Karl Ernst Ulrich de Maizière (; 24 February 1912 – 26 August 2006) was a German

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

. He served in the army of three German states: 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 ...

'' of the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...

, the ''Wehrmacht'' of

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 ...

, and the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

, with a total of 32 years in uniform, the last five as Inspector General of the ''Bundeswehr''. He retired in 1972 at the age of sixty and lived in retirement until his death in August 2006.

Early life and early military career

Maizière was born in

Stade Stade (), officially the Hanseatic City of Stade (german: Hansestadt Stade, nds, Hansestadt Stood) is a city in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. First mentioned in records in 934, it is the seat of the district () which bears its name. It is l ...

on 24 February 1912 to Walter de Maizière, who was a jurist by profession, and Elsbeth (''née'' Dückers). His family was of

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

origin, having fled from France in the 1700s. He grew up in

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

and received his high school certificate in 1930 before joining the ''

'' in

Stettin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin language, Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Po ...

. From 1931 to 1933 he was at an infantry school in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

was promoted several times in the next few years, eventually becoming a captain in 1939.

Second World War and later military career

Maizière took part in the

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

and Eastern Front, as an aide to General

Adolf Heusinger Adolf Bruno Heinrich Ernst Heusinger (4 August 1897 – 30 November 1982) was a German military officer whose career spanned the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany and West Germany. He joined the German Army as a volunteer in 1915 ...

. In this time he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Upon the surrender of Germany, he went into British captivity and lived as a civilian from his release to 1955, when he joined the

of the new ''Bundeswehr'' and worked in the Federal Ministry of Defence (Colonel). 1 April 1962 he became commander of the military academy of the German Armed forces (major general). 1 October 1964 Inspector of the Army (lieutenant general) and 25 August 1966 the fourth Inspector General of the Bundeswehr (General officer), succeeding Heusinger, holding the position from 1966 to 1972. In 1967 Maizière formally congratulated Field Marshal

Erich von Manstein Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Manstein (born Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Lewinski; 24 November 1887 – 9 June 1973) was a German Field Marshal of the ''Wehrmacht'' during the Second World War, who was subsequently convicted of war crimes and ...

at his 80th birthday.Guido Knopp, "Hitler's Warriors" (Swedish "Hitlers Krigare", ), p.188 He retired 31 March 1972 succeeded by

Armin Zimmermann __NOTOC__ Armin Zimmermann (23 December 1917 – 30 November 1976) was a German admiral and Inspector General of the Bundeswehr from 1 April 1972 until 30 November 1976. He joined the Kriegsmarine in 1937. Awards *German Cross in Gold on 4 Mar ...

. During his retirement he wrote the books: ''Führen im Frieden - 20 Jahre Dienst für bundeswehr und Staat'' ("Leading in Freedom: 20 Years Served for Federal Defence and State")(1974) and ''In der Pflicht - Lebensbericht eines deutschen Soldaten im 20. Jahrhundert'' ("In Duty - Life Report of a German Soldier in the 20th Century")(1989). His brother

Clemens de Maizière Clemens is both a Late Latin masculine given name and a surname meaning "merciful". Notable people with the name include: Surname * Adelaide Clemens (born 1989), Australian actress. * Andrew Clemens (b. 1852 or 1857–1894), American folk artist * ...

decided to stay in the Soviet-occupied part of Germany and became one of the founding members of the CDU (Ost), his nephew

Lothar de Maizière Lothar de Maizière (; born 2 March 1940) is a German Christian Democratic politician. In 1990, he served as the only premier of the German Democratic Republic to be democratically elected freely and fairly by the people. He was also the last l ...

was the last

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

of the

German Democratic Republic 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 ...

(East Germany), while his son Thomas de Maizière served as Federal Minister of Defence as well as Federal Minister of the Interior. He belonged to a noble family of French

origin, originally from

Maizières-lès-Metz Maizières-lès-Metz (, literally ''Maizières near Metz''; Lorrain: ''Mach'ire'') is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Anciently part of the Duchy of Lorraine, Maizières was within the Holy Roman Empi ...

Dates of Rank

* ''Leutnant'' (Lieutenant)- 1 August 1933 * ''Oberleutnant'' (Senior lieutenant)- 1 October 1935 * ''Hauptmann'' (Captain)- 1 April 1939 * ''Major'' (Major)- 1 April 1942 * ''Oberstleutnant'' (Lieutenant colonel)- 1 June 1943 * ''Oberst'' (Colonel)- 1955 * ''Generalmajor'' (Major general)- 1 April 1962 * ''Generalleutnant'' (Lieutenant general)- 1 October 1964 * ''General'' (General)- 25 August 1966

References

External links

*
Biography on BMVg website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maiziere, Ulrich 1912 births 2006 deaths Bundeswehr generals German Army officers of World War II Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

Ulrich Ulrich (), is a German given name, derived from Old High German ''Uodalrich'', ''Odalric''. It is composed of the elements '' uodal-'' meaning "(noble) heritage" and ''-rich'' meaning "rich, powerful". Attested from the 8th century as the name of Al ...

People from the Province of Hanover Inspectors General of the Bundeswehr Generals of the German Army Commandants of the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College