Max Seela (15 July 1911 – 31 July 1999) was a lieutenant colonel (''

Obersturmbannführer __NOTOC__ ''Obersturmbannführer'' (Senior Assault-unit Leader; ; short: ''Ostubaf'') was a paramilitary rank in the German Nazi Party (NSDAP) which was used by the SA ('' Sturmabteilung'') and the SS (''Schutzstaffel''). The rank of ''Oberstu ...

'') 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 ...

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 opposing ...

. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Career

Max Seela was born in 1911 at Schöneiche near

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. He enlisted in ''

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 reshape ...

'' (German Army) in 1929 and was then transferred into the SS-VT in 1935. His SS service number was 257,323 and his

NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

number was 147,126. In September 1935 he joined the SS Pioneer Battalion. By October 1939 Seela had been given command of a company in the pioneer battalion of the SS Division Totenkopf. 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 es ...

, 2nd class, in May 1940 and the Iron Cross, 1st class, in June 1940. He took part in the invasion of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

(

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...

) and was awarded the

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 in December 1941. Seela was awarded the Knight's Cross in May 1942, while he was a ''

Hauptsturmführer __NOTOC__ (, ; short: ''Hstuf'') was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in several Nazi organizations such as the SS, NSKK and the NSFK. The rank of ''Hauptsturmführer'' was a mid-level commander and had equivalent seniority to a ...

'' (captain) and in command of 3rd Company, SS Pioneer Battalion ''Totenkopf''. Despite severe losses and meager supplies, his unit occupied the Russian village of Korowitsch (east of

Staraya Russa Staraya Russa ( rus, Старая Русса, p=ˈstarəjə ˈrusːə) is a town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Polist River, south of Veliky Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. Its population has steadily decreased o ...

) in the

Demyansk Pocket The Demyansk Pocket (german: Kessel von Demjansk; russian: Демя́нский котёл) was the name given to the pocket of German troops encircled by the Red Army around Demyansk, south of Leningrad, during World War II's Eastern Front. Th ...

for one month. Seela and his men prevented the village from being recaptured, denying the Soviet Army access to the crucial bridge over the

Lovat River The Lovat ( be, Ловаць ''Łovać'', ; russian: река́ Ло́вать) is a river in Vitebsk Oblast of Belarus, Usvyatsky, Velikoluksky, and Loknyansky Districts, as well as of the city of Velikiye Luki, of Pskov Oblast and Kholmsky ...

. In July 1942, Seela was given command of the 3rd SS Pioneer Battalion ''Totenkopf'' until April 1944 when he was appointed commander of the

II SS Panzer Corps The II SS Panzer Corps was a German Waffen-SS armoured corps which saw action on both the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern and Western Front (World War II), Western Fronts during World War II. It was commanded by Paul Hausser during the Thir ...

Pioneers. He was then given command of the 19th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment, 9th SS Panzer Division ''Hohenstaufen''. On 8 May 1945, Seela surrendered to the American forces. He died in

Ratingen Ratingen ( li, Rotinge) is a town in the district of Mettmann in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It lies in the northwestern part of Berg about 12 km northeast of Düsseldorf. Administration With a communal reform of 1975 the independent mu ...

, at the age of 88 on 31 July 1999.

Awards and decorations

* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (3 May 1942) *

in Gold (26/12/1941) *

of 1939 **1st Class (22 June 1940) **2nd Class (31 May 1940) * General Assault Badge (1941) * Wound Badge of 1939 in Black (1941) * Anschluss Medal (1938) * Sudetenland Medal (1938) with "Prague Castle" clasp (1939) * Service Award of the NSDAP in Bronze and in Silver * German Reich Sports Badge in Bronze (1 December 1938) * SA Sports Badge in Silver (1 December 1936) * Sword of honour of the Reichsführer-SS (1 December 1936) * SS Honour Ring (1 December 1937) * Julleuchter of the SS (16 December 1935) * Honour Chevron for the Old Guard (February 1934)

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Seela, Max 1911 births 1999 deaths People from Oder-Spree Military personnel from the Province of Brandenburg SS-Obersturmbannführer Waffen-SS personnel German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Recipients of the Gold German Cross Military personnel from Brandenburg