Gerhard Engel (13 April 1906 – 9 December 1976) was a German general 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

who commanded several divisions after serving as an adjutant to Adolf Hitler. He 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' ...

Military career

Gerhard Engel joined the army in 1925, and served in the armed forces 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 republic, constitutional federal republic for the first time in ...

and then 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 ...

. In 1938, he was appointed adjutant to the Commander-in-Chief of the Army. In 1941, he was promoted to major, and appointed an army adjutant to Hitler. He wrote a secret diary which was published after the war as "At the Heart of the Reich". In 1943, Engel was transferred to the Western Front. He fought in the

Battle of Aachen The Battle of Aachen was a combat action of World War II, fought by American and German forces in and around Aachen, Germany, between 2–21 October 1944. The city had been incorporated into the Siegfried Line, the main defensive network on ...

, the

Battle of Hürtgen Forest The Battle of Hürtgen Forest (german: Schlacht im Hürtgenwald) was a series of battles fought from 19 September to 16 December 1944, between American and German forces on the Western Front during World War II, in the Hürtgen Forest, a ar ...

, the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

, and the

Battle of Halbe The Battle of Halbe (german: Kesselschlacht von Halbe, russian: Хальбский котёл, Halbe pocket) was a battle lasting from April 24 – May 1, 1945 in which the German Ninth Army—under the command of General Theodor Busse—was dest ...

. From 13 April 1945 until the end of World War II, Engel commanded the Infantry Division Ulrich von Hutten. After his release, Engel was manager of a sugar factory in

Nörvenich Nörvenich is a municipality in the district of Düren in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located about east of Düren. See also *Nörvenich Air Base Nörvenich Air Base (Fliegerhorst Nörvenich) is a German Air For ...

, and then of a machine factory in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...

. From April 1958 to December 1976, he worked as State Commissioner of the Society for Military Customer in

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...

. Engel died in 1976.

Awards and decorations

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 es ...

(1939) 2nd Class (26 February 1944) & 1st Class (23 May 1944)Thomas 1997, p. 156. *

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 Silver on 16 October 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 Swedi ...

'' in Füsilier-Regiment 27 *

** Knight's Cross on 4 July 1944 as ''Oberstleutnant'' and commander of Füsilier-Regiment 27 ** Oak Leaves on 11 December 1944 as ''

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-s ...

'' and commander of 12. Volksgrenadier-DivisionFellgiebel 2000, p. 78.

References

Citations Bibliography * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Engel, Gerhard 1906 births 1976 deaths People from Guben Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Liberty, 2nd Class Officers of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Commanders of the Order of St. Sava People from the Province of Brandenburg Adjutants of Adolf Hitler Military personnel from Brandenburg