Joachim Degener

Joachim Degener
Birth name	Joachim Karl Hermann Felix Degener
Birth date	28 November 1893
Place of birth	Metz, Imperial Territory of Alsace–Lorraine, German Empire
Death date	7 September 1953 (aged 59)
Place of death	Würzburg, Bavaria, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	Prussian Army Imperial German Army Reichswehr Heer
Years of service	1912–1945
Rank	Major General
Commands held	14th Rifle Regiment 5th Rifle Brigade
Battles/wars	World War II World War I
Awards	Iron Cross War Merit Cross (Brunswick) War Merit Cross (1939)
Relations	∞ 1923 Elise Sprengel
Other work	Author

Joachim Karl Hermann Felix Degener (28 November 1893 – 7 September 1953) was a German officer of the Prussian Army, the Imperial German Army, the Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht, finally Major General and combat commandant in World War II.

Life

Joachim Degener attended the humanistisches Gymnasium in Lüneburg from Easter 1901 to February 1911. He achieved his Abitur in March 1912. He then studied for six months at the University of Grenoble and achieved the "Certificat d'études Francaises" (Certificate of French studies).

He joined the Braunschweigisches Husaren-Regiment Nr. 17 on 20 September 1912, and in the First World War, he served in the Field in the 4th Squadron, then as of 21 May 1916 in the 13th Hussar-Regiment, and eventually as of 22 September 1916 again in the 17th Hussar-Regiment. On 1 January 1918, he was appointed leader of the 4th Squadron/Braunschweigisches Husaren-Regiment Nr. 17. On 12 June 1919, he was transferred to the Reichswehr-Kavallerie-Regiment 10. On 15 March 1920, he was transferred to the 4th Squadron/Reiter-Regiment 13 in Lüneburg.

Colonel at the beginning of the Second World War, he assumed command of the 5th Rifle Brigade until 1941. He was commandant of Würzburg from February 1941 to April 1944. First detached to Army Group North Ukraine as Commandant of the Strongpoint Position of Kowel in April 1944, he was detached to the Military-Commander of France soon after. Joachim Degener was nominated Field-Commandant in Perpignan on July 1944. Leader of the Battle-Group "Degener", he assumed command of the 189th Infantry-Division from October to December 1944. Then, Degener served in Hungary. In charge of road block construction in Austria, Degener was captured by Major General Stanley Eric Reinhart's 261st Infantry Regiment.

Chronology (excerpt)

• 22 March 1926 Commander of the 4th Squadron/13. (Preußisches) Reiter-Regiment
• 1 March 1931 In the staff of the 2nd Cavalry Division in Breslau
  • passed the French interpreter exam
• 13 November with effect from 1 December 1933 Transferred to the 10. (Preußisches) Reiter-Regiment as garrison elder in Torgau
• 21 August 1934 Cavalry department of the General Army Office (In 3) of the Reichswehr Ministry (RWM)
• 23 November with effect from 24 November 1938 Commander of the Schützen-Regiment 14 (Poland Campaign)
• 24 October with effect from 23 October 1939 Commander of the 5. Schützen-Brigade
• 21 February with effect from 6 February 1941 Appointed commandant of Würzburg
• 1 April 1944 Führer-Reserve (OKH)
• 16 April 1944 Commanded to the Army Group North Ukraine as commandant of the fortified city (German: Fester Platz) of Kowel
• 1 June 1944 Commanded to the Military Commander France for the purpose of instruction as field commandant (Feldkommandant)
• 19 July 1944 Entrusted with the conduct of business of the Feldkommandantur 997 (Perpignan)
  • Leader of the Battle-Group "Degener" due to the Invasion at Normandy
• 24 October 1944 Delegated with the leadership of the 189. Infanterie-Division
  • The 189th Infantry Division was formed from the remnants of the 189th Reserve Division of the 19th Army on 8 October 1944. At the time of formation, the division was in the Gerardmer area in Alsace. In November 1944, it was deployed in the Belfort area. In December 1944, it was in the Kolmar bridgehead west of Mulhouse.
• 19 November to 28 December 1944 Sick leave
• 29 December 1944 Führer-Reserve (OKH)
• 18 January 1945 Commanded to the Army Group South as Combat or Battle Commandant (Kampf-Kommandant) of Raab (Hungary)
  • Towards the end of the war, the Army Group South withdrew to Austria. On 30 April 1945, the army group command was renamed Army Group Ostmark under Generaloberst Dr. Lothar Rendulic. The army group's headquarters was the Rothschild Castle in Waidhofen an der Ybbs. Here, on 6 May 1945, Rendulic negotiated the terms of the armistice with American negotiators, which was signed on 7 May in Steyr with the commander-in-chief of the Third American Army.
• 8 May 1945 to 22 May 1948 POW
  • Accused by the French of alleged war crimes, but then fully acquitted and released

Family

Joachim was the son of dragoon officer and retired Colonel Alfred Degener and his wife Alice, née von Kamlah (b. 1872), daughter of Lieutenant General Moritz Franz Hermann von Kamlah.

Marriage

On 24 May 1923, 1st Lieutenant Degener married his fiancée Elise Elfriede Sprengel, daughter of Colonel Hans Emil Hermann Sprengel (b. 16 May 1871 in Bielefeld) and his wife Erika, née Hallermann. The couple had two children:

• Eberhart (b. 8 March 1924 in Lüneburg)
• Ingeborg (b. 29 June 1925 in Lüneburg)

Promotions

• 20 September 1912 Fahnenjunker (Officer Candidate)
• 5 April 1913 Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier (Officer Candidate with Corporal/NCO/Junior Sergeant rank)
• 16 June 1913 Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
• 22 March 1914 Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant) with Patent from 23 March 1912
• 20 May 1917 Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)
• 1 February 1925 Rittmeister
• 1 April 1934 Major
• 1 August 1936 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel)
• 31 March 1939 Oberst (Colonel) with effect and RDA from 1 April 1939
• 16 October 1942 Generalmajor (Major General) with effect and RDA from 1 November 1942

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 29 October 1914
  • 1st Class on 24 October 1918
• War Merit Cross (Brunswick), 2nd Class (BrK2) on 3 February 1915
  • He also wore the first class (see picture) although not documented in the rank lists of the Reichswehr.
• Hindenburg Cross with Swords on 20 December 1934
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th to 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 2 October 1936
  • 1st Class in 1937
• Repetition Clasp 1939 to the Iron Cross 1914, 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 18 September 1939
  • 1st Class on 27 October 1939
• War Merit Cross (1939), 2nd Class with Swords on 20 April 1943

Works (with Heinz Greiner)

• Gefechtsführung und Kampftechnik, Mittler, Berlin 1937
• Aufgabenstellung und Übungsleitung mit praktischen Beispielen, Mittler, Berlin 1938

Sources

• German Federal Archives (Military Section)
  • BArch PERS 6/1170
  • BArch PERS 6/299539
• Generalmajor Joachim Degener (Archive)