Joachim Ziegler (2 October 1904 – 2 May 1945) was a high-ranking 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 ...

of Nazi Germany 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 ...

. He was a commander of the SS Division Nordland, and was a recipient of the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves 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 lower in precedence than the Grand C ...

Career

Ziegler was awarded the

Spanish Cross The Spanish Cross () was an award of Nazi Germany given to German troops who participated in the Spanish Civil War, fighting for nationalist general, later Spanish dictator, Francisco Franco. History With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil W ...

for his participation in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, fighting in the ''Condor'' Legion. In 1939 he served as the adjutant in the 3rd Panzer Brigade and on 23 September 1939 he was awarded 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 ...

2nd class followed by a 1st class award on 28 June 1940. On 14 March 1943 he was promoted to ''

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...

'' and served on the General Staff of the XXXXII Army Corps. He was awarded the German Cross in Gold on 15 March 1943 and later was invited by the ''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

'' to a command position in the Waffen-SS. His SS number was 491,403. From 20 June 1943 Ziegler was the Chief of General Staff of the III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps, and in November 1943 he was granted permission to wear an SS uniform for the duration of his command. When Fritz von Scholz was killed in action on 28 July 1944, he was asked to take over command of the 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division ''Nordland''. On 5 September 1944 he was awarded the Knight's Cross for the conduct of the division in action and the Oak Leaves later in April 1945. The division retreated into what was known as the

Courland Pocket The Courland Pocket was a Pocket (military), pocket located on the Courland Peninsula in Latvia on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 9 October 1944 to 10 May 1945. Army Group North of the ''Wehrmacht'' were ...

. Soviet forces launched major offensives against the German units there. From late October to December 1944, the ''Nordland'' remained in the pocket; by early December the divisional strength was down to 9,000 men. In January 1945, the division was ordered to the Baltic port of Libau, where it was evacuated by sea. During the

Battle of Berlin The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula–Od ...

, the ''Nordland'' division was positioned to the south-east of the city and to the east of

Tempelhof Airport Berlin Tempelhof Airport () was one of the first airports in Berlin, Germany. Situated in the south-central Berlin borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg, the airport ceased operating in 2008 amid controversy, leaving Tegel and Schönefeld as the ...

. On 25 April 1945, SS-''Brigadeführer'' Gustav Krukenberg was appointed the commander of (Berlin) Defence Sector C, which included the ''Nordland'' Division. Ziegler was relieved of his command the same day. The exact reason for the transfer of the command is not clearly known. It was requested by General

Helmuth Weidling Helmuth Otto Ludwig Weidling (2 November 1891 – 17 November 1955) was a German three-star general during the Second World War. He was the last commander of the Berlin Defence Area during the Battle of Berlin, led the defence of the city agai ...

, commander of the Berlin Defence Area. After Hitler's death on 30 April, Krukenberg assembled most of his escort made up of French volunteers of the SS ''Sturmbataillon'' "Charlemagne" for the breakout to try and get through the Soviet

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

encirclement of that area of

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. They joined up with Ziegler and a larger group of Nordland troops. They crossed the Spree just before dawn. Near the Gesundbrunnen U-Bahn station they came under heavy fire and Ziegler was wounded. Ziegler died from his wounds on 2 May 1945.

Awards

in Gold with Swords (31 May 1939) *

(1939) ** 2nd Class (23 September 1939)Thomas 1998, p. 472. ** 1st Class (28 June 1940) *

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 14 March 1943 as ''

Oberstleutnant () (English: Lieutenant Colonel) is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, ...

im Generalstab'' (in the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

) of XXXIX. PanzerkorpsPatzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 530. *

** Knight's Cross on 5 September 1944 as SS-''

Brigadeführer ''Brigadeführer'' (, ) was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) that was used between 1932 and 1945. It was mainly known for its use as an SS rank. As an SA rank, it was used after briefly being known as '' Untergruppenführer'' in ...

'' and commander of the 11. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division ''Nordland''Scherzer 2007, p. 805. ** (848th) Oak Leaves on 28 April 1945 as SS-''Brigadeführer'' and commander of the 11. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division ''Nordland''

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography