Eduard Deisenhofer (27 June 1909 –

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31 January 1945) was a German commander in the

Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. He was an early member in the SS, and served with the

Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler The 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler or SS Division Leibstandarte, abbreviated as LSSAH (), began as Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard unit, responsible for guarding the Führer's person, offices, and residences. Initially th ...

and at the

Dachau concentration camp Dachau (, ; , ; ) was one of the first concentration camps built by Nazi Germany and the longest-running one, opening on 22 March 1933. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents, which consisted of communists, s ...

in 1930s. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Deisenhofer served with several combat divisions on both the

Eastern Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

and Western fronts, earning the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He held a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in political economy.

Early SS career

Deisenhofer received his

as a political economist. During his time at university, he had come into contact with the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

, and soon applied to join the ''

Sturmabteilung The (; SA; or 'Storm Troopers') was the original paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party of Germany. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and early 1930s. I ...

'' (SA). A few months with the SA, Deisenhofer transferred to the ''

Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (; ; SS; also stylised with SS runes as ''ᛋᛋ'') was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II. It beg ...

'' (SS), beginning his service on 1 October 1930. Deisenhofer held various low level command positions, including service with the

in 1934 and at the

in 1935. Over the next two years he served in both the Totenkopfverbände units ''SS Totenkopf Verbande Sachsen'' and ''SS Totenkopf Standarte Thuringen''.

World War II

At the outbreak of war Deisenhofer served in the SS Totenkopf Standarte, which was responsible for the police and security measures during the

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

. After the Polish campaign, his unit was absorbed into the newly formed SS Division Totenkopf, where he served as a battalion commander during the Campaign in the West, receiving the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

First Class for his bravery in combat. In May Deisenhofer was appointed commander of a battalion of the newly formed Dutch and Belgian volunteer formation ''SS Volunteer Standarte Nordwest''. In August 1941, Deisenhofer was transferred to the command of the Regiment ''Germania'', one of the Infantry regiments of the

SS Division Wiking The 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking () or SS Division Wiking was an infantry and later an armoured division among the thirty-eight Waffen-SS divisions of Nazi Germany. During World War II, the division served on the Eastern Front. It surrendere ...

, currently serving on the Eastern Front. Deisenhofer was sent back to the Totenkopf division in February 1942 as a regimental commander. The division was encircled in the

Demyansk Pocket The Demyansk Pocket (; ) was the name given to the pocket of German troops encircled by the Red Army around Demyansk, south of Leningrad, during World War II's Eastern Front. The pocket existed mainly from 8 February to 21 April 1942. A much ...

, where he commanded a battle group during the breakout, receiving a

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. While it was order of precedence, lower in preceden ...

for his actions. Deisenhofer then served as an SS training officer. In March 1944, Deisenhofer was sent back to a combat formation, this time to command a regiment of the

10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg The 10th SS Panzer Division "Frundsberg" () was a German Waffen-SS armoured division during World War II. The division's first battles were in Ukraine in April 1944. Afterwards, the unit was then transferred to the west, where it fought the A ...

, which took part in the operation to relieve the encircled

1st Panzer Army The 1st Panzer Army () was a German tank army that was a large armoured formation of the Wehrmacht during World War II. When originally formed on 1 March 1940, the predecessor of the 1st Panzer Army was named Panzer Group Kleist (''Panzergruppe ...

of Generaloberst

Hans-Valentin Hube Hans-Valentin Hube (29 October 1890 – 21 April 1944) was a German general during World War II who commanded armoured forces in the invasions of Poland, France and the Soviet Union. In the course of the war, Hube led the 16th Infantry Divi ...

in what was known as the

Kamenets-Podolsky pocket Kamianets-Podilskyi (, ; ) is a city on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine, western Ukraine, to the north-east of Chernivtsi. Formerly the administrative center of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, the city is now the administrative center of Kamianets ...

. The ''Frundsberg'' was sent to the

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

to attempt to halt the advance of Field Marshal

Bernard Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and the ...

21st Army Group The 21st Army Group was a British headquarters formation formed during the Second World War. It controlled two field armies and other supporting units, consisting primarily of the British Second Army and the First Canadian Army. Established ...

, currently advancing on Caen. Deisenhofer's unit saw action during

Operation Epsom Operation Epsom, also known as the First Battle of the Odon, was a British offensive in the Second World War between 26 and 30 June 1944, during the Operation Overlord, Battle of Normandy. The offensive was intended to outflank and seize the ...

, which resulted in German defeat. In mid July, Deisenhofer was ordered back east to take command of the

, currently engaged in heavy fighting in the area near Modlin. However, he was rejected by SS General Herbert Gille, the new commander of the IV SS Panzer Korps, who decided to keep Standartenführer Johannes Mühlenkamp in place as commander of the Wiking Division. At the end of August, he took over command of the

17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen The 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division "Götz von Berlichingen" () was a German Waffen-SS division that saw action on the Western Front during World War II. Formation and training The division was raised near Poitiers, France, as the ''Panzer ...

. Near the end of January, Deisenhofer disappeared when traveling to a new command post. His staff car was attacked by a Soviet Ground Attack Aircraft. He was classified as missing in action.

Summary of SS career

*NSDAP #: 250,226Meyer 1996, p. 86. *SS-#: 3,642 ;Awards *

German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (), 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 repeated acts of bravery or military leade ...

in Gold (1942) *

Second (1940) and First (1940) Classes *

on 8 May 1942 as SS-''

Sturmbannführer __NOTOC__ ''Sturmbannführer'' (; ) was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank equivalent to Major (rank), major that was used in several Nazi organizations, such as the Sturmabteilung, SA, Schutzstaffel, SS, and the National Socialist Flyers Corps, NSFK ...

'' and commander of the I./SS-"Totenkopf"-Infanterie-Regiment 1.Scherzer 2007, p. 269.

References

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