Alfred Müller (1915)

Alfred Müller
Nickname	Raketen-Müller (Rocket Müller)
Birth date	23 November 1915(1915-11-23)
Place of birth	Kaltensondheim, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire
Death date	2 July 1997 (aged 81)
Place of death	Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, Federal Republic of Germany
Allegiance	National Socialist Germany West Germany
Service/branch	Heer Bundeswehr
Years of service	1935–45 1956–75
Rank	Colonel (Wehrmacht) Brigadegeneral (Bundeswehr)
Commands held	Sturmgeschütz-Batterie 901 Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 191
Battles/wars	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Battle of Dunkirk Operation Barbarossa Battle of Stalingrad Battle of the Caucasus Crimean Offensive
Awards	Iron Cross Order of Michael the Brave Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

Alfred Müller (23 November 1915 – 2 July 1997) was a German officer of the Wehrmacht and the Bundeswehr as well as recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during WWII.

Military career (chronology)

• April 1935 Joined the Artillerie-Regiment München as an officer candidate
  • The Munich Artillery Regiment was formed on 1 October 1934 in Munich, in Military District VII. On 15 October 1935, the regiment was supposed to be renamed Artillery Regiment 17, but became Artillery Regiment 7. Instead, the previous Artillery Regiment Nuremberg was renamed the new Artillery Regiment 17.
• Oktober 1936 Transferred to the 3rd Battery/Artillerie-Regiment 74 in Meiningen
  • The Artillery Regiment 74 was subordinated to the 2. Panzer-Division. As such, it took part in the accession of Austria and the liberation of the Sudetenland, both in 1938.
• April 1938 Adjutant of the I. Abteilung (Battalion)/Artillerie-Regiment 74
• May 1938 Orderly Officer (Ordonnanzoffizier)
• 1 October 1938 Regimental adjutant in Vienna
• Mid-February 1940 Transferred to the 2nd Artillery Training Regiment in Jüterbog
• Early May 1940 Commissioned to set up the independent Assault Gun Battery 666 (selbstständige Sturmgeschütz-Batterie 666) at troop camp Forst Zinna
  • training and exercises in Ostend and Dunkirk
• 8 October 1940 Commanded to the Luftwaffe
  • later carried out loading exercises for assault guns into the Gigant cargo glider
• Early November 1941 Transferred to the Führerreserve (leader reserve)
  • at the same time lecture hall manager for officers in the III. Department of the 2nd Artillery Teaching Regiment (Artillerie-Lehr-Regiment 2).
• December 1942 Appointed commander of the newly formed Assault Gun Training Battery 901, which was relocated directly to the Great Don Bend at the Eastern Front and fought near Starobyelsk over the turn of the year.
  • At the end of January 1943, his battery, which was subordinate to the 19th Panzer Division, recorded numerous tank kills and freed trapped units through his advances.
  • At the beginning of February 1943, Müller's battery managed to interrupt the enemy's advance with a counterattack. For this effort he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (1549th award) on 20 February 1943.
• 1 April 1943 Appointed commander of the Assault Gun Battalion 191 (Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 191) in the 17th Army. He was also able to excel in this position
  • “The Assault Gun Battalion 191, under the leadership of Captain Müller, played a decisive role in the successful defense of the far superior enemy in the last few days. It intervened in defense and counter-attacks with the greatest energy, in particular, it destroyed 95 tanks in the Kuban bridgehead, including several 12 cm assault howitzers. Requested to be mentioned in the Wehrmacht report.”
    • As a result, Müller was able to stop further enemy attacks. For his efforts, he was recently promoted to major and was awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 15 December 1943.
  • 28 February 1944 The Assault Gun Battalion 191 was renamed Assault Gun Brigade 191, of which Müller remained commander (final battles in the Crimea and from June 1944 in the Warthegau)
    • Hauptmann (later Major) Heinrich Kollböck (⚔ 12 November 1944 in Batina, Hungary) took over command on 15 June 1944
• 12 August 1944 Commander of the Assault Gun School in Burg
• 10 April 1945 Commander of the partially motorized combat group Burg (Kampfgruppe "Burg") with a strength of 8,000 to 10,000 men
• 20 April 1945 Commander of the Infanterie-Division "Ferdinand von Schill", subordinated to the 12th Army (Army Group Vistula) under General der Panzertruppe Walther Wenck
  • The last division of the Third Reich to be formed and, at the end of April 1945, the largest remaining division in the Wehrmacht, named after war hero Ferdinand von Schill, fought on the Elbe and took part in the battle for Potsdam. The unit suffered heavy losses in fighting south of Berlin, fought it's way to the west and surrendered to the Americans in May 1945 (POW camp near Düsseldorf), but was, contrary to international law, transferred to Soviet captivity a short time later.

