Rudolf Sieckenius

Rudolf Sieckenius
Born (1896-05-16)16 May 1896
Ludwigsthal, Silesia
Died 28 April 1945(1945-04-28) (aged 48)
Berlin, Germany
Allegiance  German Empire
 Weimar Republic
 Nazi Germany
Service/branch Prussian Army
Landespolizei
Army (Wehrmacht)
Years of service 1914–45
Rank Generalmajor
Commands held 16 Panzer Division
263 Infantry Division
391 Sicherungs Division
Battles/wars

World War I

World War II
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Generalmajor Rudolf Sieckenius (16 May 1896 – 28 April 1945) was a German general during World War II who commanded the 16 Panzer Division during Operation Avalanche (Salerno Landings) in September 1943. Despite his widely acknowledged success, which almost resulted in the Allies being pushed back into the sea, Sieckenius was made a scapegoat and sidelined until his death during the Battle of Berlin, when he commanded a security division (391 Sicherungs Division).

World War I and inter-war period

Sieckenius was born in Schlesien (Silesia) in 1896.[1] Sieckenius joined up immediately following the outbreak of World War I, enlisting in the 5th Foot Artillery Regiment of the 9th Silesian Infantry Division, during which time he took part in the Invasion of Lorraine. He was commissioned as a platoon commander in the 154th Infantry Regiment in 1916. He was discharged from the Army on 20 October 1919 and returned to his family home in Silesia.[1]

On 29 April 1920, Sieckenius joined the local Silesian police where he served for fourteen years. In 1934 he transferred back to the army, as Hitler rearmed Germany. On creation of the panzer regiments in late 1935, he transferred into the panzer branch and was appointed a company commander in 2nd Panzer Regiment (which he was later to command at Stalingrad) based in Weimar, where he spent a year. After a further year as ADC/Orderly Officer to the commander of 1st Panzer Division, Generalmajor Maximilian von Weichs, he was appointed to command the first battalion of 15th Panzer Regiment at Oppeln. After a falling out with the regimental commander, Oberstleutnant Streich, in January 1939 Sieckenius was transferred to command of the 66th Panzer Battalion (2nd Light Division).[2]

World War II

Strachwitz, Sieckenius, and Hube

At the outset of the war Sieckenius served in the 2nd Light Division as commander of a Panzer battalion. Following the campaign in October 1939, the 2nd Light Division became the 7th Panzer Division.[3] The new division was under the command of General Erwin Rommel. Sieckenius remained in command of a Panzer battalion, and took part in the Battle of France.[4] The battalion remained in France until February 1941, when it was placed in reserve and returned to Germany. Here Sieckenius remained, refitting his battalion until he was transferred to the newly formed 16th Panzer Division in April, with which he took part in Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, during which Sieckenius was awarded the Knight’s Cross.

Sieckenius was in command of 16th Panzer Division in Italy from May to November 1943, defending capably against the Allied landings at Salerno, and managing the subsequent withdrawal to the Viktor Line. (On the Volturno River north of Naples.) At the beginning of October 1943 16th Panzer was already moving to the Adriatic coast sector as a result of Allied pressure when an amphibious landing was made at Termoli. Sieckenius' performance in that battle was the reason for his sacking as commander of 16th Panzer, as it was considered he had not been sufficiently aggressive in repelling the landing, and an opportunity to hand a defeat to the Allies had been lost, along with an important defensive position.

Generalmajor Sieckenius was eventually killed in action during the Battle of Berlin. His division was assigned to defend the entire sector covering the Landwehr Canal near Berlin. During the next three days, Sieckenius tried to hold his positions while the German defensive lines were pressed ever backward, toward the center of the city. Tempelhof Airport was overrun on 27 April and, on the morning of 28 April, Sieckenius found himself surrounded in Goerlitzer Station. His main forces had already been destroyed and the Russians had pushed beyond him, toward the Führerbunker. Within their ammunition almost gone, Sieckenius and a handful of survivors held out until late afternoon, although they knew that their position was doomed. General Sieckenius then ordered the survivors to save themselves if they could; meanwhile, he and a handful of stalwart volunteers would launch a final suicide attack against the enemy to provide cover for their escaping comrades. The general himself charged forward firing a Schmeisser machine pistol. A few moments later, Sieckenius and his men were cut down by Soviet machine gun.

Awards

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 Mitcham 2007, pp. 27–28.
  2. ↑ Mitcham 2007, pp. 28–29.
  3. ↑ Mitcham 2001, p. 80.
  4. ↑ Mitcham 2007, p. 29.
  5. ↑ Mitcham 2007, p. 35.
  6. ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 704.

Bibliography

  • Mitcham, Samuel (2007). Rommel's Lieutenants: The men who served the Desert Fox, France, 1940. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 978-0-275-99185-2.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
Military offices
Preceded by
Oberst Hero Breusing		 Kommandeur of 2 Panzer Regiment (Pz Reg 2)
1 May 1941 – January, 1943		 Succeeded by
Oberst Hyazinth Graf von Strachwitz
Preceded by
Generalmajor Burkhart Müller-Hillebrand		 Kommandeur of 16 Panzer Division
5 May 1943 – 1 November 1943		 Succeeded by
Generalmajor Hans-Ulrich Back
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