Rüdiger von Heyking (10 January 1894 – 18 February 1956) 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 **Ge ...

officer and Lieutenant General of the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

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 ...

Life

Heyking was born to a noble family in Rastenburg,

East Prussia East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label=Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...

, at the home of Heyking family. He joined the cadet corps in 1914 as second lieutenant in the 85th Infantry Regiment "Duke of Holstein". At the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Heyking served on the Western Front where he first trained as and then was appointed company commander. He graduated from the Air Force observer training course on 30 January 1918. Between September 1942 and November 1943, he commanded the 6th Luftwaffe Field Division on the Eastern Front. From May 1944 he was commander of the 6th Luftwaffe Parachute Division in France. He and two other general officers were captured in September of that year in Mons, Belgium during the German retreat from France. He spent part of his captivity in

Trent Park Trent Park is an English country house, together with its former extensive grounds, in north London. The original great house and a number of statues and other structures located within the grounds (such as the Orangery) are Grade II listed b ...

, a specially supervised internment camp for high-ranking officers. After the war, he was turned over to the

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

and imprisoned in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. He was released from captivity in 1955 and died in

Bad Godesberg Bad Godesberg ( ksh, Bad Jodesbersch) is a borough ('' Stadtbezirk'') of Bonn, southern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From 1949 to 1999, while Bonn was the capital of West Germany, most foreign embassies were in Bad Godesberg. Some buildings ar ...

in 1956.

Awards

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 ...

(1914) 1st and 2nd Class ''Rangliste des Deutschen Reichsheeres'', Hrsg.:

Reichswehrministerium The Ministry of the Reichswehr or Reich Ministry of Defence (german: Reichswehrministerium) was the defence ministry of the Weimar Republic and the early Third Reich. The 1919 Weimar Constitution provided for a unified, national ministry of defe ...

, Mittler & Sohn Verlag, Berlin 1927, S.41 * Prussian Military Observer Badge * Prussian Military Pilot Badge * Wound Bage (1918) in Black *

Clasp to the Iron Cross The Clasp to the Iron Cross (Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz) was a white metal medal clasp displayed on the uniforms of German Wehrmacht personnel who had been awarded the Iron Cross in World War I, and who again qualified for the decoration in World W ...

Classes I and II *

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 26 December 1943 Klaus D. Patzwall and Veit Scherzer: ''Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941–1945, Geschichte und Inhaber Band II'', Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt 2001, , S.184

Literature

* Karl-Friedrich Hildebrand: ''Die Generale der deutschen Luftwaffe 1935–1945 Band 2: Habermehl bis Nuber'', Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1992,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heyking, Rudiger von 1894 births 1956 deaths People from Kętrzyn Military personnel from East Prussia Prussian Army personnel German Army personnel of World War I Reichswehr personnel Luftwaffe World War II generals Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Lieutenant generals of the Luftwaffe