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Knight's Cross

Awarded for his achievements as commander of the rearguard of the 19. Panzer-Division. In this capacity, he did an excellent job of holding off the onrushing Soviets, often with his own executed counterattacks, which in turn allowed the friendly infantry to retreat. In the process, his Sturmgeschütze (de) and escorting infantry were repeatedly encircled, but each time managed to break out without assistance, even taking along other small pockets of German troops with them. On 6 February 1943, a Soviet flanking thrust threatened the retreat route of the division near Toschkowka. In response, Müller mustered all available troops (messengers, clerks, cooks, etc.) and launched a counterattack along with his Sturmgeschütze that drove the enemy back. His battery destroyed 16 enemy tanks in the process.

Oak Leaves

On 4 December 1943, the formations of the V. Armeekorps, stationed on the Kersch peninsula, launched an attack aimed at crushing the Soviet bridgehead at Eltingen. The Romanian 6th Cavalry Division and elements of the German 98th Infantry Division were only able to succeed in destroying the Soviet forces after a hard fight. Hauptmann Müller and his Sturmgeschütz Battalion had a decisive share in the success of this operation, and for distinguishing himself here Müller would be decorated with the Oak Leaves to his Knight’s Cross.

Post-war

• 1 February 1956 Joined the Bundeswehr
  • another source states 1 December 1956
• 1 April 1964 to 30 September 1968 Commander of the Panzer-Brigade 33 in Celle
• 1 October 1968 to 30 September 1970 Commander of the Panzerlehrbrigade 9 in Munster
  • his predecessor was Brigadegeneral Karl Deichen, his successor was Brigadegeneral Gottfried Ewert
• November 1970 Commander of the Kampftruppenschule 2 (Combat Troop School 2) in Munster
  • The Panzertruppenschule was renamed Kampftruppenschule II (KpfTrS 2) in 1963.
• 31 March 1975 Retired

Promotions

• April 1935 Offizieranwärter (Officer Candidate)
• 20 April 1937 Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant) with Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1 April 1937
• 31 August 1939 Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant) with Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1 September 1939
• 20 April 1942 Hauptmann (Captain) with Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1 April 1942
• 26 December 1943 Major with effect and with Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1 November 1943
• 27 April 1945 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel)
• 30 April 1945 Oberst (Colonel)
  • On 30 April 1945, Colonel Fritz Goecke, head of the field office of the Army Personnel Office of the OKH (Chef HPA/A), contacted the 12th Army under General Walther Wenck (de): "The promotion of Major Müller (Alfred) to Lieutenant Colonel announced by Army High Command 12 with effect from 27 April 1945 is confirmed. He is entrusted with the leadership of the “Ferdinand von Schill” Division and at the same time promoted to Colonel."

Bundeswehr

• 1 February 1956 Oberstleutnant (BW; Lieutenant Colonel)
  • another source states 1 December 1956
• 20 July 1961 Oberst (BW; Colonel)
• 17 April 1969 Brigadegeneral (BW; one-star general) with Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1 April 1969

Awards and decorations

• Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th Class
• Anschluss Medal (Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 13. März 1938)
• Sudetenland Medal with the Prague Castle Bar (Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938 mit Spange „Prager Burg“)
• Iron Cross (1939), 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 11 October 1939
  • 1st Class on 25 July 1941
• General Assault Badge (Allgemeines Sturmabzeichen) in Silver on 29 August 1941
• Wound Badge (1939) in Black on 7 June 1943
• Order of Michael the Brave (Militärorden „Michael der Tapfere“), 3rd Class on 28 January 1944
• Kuban Shield (Kubanschild) on 1 December 1944
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 20 February 1943 as Captain and Commander of the Sturmgeschütz-Batterie 901
  • 354th Oak Leaves on 15 December 1943 as Captain and Commander of Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 191
• Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, 1st Class on 22 February 1973

Further reading

• Franz Thomas: Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945, Band 2: L–Z (in German), Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück 1998, ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6
• Walther-Peer Fellgiebel: Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile (in German), Podzun-Pallas, Wölfersheim 2000, ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6
  • English: The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches, expanded edition, 2000