Heinrich Wilhelm Büsing

Wilhelm Büsing
From left to right: Major General Lang, Captain Büsing und division adjutant Major Ottmar Anton Pollmann on 5 March 1945 in Weidehnen; Büsing as battalion leader would fall on the same day as his division commander Lang. Büsing received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and Pollmann the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for the liberation of Thierenberg which had been occupied by the Red Army.
Birth name	Heinrich Wilhelm Büsing
Birth date	16 November 1901
Place of birth	Strückhausen, Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, German Empire
Death date	⚔ 16 April 1945 (aged 43)
Place of death	Thierenberg, Samland District, East Prussia, German Reich
Allegiance	National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1939–1945
Rank	Hauptmann d. R. (Captain of the Reserves)
Commands held	I./Grenadier-Regiment 280
Battles/wars	World War II Poland Campaign Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Defence of the Reich (Reichsverteidigung) Battle for East Prussia (Endkampf um Ostpreußen)
Awards	Iron Cross Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Relations	∞ 1936 Ilse Weyel
Other work	Government employee

Heinrich Wilhelm Büsing (16 November 1901 – 16 April 1945) was a German officer, finally Captain of the Reserves and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during WWII.

Life

Samland in February 1945

After school and apprenticeship, Wilhelm Büsing would become a government employee (Verwaltungsangestellter). On 30 September 1938, he was appointed to a position with the regalia and insignia department of the Reichsnährstand (State Food Society). On 26 August 1939, Büsing joined the Wehrmacht as a volunteer. He was released by the Reichsnährstand on 25 September with effect from 6 September 1939. He served with the 1st Company/Landesschützen-Bataillon XIII/X (renamed to Landesschützen-Bataillon 663 on 1 April 1940 and to Sicherungs-Bataillon 663 on 1 June 1942) in Oldenburg. After the Poland and Western Campaign, Büsing was commanded to a reserve officer candidate course in Maria ter Heide in February 1941. He was commissioned on 17 June 1941.

From 11 May 1941, the battalion was deployed in the east. There the battalion was subordinated to Army Group Center. From there, the battalion was deployed to the 403rd Security Division. With the 403rd Security Division, the battalion fought near Velikiye Luki and Toropets. From 12 February 1942, the battalion was subordinated to Security Brigade 201. On 1 June 1942, the battalion became subordinate to the now extended parent unit of the 201st Security Division. From 26 September 1943, the battalion was subordinated to Army Group North.

Since 6 August 1941, Büsing had served with the 2nd company of his battalion and from 13 October 1942 with the 3rd company. On 26 May 1943, he was transferred to the 4th Company/Sicherungs-Bataillon 591. Here he experienced, among other things, the fighting in the Wilkomir area. On 1 August 1944, he was transferred to the Staff/Regiments-Gruppe 456. This group consisted of the remnants of the 456th Grenadier Regiment, which had been crushed in the Vitebsk area. He served with the 2nd company for a short while, then returned to the staff on 24 August 1944.

On 12 October 1944, 1st Lieutenant Büsing was transferred to the staff of the 2nd Battalion/Grenadier-Regiment 280 of the 95. Infanterie-Division. On 23 November 1944, Büsing was transferred in the staff of the 1st Battalion/Grenadier-Regiment 280 and was appointed battalion leader. Büsing particularly distinguished himself in the fighting in the Auerhof area, northeast of Thierenberg, for which he would receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The award ceremony (Ritterkreuzverleihungszeremonie) took place in Weidehnen, northwest of Thierenberg, on 5 March 1945.

Defence of East Prussia

The intact XXVIII Corps (Gollnick) with its two fully combat-capable divisions, the 95th (Lang) and the 58th (Siewert) and with a security division finally arrived from Memel. The 95th Division, mobile forces ahead, marched at the front and immediately attacked Bledau, southeast of Cranz, into the fighting that was going on there against the Russians. The heavy cruiser “Prinz Eugen” with her guns took over the division. These powerful volleys promoted the offensive momentum of their own troops and paralyzed the enemy's will to resist through their powerful explosive effect. New incoming German units reinforced the front. The XXVIII Corps proposed to the 3rd Panzer Army, to which it was subordinate, the following plan: breakthrough of the corps after meeting at Cranz in the direction of Königsberg, producing one continuous front from Königsberg to Cranz, destruction of the enemy forces standing west of this line and gaining a new one base of operations. [...] After rejecting the attack in the direction of Königsberg, the XXVIII Corps knew that all that was left now was to fight for connection with the 3rd Panzer Army whose remnants fought east and northeast of Fischhausen. The attack in the direction of Neukuhren-Pobethen began ion 3 February 1945. Droves of refugees came along because they realized that they could only survive and escape the Russians under the protection of the German troops.

