Karl Robert Max Bülowius (2 March 1890 – 27 March 1945) was a German Army officer who served during 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 fig ...

and the

Second World War 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 ...

. He also served eleven non-consecutive years for the

Weimar Republic The German Reich, commonly referred to as the Weimar Republic,, was a historical period of Germany from 9 November 1918 to 23 March 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is also r ...

during the interwar period which began in 1919 and ended in September 1939.

Life and career

Early life and World War I

Karl Bülowius was born on 2 March 1890 in

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was na ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

(now

Kaliningrad Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

). He joined the

Prussian Army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...

on 26 November 1907 and became an

officer cadet Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University ...

of the

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

troops (Fahnenjunker) where he would make his promotion to

Leutnant () is the lowest Junior officer rank in the armed forces the German-speaking of Germany (Bundeswehr), Austrian Armed Forces, and military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High Germa ...

(second lieutenant) on 19 June 1909. Bülowius participated in the First World War, serving in various engineering departments of the German Army that were involved in military duties in both Europe and

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East J ...

. During the year 1918 (which would become the final year of the war), Bülowius was elevated to the rank of

Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literally ...

(captain). The First World War would end six months later on 11 November with a defeat for Germany and her allies - limiting Germany's army to 100000 men until

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

broke the

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1 ...

fifteen years later. He was relieved from the Army on December 31, 1920 due to unfortunate circumstances surrounding the structure of Germany's post-World War I military. However, Bülowius returned to active military service on 1 June 1924. He would serve in various engineering and cavalry units of 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 ...

during the 1920s and the 1930s.

World War II and suicide

At the beginning of World War II, he commanded Oberbaustab X. Bülowius became

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latit ...

(Pionierführer) of engineering parts of the 8th Army on 26 October 1939. Success in commanding the 8th Army would result in Bülowius holding on the same post when he was transferred to the 9th Army on 15 May 1940. Transferred to

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in t ...

, Bülowius commanded the engineers of Panzer Army Africa on 25 October 1942. Between 17 and 25 February 1943, he commanded the entire group. Bülowius held the position of post commander in von Manteuffel's former division in April 1943 and kept it until he was captured the following month. Von Manteuffel had been evacuated back to Germany due to exhaustion and later sent to the Eastern Front on a promotion to

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. He was captured by U.S. troops on 9 May 1943 near the end of the North African campaign. The North Africa campaign would end seven days later on 16 May 1943 when the Axis (mostly containing troops from Nazi Germany and

Fascist Italy Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...

) forces were forced to retreat to

Southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...

in a decisive defeat.Playfair, p.460 Bülowius finished his career in the German Heer component by committing suicide on March 27, 1945 at the

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military priso ...

named Camp Forrest in Coffee County, Tennessee, USA. He is interred at the

Chattanooga National Cemetery Chattanooga National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located near the center of the city of Chattanooga in Hamilton County, Tennessee. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses , and as o ...

in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA.

Credentials

Promotions

* Fahnenjunker – 26 November 1907 * Fähnrich – 18 August 1908 * ''Leutnant'' – 19 June 1909 * Oberleutnant – 18 June 1915 * ''Hauptmann (Captain)'' – May 1918 * Major – 1 April 1934 * Oberstleutnant – 1 August 1936 * Oberst – 5 January 1939 * ''

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 tw ...

'' – 1 April 1942 * ''

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of ...

'' – 1 April 1943

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 e ...

(1914), II. and I. Class * Türkische Silberne Liakat-(Verdienst)-Medaille mit Schwertern * Türkischer Eiserner Halbmond * Königlich Bulgarische Tapferkeitsorden, IV. Klasse (II. Stufe) * Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer * Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung, IV. to I. Class * Iron Cross (1939), 2. and 1. Class * Kriegsverdienstkreuz (1939) II. und I. Klasse mit Schwertern * Medaille "Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42" * Ärmelband "Afrika" * DeutschesKreuzinGold

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 – November 30, 1942 as Generalmajor and Armee-Pionier-Führer der 9. Armee

In fiction

Bülowius would make a "special

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...

" in the Japanese

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

Sgt. Saunders' Combat! is a turn-based strategy video game based on the Combat!, 1960s television series originally broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC Television Network. It was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Famicom exclu ...

''. This officer is only seen during the North Africa campaign of 1942–43; particularly during the

Tunisia Campaign The Tunisian campaign (also known as the Battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. The ...

. He holds the rank of ''Generalmajor'' in the game and can be killed by any Allied Forces unit. In campaign mode, Bülowius can only be utilized by the AI opponent. He may be seen in other video games related to World War II that involve either the Eastern Front and/or the North Africa campaign.

Citations

Book

* *

Web

External links

Rommel's desert commanders (Google Books)

PRISONERS OF WAR—COLD WAR ALLIES: THE ANGLO-AMERICAN RELATIONSHIP WITH WEHRMACHT GENERALS
at Texas A&M University {{DEFAULTSORT:Bulowius, Karl 1890 births 1945 suicides Military personnel from Königsberg German people who died in prison custody German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States People who committed suicide in prison custody Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) German military personnel who committed suicide Prussian Army personnel Reichswehr personnel Recipients of the Silver Liakat Medal Recipients of the Order of Bravery, 4th class Suicides in Tennessee Prisoners who died in United States military detention