__NOTOC__ Rudolf Graf von Schmettow (8 January 1891 – 28 June 1970) was a general in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

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 ...

during World War II, who was Commander of the German occupation forces of the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

and commander of the 319th Infantry Division on the island of

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

Biography

Rudolf was the son of Eberhard Graf von Schmettow, a Generalleutnant in the Cavalry who commanded Cavalry Corps Schmettow in World War I. His mother was Agnes von Rundstedt, sister of Field Marshal

Gerd von Rundstedt Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (12 December 1875 – 24 February 1953) was a German field marshal in the '' Heer'' (Army) of Nazi Germany during World War II. Born into a Prussian family with a long military tradition, Rundstedt entered th ...

. At the outbreak of World War II, he was appointed commander of the 164th Infantry Regiment. With this regiment, he participated in the

Polish Campaign 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 afte ...

. At the beginning of January 1940, he gave up command of the 164th Infantry Regiment and was subsequently transferred to the reserve. After the French campaign, he was appointed commander of the

British Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

in late August 1940 and took up his post in late September 1940. On 1 April 1942, he was promoted to major general. In early September 1943, he was appointed commander of the 319th Infantry Division, and on 1 April 1944, he was promoted to lieutenant general. In September 1944, he refused to negotiate surrender with Major General

Gerhard Bassenge Gerhard Bassenge was a general in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany during World War II. In the inter-war period, he worked at the Reich Air Ministry and was one of the German officers most responsible for training the first German paratroopers. Ba ...

, who was in Allied captivity. On 1 October 1944, he was also appointed

Wehrmachtbefehlshaber The () was the German chief military position, in countries occupied by the Wehrmacht which were headed by a civilian administration. The main objective was military security in the area, and command the defense in case of attack or invasion. Th ...

of the Channel Islands. At the end of February 1945, he had to give up command of the 319th Infantry Division to Major General

Rudolf Wulf __NOTOC__ Rudolf Wulf (12 December 1905 Elmshorn / Schleswig-Holstein – 14 November 1972 Breitbrunn / Bavaria) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded the 319th Infantry Division on the island of Guernse ...

due to illness. He was then transferred back to the

Führerreserve The (“Leaders Reserve” or "Reserve for Leaders") was set up in the German Armed Forces during World War II in 1939 as a pool of temporarily unoccupied high-ranking military officers awaiting new assignments. The various military branches and ...

. When the German Wehrmacht surrendered, he was captured by the Western Allies in early May 1945, and released in the summer of 1947. In late summer 1963, he visited his former command area at the invitation of a British television company. His only son died as a lieutenant on 23 June 1941 in front of

Jarosław Jarosław (; uk, Ярослав, Yaroslav, ; yi, יאַרעסלאָוו, Yareslov; german: Jaroslau) is a town in south-eastern Poland, with 38,970 inhabitants, as of 30 June 2014. Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (since 1999), previ ...

Sources

Traces of WarThe island wiki Interview_with_Graf_von_Schmettow (1966)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmettow, Rudolf Graf von 1891 births 1970 deaths Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) German Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from Berlin German Army generals of World War II Von Schmettow family Recipients of the German Cross Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class