 as SS-''Brigadeführer'' and commander of the 11. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division ''Nordland''
See also
*
List SS-Brigadeführer
Notes
References
Citations
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ziegler, Joachim
1904 births
1945 deaths
People from Hanau
People from Hesse-Nassau
SS-Brigadeführer
Recipients of the Gold German Cross
Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Condor Legion personnel
Waffen-SS personnel killed in action
German Army officers of World War II