Gustav Albrecht, 5th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Gustav Albrecht Alfred Franz Friedrich Otto Emil Ernst; 28 February 1907 – 1944) was prince and head of the
House of Sayn-Wittgenstein. He was the son of
Richard, 4th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
Richard, 4th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (, 27 May 1882 – 25 April 1925) was Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg from 1904 to 1918.
Life
Prince Richard was born on 27 May 1882 at Berleburg, Germany, to Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgen ...
.
Personal life
Prince Gustav Albrecht Alfred Franz Friedrich Otto Emil Ernst was born on 28 February 1907 at
Berleburg, Germany.
[ Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (editor). Burke's Guide to the Royal Family, Burke's Peerage, London, 1973, pp. 269-270,302. ] He married
Margareta Fouché d'Otrante (28 March 1909 – 25 August 2005), daughter of Charles Fouché, 6th
Duc d'Otrante, on 26 January 1934 at Björnlunda, Södermanland Län, Sweden.
[
In June 1944, he was serving as an officer in the ]German Army
The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
during the campaign against the Soviet Union. After disappearing during a mission near the Belarus
Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
ian city of Orsha
Orsha (; , ; ) is a city in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the fork of the Dnieper, Dnieper River and Arshytsa River, and it serves as the administrative center of Orsha District. As of 2025, it has a population of 101,662.
History
...
, Gustav Albrecht was declared missing in action
Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty (person), casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoner of war, prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been ...
.[ His family did not seek to have him declared dead until after the birth of his grandson and eventual heir, Prince Gustav on 12 January 1969, and 29 November 1969 is listed as the official date of death for Gustav Albrecht.
He is alternately known as Gustav Albrecht Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg.
]
Military service honours
Prince Gustav Albrecht served in the German Army in the rank of field officer
A senior officer is an officer of a more senior grade in military or other uniformed services. In military organisations, the term may refer to any officer above junior officer rank, but usually specifically refers to the middle-ranking group of ...
/ field-grade officer (''Ic-Stabsoffizier'')The Combat History of the 23rd Panzer Division in World War II
by Ernst Rebentisch, p.506. with the title of '' Rittmeister der Reserve'' in the 23rd Panzer-Division. Nearly two months after his disappearance during Operation Bagration
Operation Bagration () was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (), a military campaign fought between 22 June and 19 August 1944 in Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Byelorussia in the Eastern ...
in June 1944, he was awarded the German Cross in Silver (''Kriegsorden des Deutschen Kreuzes in Silber'') on 18 August 1944. Additionally, he was awarded the War Merit Cross
The War Merit Cross () was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A " de-Nazified" version of the War Merit Cross was reissued in 1957 ...
first class with swords (''Kriegsverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse mit Schwertern''), also known as the KVK 1, which was instituted on 18 October 1939 by Hitler; the date of the honour is not known.
Children
*Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (Richard Casimir Karl August Robert Konstantin; 29 October 1934 – 13 March 2017) was the head of the House of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and husband of Princess Benedikte of Denmark.
Early lif ...
(29 October 1934 – 13 March 2017) married Princess Benedikte of Denmark on 3 February 1968, and they have issue.[
*Princess Madeleine of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (22 April 1936) married Otto, Count zu ]Solms-Laubach
Solms-Laubach was a County of southern Hesse and eastern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The House of Solms had its origins in Solms, Hesse.
History
Solms-Laubach was originally created as a partition of Solms-Lich. In 1537 Philip, Count of S ...
, on 29 July 1958, and they have issue.
* Prince Robin of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (29 January 1938) wed, firstly, Birgitta af Klercker on 29 January 1970 (divorced 4 October 1979); on 29 November 1979 he wed, secondly, Marie-Christine Heftler-Louiche, and they have issue.
*Princess Tatiana of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (31 July 1940) married Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse on 3 June 1964 (divorced 16 October 1974), and they have issue.
*Princess Pia of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (8 December 1942).
See also
* List of people who disappeared
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Albrecht, Gustav, 5th Prince Of
1907 births
1940s missing person cases
1944 deaths
1969 deaths
German Army officers of World War II
German Army personnel killed in World War II
Gustav Albrecht
Missing in action of World War II
Missing person cases in Europe
Princes of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
People from Siegen-Wittgenstein
Military personnel from North Rhine-Westphalia
Recipients of the German Cross
Pretenders