Gerhard-Georg Ziegler

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Gerhard-Georg Ziegler
Gerhard-Georg Ziegler.jpg
Birth name Gerhard Edgar Wilhelm Christian Friedrich Georg Ziegler
Birth date 2 May 1896
Place of birth Rastatt, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire
Death date 13 July 1982 (aged 86)
Place of death Linz, Upper Austria, Republic of Austria
Allegiance  German Empire
 National Socialist Germany
Service/branch Iron Cross of the Luftstreitkräfte.png Imperial German Army
Balkenkreuz.jpg Heer
Rank Oberst der Reserve
Commands held Grenadier-Regiment 353
Battles/wars World War I
World War II
Awards Iron Cross
German Cross in Gold
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Relations ∞ 1922 Anna Hedwig Laura von Engelbrecht

Gerhard Edgar Wilhelm Christian Friedrich Georg "Gerhard-Georg" Ziegler (2 May 1896 – 13 July 1982) was a German officer of the Imperial German Army and the Wehrmacht, at last Oberst der Reserve (Colonel of the Reserves) and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II.

Life

Birth entry (1896)

Gerhard-Georg Ziegler was born on 2 May 1896 in Rastatt, where his father, who died only c. three months after his birth, was serving with the Prussian Army at the time. He was baptized as a Protestant on 26 July 1896, on day before the solemn burial of his father on 27 July 1896. Like all of the family members, he was a Prussian citizen, even though born in the Grand Duchy of Baden.

At the beginning of WWI, he volunteered for war service with the 7. Badisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 142, fought bravely, was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant of the Reserves and decorated with the Iron Cross. After the war, he was dismissed as 1st Lieutenant of the Reserves. He then lived in Sulzburg (in 1919, he received "admission to the Baden state association" respectively citizenship[1]) and possibly studied in Heidelberg.

WWII

He was reactivated for WWII, was promoted to Captain of the Reserves in 1941, to Major of the Reserves on 5 March 1943 with rank seniority (RDA) from 1 February 1943, to Lieutenant Colonel of the Reserves on 1 February 1944 with rank seniority (RDA) from 1 January 1943 and to Colonel of the Reserves on 1 August 1944. Ziegler served with the Infanterie-Regiment 374, commanded the 2nd Battalion of the Grenadier-Regiment 374 at the Eastern Front, was delegated with the leadershhip of the Grenadier-Regiment 154 on 15 October 1943 and was delegated with the leadershhip of the Grenadier-Regiment 353 on 1 December 1943. The following newspaper excerpt (dated 6 March 1944) describes why Ziegler received the Knight’s Cross:

“Oberstleutnant d. R. Gerhard Ziegler [...] was sent to deal with an enemy penetration northwest of Newel during the middle of January 1944. Despite being deployed in isolation, he was nonetheless able to halt the Soviet onslaught with bold counterthrusts of his own. He ultimately managed to hold the enemy at bay here until friendly reinforcements eventually arrived.”

In February 1944, he was delegated with the leadershhip of the Grenadier-Regiment 68 (Füsilier-Regiment 68) and officially became commander on 1 April 1944. On 5 September 1944, he was placed in the Führerreserve (leader reserve).

Family

Descent

Gerhard-Georg was the son of Major Johann Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Ziegler (1848–1896) and his wife Annemarie Bernhardine Auguste Julia, née Holsten. He had three older siblings, among them the later Major General Karl Otto Hermann Wilhelm Wolfgang Ziegler.

Marriage

On 28 October 1922 (civil) in Nürnberg respectively 29 October 1922 (Christuskirche) in Heidelberg, Ziegler married his fiancée Anna Hedwig Laura von Engelbrecht (1897–1976),[2] daughter of Johann David Karl von Engelbrecht (1860–1933) and his wife Elisabeth Laura, née Stutzenbacher.

Awards and decorations

WWI

WWII

Gallery

References