Georg von Bismarck

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Georg von Bismarck
Generalmajor Georg von Bismarck in Afrika.jpg
Birth date 15 February 1891(1891-02-15)
Place of birth Neumühl (Neumark) near Küstrin, Kreis Königsberg, Province of Brandenburg, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date ⚔ 31 August 1942 (aged 51)
Place of death near El Alamein, Egypt, North Africa
Resting place German Military Cemetery (Deutsche Kriegsgräberstätte) Tobruk in Libya
Allegiance  German Empire
 Weimar Republic
 National Socialist Germany
Service/branch War and service flag of Prussia (1895–1918).png Prussian Army
Iron Cross of the Luftstreitkräfte.png Imperial German Army
Freikorps Flag.jpg Freikorps
War Ensign of the Reichswehr, 1919 - 1935.png Reichswehr
Balkenkreuz.jpg Heer
Years of service 1910–1942
Rank Lieutenant General (posthumously)
Commands held 20th Panzer Division
21st Panzer Division
Battles/wars World War I

World War II

North African Campaign

  • Battle of Gazala
  • Battle of Alam el Halfa
Awards Iron Cross
House Order of Hohenzollern
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Relations ∞ 1921 Margarete von Webern
∞ 1929 Marly Wolff

Jürgen Georg von Bismarck (15 February 1891 – 31 August 1942) was a German officer of the Prussian Army, the Imperial German Army, the Freikorps, the Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht, finally Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General) and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in World War II.

Military career (chronology)

Signature by Colonel Georg von Bismarck in August 1941, delegated with the leadership of the 20. Panzer-Division at the Eastern Front.
In June 1942, Major General von Bismarck and Generaloberst Rommel discuss dispositions of the 21st Panzer Division while Colonel Fritz Bayerlein looks on.
  • Entered Army Service with the 6th Jäger Battalion or 2. Schlesisches Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 6 (13 Jun 1910)
  • Platoon and Company Leader, as well as Battalion-Adjutant in the 6th Reserve-Jäger-Battalion (1914-1918)
  • Silesia Border Patrol (Grenzschutz Ost; 1919)
  • Transferred into the 16th Reichswehr-Infantry-Regiment (1919-01 Oct 1920)
  • Transferred into the 5th Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1920-01 Oct 1921)
  • Transferred into the 3rd Mounted-Regiment and Detached to Subsidiary-Leadership-Training (01 Oct 1921-01 Oct 1923)
  • Transferred back into the 5th Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1923-01 Oct 1924)
  • Commander of the 3rd Company in the 2nd Motor-Transport-Battalion (2. Preußische Kraftfahr-Abteilung) in Kolberg (01 Oct 1924-01 May 1931)
  • Transferred into the 6th Medical-Battalion or 6. (Preußische) Sanitäts-Abteilung (01 May 1931-01 Oct 1934)
  • Commander of Motor-Transport-Battalion (Kraftfahr-Abteilung) Königsberg, later renamed 1st Reconnaissance-Battalion (01 Oct 1934-10 Nov 1938)
  • Commander of the 7th Cavalry-Rifle-Regiment or Kavallerie-Schützen-Regiment 7 (10 Nov 1938-10 Dec 1940)
    • renamed 7th Rifle-Regiment or Schützen-Regiment 7 on 28 February 1940
  • Commander of the 20th Rifle-Brigade (10 Dec 1940-10 Sep 1941)
  • Commander of the 20th Panzer-Division (10 Sep 1941-18 Dec 1941)
    • Some sources state, he was only delegated with the leadership (mit der Führung beauftragt; he signed documents as such) of the 20th Panzer-Division as of August 1941 while stay commander of the 20th Rifle-Brigade (20. Schützen-Brigade) until December 1941.
  • Führer-Reserve OKH (18 Dec 1941-11 Feb 1942)
  • Detached to the General-Staff of Panzer-Group Africa or Panzer-Armee „Afrika“ (05 Jan 1942-11 Feb 1942)
  • Delegated with the Leadership of the 21st Panzer-Division (11 Feb 1942-01 Apr 1942)
  • Commander of the 21st Panzer-Division (01 Apr 1942-31 Aug 1942)
    • Wounded on 17 July 1942

Knight's Cross

Here follows an excerpt from Bismarck’s Ritterkreuz recommendation:

"Oberst von Bismarck has led his Regiment with prudence and dedication during many successful operations in Poland and the West. These successes were decisive for the favourable course of the 7. Panzer-Division’s operations: A crossing over the Maas river near Leffe was forced on 13 May 1940; The attack of Gefechtsgruppe [battle group] von Bismarck on 18 May 1940 over the Sambre river near Ors (south of Landecries), the clearing of Ors after a hard battle, the continuation of the attack during the late afternoon through the southern part of Le Cateau, Caudry up to the heights just southeast of Cambrai; The attack of the reinforced Schützen-Regiment 7 over the La Basse canal near Cuinchy on the evening of 26 May 1940 and the night that followed, and the attack through Givenchy as far as Fournes on 27 May 1940; The attack by the reinforced Schützen-Regiment 7 on 5 June 1940 from the bridgehead position south of the Somme river through Les Wuesnoy, Montagne-Fayel up to the area between Champs and Montagne-Fayel; The breakthrough of the Weygand Line.”

