Alfred Arnold

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Alfred Arnold
Alfred Arnold Ia.jpg
SS-Hauptsturmführer Arnold
Birth date 2 January 1915(1915-01-02)
Place of birth Bühlhof near Ingelfingen, Oberamt Künzelsau, Jagstkreis, Kingdom of Württemberg, German Empire
Death date ⚔ 10 October 1944 (aged 29)
Place of death Neustadt, Lithuania, Eastern Front
Allegiance  Weimar Republic
 National Socialist Germany
Service/branch Flag Schutzstaffel.png Allgemeine SS / Waffen-SS
Years of service 1934–1944
Rank SS-Sturmbannführer
Commands held Image-File SS Division Totenkopf.png 6th Company/SS-Schützen-Regiment „Thule“
Awards Iron Cross
War Merit Cross (1939)
German Cross in Gold

Alfred Arnold (2 January 1915 – 10 October 1944) was a German officer of the SS and the Waffen SS, finally SS-Sturmbannführer in WWII. He rests at the German War Cemetery (collective cemetery opened in 1996) in Insterburg (Tschernjachowsk) near Königsberg; final grave location: Block 4, Row 16, Grave 1150.

Life

Father Landesbauernführer (Württemberg) SS-Brigadeführer Alfred Wilhelm Arnold
Letter from SS-Sturmbannführer Willi Hardieck to SS-Sturmbannführer Alfred Arnold from 26 June 1944

In 1933, after turning 18, Alfred Arnold, a member of the Hitler Youth, joined the NSDAP (NSDAP-No.: 1,483,630) and, still in Gymnasium, the Allgemeine SS (SS-No. 263,781) in January 1934. After Abitur in the spring of 1934 and two years of part-time SS service, he was classified as officer material. From 1 April 1936 to 31 January 1937, Arnold attended the 3rd SS leader candidate course (3rd Peace Junker course) at the SS leader school (SS-Führerschule) in Braunschweig (full course). He then attended a mandatory platoon leader course and was commissioned in April 1937.

In WWII, during the Operation Barbarossa, he served with the 6. SS-Gebirgs-Division "Nord" in Finland,[1] and was later appointed commander of the 6th Company/SS-Schützen-Regiment „Thule“. In 1944, he was appointed commander of the Tank Reconnaissance Training Battalion 1 (Panzer-Aufklärungs-Ausbildungs-Abteilung 1) in Talsen, Latvia. In August 1944, he was appointed commander of the 1st Battalion/SS-Panzer-Brigade "Groß".[2] The entire formation first went into action against the Soviet 51st Army units in and around the town of Tuckem on 20 August 1944. In September 1944, the brigade was detached from Panzer-Division Strachwitz and dispatched to the Dorpat area to counter another Soviet offensive. Arnold was wounded in action on 5 September 1944.

Family

Alfred was the son of SS-Brigadeführer Alfred Wilhelm Arnold and his wife Frida, née Mezger (1890-1962). He had one sister: Hedwig.

Alfred Wilhelm Arnold (1888–1960)

Alfred Wilhelm Arnold was the son of Christian Friedrich Arnold (1839–1901), owner of a large agricultural operation, and his wife Maria, née Habberle (1861–1933). After school, he completed agricultural training on his parents' farm. From 1904 to 1906, he attended the Heilbronn Agricultural School in the winter months, followed by internships on larger agricultural estates. From 1907 to 1909, he was a two-year volunteer in the field artillery regiment in Ludwigsburg, the Feld-Artillerie-Regiment "Prinz-Regent Luitpold von Bayern" (2. Württembergisches) Nr. 29. In 1914, he married Frida Mezger (1890–1962) and took over the large farm of his parents-in-law, the "Bühlhof" near Ingelfingen. From 1914 to 1916, he served in the 1. Batterie/Ersatz-Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 65. He was awarded the Military Merit Medal (Württemberg) in Silver and was promoted to Unteroffizier (NCO; Corporal/Junior Sergeant). From 1920 to 1945, he was municipal council (Gemeinderat, later Ratsherr) in Ingelfingen. In late 1930, he joined the NSDAP with effect from 1 January 1931 (No.: 595,088). From 1932 to 1933, he was member of the State Parliament, from 1933 to 1945, he was initially State Commissioner for Agriculture, then Württemberg State Farmers' Leader (Landesbauernführer), at the same time he was a member of the Reichstag for the NSDAP.

On 15 December 1933, he joined the Allgemeine SS (SS-No.: 146,716); promotions: 1 February 1934 SS-Hauptsturmführer; 20 April 1934 SS-Sturmbannführer; 20 April 1935 SS-Obersturmbannführer; 15 September 1935 SS-Standartenführer; 30 January 1937 SS-Oberführer; 9 November 1942 SS-Brigadeführer.[3] In 1935, he was appointed 2nd chairman of the Association of German Cattle Breeders, from 1939 to 1945, he was head of the State Food Authority. Among his many decorations were: Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer, Anschluss Medal, Sudetenland Medal, SS-Ehrendegen, SS-Ehrenring[4] and both classes of the War Merit Cross (1939). In 1934, he was named honorary citizen of Ingelfingen. From 6 May 1945 to 21 June 1948, he was in the Internment Camps 74 and 77 in Ludwigsburg as well as in Camp 76 in Hohenasperg. He then returned to his farm. In 1954, he gave the farm to his son-in-law who had married his daughter Hedwig. In 1957, he ran for the Bundestag as a member of the FDP/DVP.[5]

Promotions

Awards and decorations

Alfred Arnold Id.jpg

Gallery

  • Alfred Arnold Ib.jpg
  • Alfred Arnold II.jpg
  • Alfred Arnold III.jpg
  • Alfred Arnold IV.jpg

References

  1. ↑ SS-Sturmbannführer Willi Hardieck letter to SS-Sturmbannführer Alfred Arnold
  2. ↑ The Brigade is named after its commander SS-Obersturmbannführer Martin Groß (1911–1984; SS-Nr. 6,684).
  3. ↑ Arnold, Alfred
  4. ↑ Totenkopf Ring and Collection to Alfred Arnold Sr # 399
  5. ↑ Arnold, Alfred Wilhelm
  6. ↑ Arnold, Alfred, tracesofwar.com
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