Gerhard-Georg Ziegler
| Gerhard-Georg Ziegler | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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 |  Imperial German Army 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.
Contents
Life
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
- Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
- Wound Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen 1918) in Black
- Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords
WWII
- Repetition Clasp 1939 to the Iron Cross 1914, 2nd and 1st Class
- Infantry Assault Badge (Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen) in Silver
- Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal
- Wound Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen 1939) in Silver and Gold
- German Cross in Gold on 28 August 1943 as Major der Reserve (Major of Reserves) and Leader of the II. Bataillon/Grenadier-Regiment 374/207. Sicherungs-Division
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 12 February 1944 as Oberstleutnant der Reserve (Lieutenant Colonel of Reserves) and Leader of the Grenadier-Regiment 353/205. Infanterie-Division[3]
Gallery
References
- 1891 births
- 1975 deaths
- Germans
- People from Baden
- German military officers
- German military personnel of World War I
- German military personnel of World War II
- Recipients of the Iron Cross
- Recipients of the Cross of Honor
- Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross
- Recipients of the Gold German Cross
- Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
