Ludwig Heinrich Gaedcke (16 January 1905 – 22 December 1992) was a German general.

Life

Early life

He was the son of lawyer and notary Carl Gaedcke (1868–1913) and grew up in

Guben Guben (Polish language, Polish and Sorbian languages, Sorbian: ''Gubin'') is a town on the Lusatian Neisse river in Lower Lusatia, in the States of Germany, state of Brandenburg, in eastern Germany. Located in the Spree-Neiße Districts of German ...

. Following graduation from the Gymnasium in 1924, he joined the 8th Prussian Infantry Regiment as a professional soldier in 1925. He served in a variety of posts until 1935, when he was promoted to captain and admitted to the War Academy for general staff training. Subsequently, he worked as a clerk in the General Staff of the Army.Heinz Gaedcke
" ''Internationales Biographisches Archiv'', 16/1966

Second World War

During the

Second World War 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 ...

he served as a general staff officer of the 25th Infantry Division from June 1940 to January 1943, and was promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in 1940, lieutenant-colonel in 1943 and

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in 1943. In February 1943 he was assigned to the reserve of the Army Command and spent much of 1943 teaching at the military academy. He was acting general staff officer of the XXIV Panzer Corps in October–November 1943 and of the XI Army Corps from December 1943 to February 1944. From February to July 1944 he was again assigned to the reserve. In July 1944 he became the deputy of the chief of the general staff of the 4th Army and in August 1944 he became the chief of the general staff of the 6th Army. He was promoted to major general in 1944.

Cold War

From 1948 to 1956 he worked in managerial roles for the companies Bürkle and

Bahlsen Bahlsen GmbH & Co. KG is a German food company based in Hanover. It was founded in July 1889 by Hermann Bahlsen (1859–1919) as the "Hannoversche Cakesfabrik H. Bahlsen". Bahlsen makes products such as chocolate-dipped Pick Up! snack bars. B ...

. Following

West German rearmament West German rearmament () began in the decades after World War II. Fears of another rise of German militarism caused the new military to operate within an alliance framework, under NATO command. The events led to the establishment of the ''Bund ...

he joined the

Bundeswehr The (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...

as one of its first general officers in 1956. He commanded the Military Academy of the German Armed Forces from 1957 to 1959 and the Bundeswehr's 11th Panzergrenadier Division from 1959 to 1960. From 1961 to 1965 he was Commanding General of the 3rd Corps in

Koblenz Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman military p ...

. He was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

in 1961. Upon his retirement in 1965 he was awarded both the Knight Commander's Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

and the French

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

Family

In 1940, he married Gerda Silvia Gater, née Deffner (b. 4 April 1906 in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

; d. 27 January 2006 in Waldesch near Koblenz). He had three children with Gerda and adopted daughter Jutta from Gerda's first marriage with Dr. Rudolf Anton Gater (1905–1989). Gaedcke was the maternal grandfather of the Secretary-General of the European Commission

Martin Selmayr Martin Selmayr (born 5 December 1970) is a European civil servant from Germany who was Secretary-General of the European Commission from 2018 to 2019 and chief of staff to Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker from 2014 to 2018. During his ...

. Martin Selmayr has said that his commitment to the European project in part stems from a trip he took as a teenager with Gaedcke to the battlefields and military cemeteries of

Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...

, where Gaedcke told him that his generation had an obligation to prevent any repeat of the mistakes of the past.

Awards and decorations

* Wehrmacht Long Service Award, 4th to 3rd Class *

Sudetenland Medal The 1 October 1938 Commemorative Medal () was commonly known as the Sudetenland Medal. It was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded during the interwar period, and the second in a series of Occupation Medals. Description Instituted on 18 October ...

with the Prague Castle Bar * Medal to Commemorate the Homecoming of the Memelland *

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 ...

(1939), 2nd and 1st Class *

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 on 7 March 1942 as ''

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

'' im Generalstab in the 25. Infanterie-Division (motorized) * Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal *

Order of the Crown of Romania The Order of the Crown of Romania is a chivalric order set up on 14 March 1881 by King Carol I of Romania to commemorate the establishment of the Kingdom of Romania. It was awarded as a state order until the end of the Romanian monarchy in 1947. ...

, Commander's Cross *

Order of Merit of the Kingdom of Hungary Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * H ...

, Commander's Cross with Swords on War Ribbon *

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 ...

on 7 April 1944 as '' Oberst im Generalstab'' and Chief of the Generalstab of XI. ArmeekorpsFellgiebel 2000, p. 158. * Knight Commander's Cross of the

(1965) *

(1965)

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaedcke, Heinrich 1905 births 1992 deaths People from Guben Military personnel from the Province of Brandenburg Bundeswehr generals Major generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States Lieutenant generals of the German Army Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Commandants of the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College Military personnel from Brandenburg