Alfred Wünnenberg
Encyclopedia
Alfred Bernhard Julius Ernst Wünnenberg (20 July 1891 — 30 December 1963) was SS-Obergruppenführer
und General der Waffen SS and the commander of the 4th SS Polizei Panzer Grenadier Division
during World War II
who was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves
.
, Alsace-Lorraine
. In February 1913 he joined the army and served in the 56th Infantry Regiment and was soon promoted to Unteroffizier
.
He took part in World War I
and served on the Western Front
and was severely wounded in September 1914.
In January 1915 he was promoted to lieutenant, and given command of the 8th Company, 255th Infantry Regiment. He was selected for pilot training in June 1916 which was completed in August 1917, afterwards he was posted to the 47th Field Flying Division as a reconnaissance pilot.
In April 1920 he was in command of the dog platoon at the Police School in Essen
and was from February 1920 to April 1921 made an instructor at the police school in Potsdam
.
Then in February 1924 he took over command of the police dog unit, this was followed by further postings to the police schools in Krefeld
(1926) and Cologne
(1928).
In May 1928 he was in charge of police administration serving in Berlin
, Charlottenburg
. where in 1929 he married and had a daughter.
In May 1933 he joined the NSDAP, and issued the party number 2,222,600.
From August 1933 he commanded the guard police in Beuthen, in February 1935 in Saarbrücken
, in October 1937 Bremen
and Mannheim
. In December 1938, he moved to the staff of the police inspector of Stuttgart
.
Regiment with the rank of Standartenführer
and given the SS service number 405 898.
With this regiment, he took on the Battle of France
and the attack on the Soviet Union in 1941 Operation Barbarossa
when on 15 November 1941 he was awarded the Knight's Cross.
In December 1941 he took over the command of the 4th SS Polizei Division
from Walter Krüger
.
In recognition of the heavy fighting the unit was involved in on 23 April 1942 he was promoted to SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Polizei and awarded the Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross.
On 10 June 1943, he was moved to command the IV SS Panzer Corps
, where he remained until 31 August. Afterwards he became chief of the Ordnungspolizei
. This post he held up to the end of the war. Alfred Wünnenberg died on 30 December 1963 in Krefeld.
Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
und General der Waffen SS and the commander of the 4th SS Polizei Panzer Grenadier Division
4th SS Polizei Division
The SS Polizei Division was one of the thirty-eight divisions fielded as part of the Waffen-SS during World War II.The division was formed in 1939 as part of the Ordnungspolizei...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
who was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves
Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield....
.
World War I
Alfred Wünnenberg was born on 20 July 1891 at SarrebourgSarrebourg
Sarrebourg is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It lies in on the upper course of the river Sarre.It should not be confused with Saarburg in Germany....
, Alsace-Lorraine
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
. In February 1913 he joined the army and served in the 56th Infantry Regiment and was soon promoted to Unteroffizier
Unteroffizier
Unteroffizier is both a specific military rank as well as a collective term for non-commissioned officers of the German military that has existed since the 19th century. The rank existed as a title as early as the 17th century with the first widespread usage occurring in the Bavarian Army of the...
.
He took part in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and served on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
and was severely wounded in September 1914.
In January 1915 he was promoted to lieutenant, and given command of the 8th Company, 255th Infantry Regiment. He was selected for pilot training in June 1916 which was completed in August 1917, afterwards he was posted to the 47th Field Flying Division as a reconnaissance pilot.
Between the wars
After the end of the War, he served on the eastern border in Upper Silesia as part of the free corps, after his promotion to captain, he left the army in September 1920, to be a lieutenant of the Prussian police unit.In April 1920 he was in command of the dog platoon at the Police School in Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
and was from February 1920 to April 1921 made an instructor at the police school in Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
.
Then in February 1924 he took over command of the police dog unit, this was followed by further postings to the police schools in Krefeld
Krefeld
Krefeld , also known as Crefeld until 1929, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its centre lying just a few kilometres to the west of the River Rhine; the borough of Uerdingen is situated directly on the Rhine...
(1926) and Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
(1928).
In May 1928 he was in charge of police administration serving in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, named after Queen consort Sophia Charlotte...
. where in 1929 he married and had a daughter.
In May 1933 he joined the NSDAP, and issued the party number 2,222,600.
From August 1933 he commanded the guard police in Beuthen, in February 1935 in Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
, in October 1937 Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
and Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
. In December 1938, he moved to the staff of the police inspector of Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
.
World War II
On 2 October 1939 he became the commander of the 3rd Polizei SchützenSchützen
Schützen may refer to:*Schützen, a 19th Century German infantryman armed with a rifled musket and used in a skirmishing role*Panzergrenadier, a German term for motorized or mechanized infantry, as introduced during World War II...
Regiment with the rank of Standartenführer
Standartenführer
Standartenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in the so-called Nazi combat-organisations: SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK...
and given the SS service number 405 898.
With this regiment, he took on the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
and the attack on the Soviet Union in 1941 Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
when on 15 November 1941 he was awarded the Knight's Cross.
In December 1941 he took over the command of the 4th SS Polizei Division
4th SS Polizei Division
The SS Polizei Division was one of the thirty-eight divisions fielded as part of the Waffen-SS during World War II.The division was formed in 1939 as part of the Ordnungspolizei...
from Walter Krüger
Walter Krüger (SS officer)
Walter Krüger was an SS Obergruppenführer. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords...
.
In recognition of the heavy fighting the unit was involved in on 23 April 1942 he was promoted to SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Polizei and awarded the Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross.
On 10 June 1943, he was moved to command the IV SS Panzer Corps
IV SS Panzer Corps
The IV.SS-Panzerkorps was a German Waffen-SS armoured corps which saw action on the Eastern Front and in the Balkans during World War II.The Panzerkorps was formed in August, 1943 in Poitiers, France...
, where he remained until 31 August. Afterwards he became chief of the Ordnungspolizei
Ordnungspolizei
The Ordnungspolizei or Orpo were the uniformed regular police force in Nazi Germany between 1936 and 1945. It was increasingly absorbed into the Nazi police system. Owing to their green uniforms, they were also referred to as Grüne Polizei...
. This post he held up to the end of the war. Alfred Wünnenberg died on 30 December 1963 in Krefeld.