Death

Major General Georg von Bismarck was killed in action in the night from 30 to 31 August 1942 during the first 24 hours of the Battle of Alam el Halfa. Ronald Lewin writes in his book Rommel as Military Commander (1968, edition 1998, p. 157) that von Bismarck was killed by a mine while leading the 21st Panzer Division. Other sources state, he was killed during an airstrike by the Royal Air Force. One source even states, he was killed by enemy mortar fire while leading his troops through the minefields in his motorcycle sidecar.[1]

Family

Outgoing district mayor Milo von Bismarck and his wife Renate, née Küsel on 22 November 2001
Dr. Wolf Rüdiger von Bismarck

Georg von Bismarck was the son of the Royal Prussian State forester (Staatsforstmeister) Klaus von Bismarck (1851–1923) and his wife Dorothee Sophie Walide "Wally", née Witte (1859–1951). He had three older brothers:[2]

  • Klaus (Claus) Adolf (13 December 1884 in Hannover), jurist, reserve officer in WWI, ministerial councilor in the Ministry of Aviation (Reichsluftfahrtministerium), later Luftgauintendant (Luftgaukommando XI Hannover) in WWII[3]
  • Otto (. b. 9 October 1886 in Bucharczewo near Zirke; d. 30 October 1968 in Hamburg), lawyer and notary
  • Wilhelm (b. 17 June 1888 in Bucharczewo; d. 26 May 1973 in Bordesholm), Royal Prussian State forester (Staatsforstmeister), Landwehr officer in WWI

Marriages

Margarete

On 26 March 1921 in Berlin-Wilmersdorf, 1st Lieutenant von Bismarck married his fiancée Margarete Annalene Else von Webern (b. 15 July 1893 in Meiningen; d. 24 April 1925 in Kolberg), daughter of honorary Colonel (Charakter als Oberst) Emil Karl Maria von Webern (b. 15 August 1853 in Breslau) and his wife (∞ 6 October 1889) Margarete Bernhardine, née Gräfin von Hopffgarten (b. 5 September 1861 in Weißenfels).[4] Margarete von Bismarck died only 14 days after giving birth to their son:

  • Jürgen Klaus Milo (b. 10 April 1925 in Kolberg; d. 16 July 2003 in Harxbüttel)
    • Milo von Bismarck joined the Wehrmacht as an officer candidate in 1943 after turning 18 during WWII and was wounded very severly in 1944 after receiving a headshot. After the war and studies, he joined the Bundeswehr in 1956. On 5 September 1968, Major von Bismarck was appointed commander of the Panzeraufklärungsbataillon 1 (armoured reconnaissance) in Braunschweig (until 2 October 1970). He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and retired 1982. He was a Braunschweig City Council (Ratsherr) and district mayor of Bezirk Wenden-Thune-Harxbüttel from 1986 to 2001. He was suffering from cancer and died in 2003.

Marly

On 20 May 1929 at Gut Augustfelde (Kreis Rummelsburg), widower Captain von Bismarck married Marie-Luise "Marly" Wolff (b. 8 March 1908 in Deutsch Eylau, West Prussia). They had one son:

Promotions

  • 13 June 1910 Fahnenjunker (Officer Candidate)
  • 20 March 1911 Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
  • 18 November 1911 Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant)
  • 27 January 1917 Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)
  • 1 May 1924 Hauptmann (Captain)[5]
  • 1 January 1934 Major
  • 1 August 1936 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel)
  • 1 February 1939 Oberst (Colonel)
  • 19 February 1942 Generalmajor (Major General) with Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1 March 1942
  • 16 November 1942 Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General) with Effect (nachträglich) and Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1 August 1942

Awards and decorations

References

  1. ↑ Military Review, Volume 50, Command and General Staff School, July 1970, p. 72
  2. ↑ Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Adeligen Häuser, Teil A, 1936, pp. 60 f.
  3. ↑ Claus von Bismarck
  4. ↑ Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Briefadeligen Häuser, 1918, p. 940
  5. ↑ Rangliste des Deutschen Reichsheeres, 1931, p. 135
  6. ↑ Georg von Bismarck
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