Rüdiger von Heyking (10 January 1894 – 18 February 1956) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

officer and Lieutenant General of the

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

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 ...

Life

Heyking was born to a noble family in Rastenburg,

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

, at the home of Heyking family. He joined the cadet corps in 1914 as second lieutenant in the 85th Infantry Regiment "Duke of Holstein". At the outbreak of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Heyking served on the Western Front where he first trained as and then was appointed company commander. He graduated from the Air Force observer training course on 30 January 1918. Between September 1942 and November 1943, he commanded the 6th Luftwaffe Field Division on the Eastern Front. From May 1944 he was commander of the 6th Luftwaffe Parachute Division in France. He and two other general officers were captured in September of that year in Mons, Belgium during the German retreat from France. He spent part of his captivity in

Trent Park Trent Park is an English country house in north London, accompanied by its former extensive grounds. The original great house, along with several statues and other structures within the grounds, such as the Orangery, are Grade II listed bui ...

, a specially supervised internment camp for high-ranking officers. After the war, he was illegally turned over to the

Soviet Army The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

and imprisoned in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. He was not released from Soviet imprisonment until 1955, and died in

Bad Godesberg Bad Godesberg () is a borough () of Bonn, southern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From 1949 to 1999, while Bonn was the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany, most foreign embassies were in Bad Godesberg. Some buildings are still used as br ...

in 1956.

Awards

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 ...

(1914) 1st and 2nd Class ''Rangliste des Deutschen Reichsheeres'', Hrsg.: Reichswehrministerium, Mittler & Sohn Verlag, Berlin 1927, S.41 * Prussian Military Observer Badge *

Prussian Military Pilot Badge The Royal Prussian Military Pilot's Badge () was created by Kaiser Wilhelm II on January 27, 1913. It could be awarded to officers, non-commissioned officers A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty offic ...

* Wound Bage (1918) in Black *

Clasp to the Iron Cross Clasp, clasper or CLASP may refer to: * Book clasp, fastener for a book cover * Folding clasp, a device used to close a watch strap * Lobster clasp, fastener for jewellery * Wrist clasp, a dressing accessory * Medal bar, an element in militar ...

Classes I and II *

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 26 December 1943 Klaus D. Patzwall and

Veit Scherzer Veit is a personal name. Notable people with the name include: Surname *David Veit (1771–1814) was a German doctor and writer, brother of Simon Veit * Gustav Veit (1824–1903), German gynecologist and obstetrician * Johann Veit (1852–1917), ...

: ''Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941–1945, Geschichte und Inhaber Band II'', Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt 2001, , S.184

Literature

* Karl-Friedrich Hildebrand: ''Die Generale der deutschen Luftwaffe 1935–1945 Band 2: Habermehl bis Nuber'', Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1992,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heyking, Rudiger von 1894 births 1956 deaths People from Kętrzyn Military personnel from East Prussia Prussian Army personnel German Army personnel of World War I Reichswehr personnel Luftwaffe World War II generals Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Lieutenant generals of the Luftwaffe