Then the Corps turned to the southwest to attack occupied Thierenberg, because south of it the northern wing of the 3rd Panzer Army was supposed to stand. In very difficult battles the 58th and 95th Divisions had fought their way forward so far. The attack on Thierenberg was particularly hard because this place proved to be a strong enemy base. On 6 February 1945, the brave grenadiers of the 95th Division stormed Thierenberg, liberated the town and made contact with the 3rd Panzer Army positioned south. The security forces (Sicherungskräfte) cleaned the Warnicker Forest southwest of Rauschen, and other units pushed the enemy around Germau in battles lasting several days and more together and finalyy destroyed the Russians. The western part of the Samland was now freed from the enemy. The front now ran from north to south: from the Baltic Sea eastwards Neukuhren via Pobethen–Thierenberg–Norgau–west of Powayen and further south to the lagoon. The population immediately began to flee to Pillau because they had experienced terrible things at the hands of the Russian soldiers. [...] The plight of those fleeing people in the icy days of January and February felt cramped the hearts of those witnessing together. The first major attack by Russian bomber units took place on 5 February 1945 against the city of Pillau, which was overflowing with Vertriebene. Hundreds were killed under the rubble of collapsing houses and hundreds through the hardships of flight and the bitter cold. Ship after ship entered the harbor (Operation Hannibal) and took everyone on board who somehow found space. It was always too little with this excess of people with their terrible suffering.

Death

Some sources state, Büsing fell in April 1945, other sources specify this with 16 April 1945. Thierenberg was taken by the enemy on 14 April 1945, it is possible, Büsing's body was only identified on 16 April 1945, his official death notice from 3 June 1950 states "found dead in a ditch in Thierenberg/Samland". He was survived by his mother and wife in Oldenburg.

Family

Wilhelm was the son of Richard Friedrich Wilhelm Büsing, director of the third largest German dairy in Strückhausen, and his wife Johanna, née Gramberg. The family later lived in Neuende near Wilhelmshaven. On 30 July 1936 in Wiesbaden, Wilhelm Büsing married his fiancée Ilse Gertrude Weyel.

Promotions

• 12 May 1940 Gefreiter (Private E-2/Lance Corporal)
• October 1940 Unteroffizier (NCO/Corporal/Junior Sergeant)
• 1941 Feldwebel (Staff Sergeant)
• 17 June 1941 Leutnant der Reserve (2nd Lieutenant of the Reserves) with effect from 1 May 1941
• 10 June 1943 Oberleutnant der Reserve (1st Lieutenant of the Reserves) with effect from 1 April 1943 and Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1 January 1943
• 12 January 1945 Hauptmann der Reserve (Captain of the Reserves) with effect from 1 November 1944 and Rank Seniority (RDA) from 9 November 1944

Awards and decorations

• SA Sports Badge (SA-Sportabzeichen) in Bronze
• Infantry Assault Badge (Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen) in Silver
• War Merit Cross (1939), 2nd Class with Swords
• Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal
• Iron Cross (1939), 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 24 March 1943 as Leutnant d. R. in the 3rd Company/Sicherungs-Bataillon 663
  • 1st Class on 28 November 1943
• Soldier Cross of Bravery of the Bulgarian Order of Bravery with Swords
  • other sources state, the ribbon could also be for the Romanian Medal of Faithful Service with Swords
• Close Combat Clasp in Bronze and Silver
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 28 February 1945 as Captain of the Reserves and leader of the 1st Battalion/Grenadier-Regiment 280/95. Infanterie-Division

Gallery

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See also

• Thierenberg massacre