Ferdinand Neuling (22 August 1885 – 20 February 1960) was a general of the Heer during World War II. In September 1939, German troops under his command occupied the

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

part of

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, locate ...

and cities of Katowice,

Mikołów Mikołów (german: Nikolai, szl, Mikołōw) is a town in Silesia, in southern Poland, near the city of Katowice. It borders the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a metropolis with a population of over 2 million, and is within a greater Silesia ...

, Chorzów, committing numerous war crimes on Polish civilians and resistance fighters.

Biography

In 1905 he joined the Kaiser's army as

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in 139th Infantry Regiment. A year later he was promoted to lieutenant. He served in World War I and received the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class. After 1918, he continued service in the

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshape ...

. In 1929, he was promoted to major, in 1933 to lieutenant colonel. In the same year, he took command of 23rd Infantry Regiment. On 1 January 1939 he became General Major and three months later took command of

Landwehr ''Landwehr'', or ''Landeswehr'', is a German language term used in referring to certain national armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large-scale, low-strength fortificatio ...

in Oppeln. On the eve of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

he was ordered to create the 239th Infantry Division, basing on Landwehr soldiers. The Division's battle value was considered very low and the unit was scheduled to be used as reserve. On 2 September 1939, his division crossed German-Polish border in Gierałtowice. The troops marched towards

Ornontowice Ornontowice is a village in Mikołów County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Ornontowice. It lies approximately west of Mikołów and south-west of the regional capita ...

, then

. On 3 September, following the retreat of

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stre ...

from Upper Silesia, Neuling entered Mikołów. A day later, he seized Katowice, where was warmly greeted by local ethnic Germans. Three days later, his soldiers burned down the synagogue in Katowice. After capturing Upper Silesia Neuling's division headed east. In October 1939 they guarded the German-Soviet border on

Bug River uk, Західний Буг be, Захо́дні Буг , name_etymology = , image = Wyszkow_Bug.jpg , image_size = 250 , image_caption = Bug River in the vicinity of Wyszków, Poland , map = Vi ...

, which was created after the fall of Poland. In 1940 Neuling's men took part in the offensive against France, stormed the Maginot Line, and captured Colmar and Strasbourg. After that, he was put into army's reserve. From 1942 he commanded LXII ArmeeKorps in France. On 18 August 1944, his corps was crushed by advancing units of the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. Neuling was taken

prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

and transferred to the Clinton POW camp in

Clinton, Mississippi Clinton is a city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. Situated in the Jackson metropolitan area, it is the tenth largest city in Mississippi. The population was 28,100 at the 2020 United States census. History Founded in 1823, Clint ...

. He returned to Germany in 1947 and died in Hildesheim in 1960. He never faced any charges concerning crimes committed during the war.

Awards

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

(1914) ** 2nd Class ** 1st Class * Knight's Cross of the Military Order of St. Henry *

Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (german: Das Ehrenkreuz des Weltkrieges 1914/1918), commonly, but incorrectly, known as the Hindenburg Cross or the German WWI Service Cross was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, Presiden ...

(1939) ** 2nd Class ** 1st Class *

German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (german: Der Kriegsorden Deutsches Kreuz), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repe ...

in Gold (19 December 1941) * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 28 February 1942 as ''

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of ...

'' and commander of the 239. Infanterie-DivisionFellgiebel 2000, p. 323.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Neuling Ferdinand 1885 births 1960 deaths People from Bautzen German Army generals of World War II Generals of Infantry (Wehrmacht) German Army personnel of World War I Reichswehr personnel Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross People from the Kingdom of Saxony Military personnel from Saxony German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States