Helmuth Weidling

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
General Helmut Weidling (left) among captured German officers on 2 May 1945
General Helmut Weidling (left) among captured German officers on 2 May 1945

General of the Artillery (General der Artillerie) Helmuth Weidling (November 2, 1891 – November 17, 1955) was a German Army officer and the last German commander of the Berlin Defense Area during the final assault by Soviet forces on the city of Berlin just before the end of World War II in Europe.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Weidling was born in Halberstadt. He entered the military in 1911.

[edit] Poland, France, and Russia

In November 1938, Weidling became Colonel of the 56th Artillery Regiment He fought with this regiment in the Polish campaign of 1939. In April 1940, Weidling was appointed artillery commander of the XXXX Panzer Corps. He fought with this corps in France and during the early stages of Operation Barbarossa.

On 1 January 1942, Weidling was appointed to command the 86th Infantry Division. One month later he was promoted to the rank of Major General. On 1 January 1943, Weidling was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General. On 20 October 1943, he became the Commanding General of the XXXXI Panzer Corps. Two months later, Weidling was promoted to rank of General of the Artillery.

[edit] Commander of the Berlin Defense Area

On 10 April 1945, Weidling was relieved of his command and transferred to the Officer Reserve (Führerreserve) of the Army High Command (Oberkommando des Heeres or OKH). Two days later, he was appointed as commander of the LVII Panzer Corps.

On 22 April, German dictator Adolf Hitler ordered that Weidling be executed by firing squad. Hitler believed that, as commander of the LVII Panzer Corps, Weidling had ordered his corps to retreat from the advancing Soviet forces. Ordering a retreat would be in defiance of Hitler's standing orders to the contrary. As such, Weidling's actions required a death sentence. But, there turned out to be a misunderstanding and the situation was cleared up before Weidling's execution took place.

On 23 April, Hitler appointed Weidling as the commander of the Berlin Defense Area. He replaced Lieutenant General (Generalleutnant) Helmuth Reymann and Colonel Ernst Kaether. Reymann had only held the position since 6 March. Kaether had held the position for about one day. Weidling was ordered to defend the city during the Battle of Berlin. Specifically, he was ordered not to surrender, but to fight to the last man.

[edit] The Defenders

The forces available to Weidling for the city's defence included roughly 45,000 soldiers in several severely depleted Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS divisions. These depleted divisions were supplemented by the Berlin police force, boys in the compulsory Hitler Youth, and about 40,000 elderly men of the Volkssturm. The comander of the central district was SS Brigadeführer Wilhelm Mohnke. Mohnke had been appointed to his position by Hitler and he had over 2,000 men under his direct comanded. The Soviets were to later estimate the number of defenders in Berlin as 180,000. But this was based on the number of prisoners that they took. The prisoners included many unarmed men in uniform, such as railway officials and members of the Reich Labour Service.

Weidling organized the defences into eight sectors designated 'A' through to 'H'. Each sector was commanded by a colonel or a general. But most of the colonels and generals had no combat experience. To the west of the city was the 20th Motorized Infantry Division. To the north of the city was the 9th Parachute Division To the north-east of the city was the Müncheberg Panzer Division. To the south-east of the city and to the east of Tempelhof Airport was the SS Nordland Panzergrenadier Division. Weidling's reserve, the 18th Panzergrenadier Division, was in Berlin's central district.

On 25 April, Weidling ordered Major General of the Reserve (Generalmajor der Reserve) Werner Mummert, commander of the Müncheberg Panzer Division to take command of the German LVI Army Corps. Weidling ordered that the command of the Müncheberg Division be handed over to Oberst Hans-Oscar Wöhlermann. Wöhlermann was the artillery commander for the city.

On 26 April, Weildling ordered the Müncheberg Division and the Nordland Panzergrenadier Division to attack towards Tempelhof Airport and Neukolln. At first, with its last ten tanks, the Müncheberg Division made good progress against a surprised Soviet foe. However, the surprise wore off and was replaced with fierce defensive fire and several local counter-attacks. These soon halted the division's advance.

Around noon on 26 April, Weidling relieved Wöhlermann of command and Mummert was reinstated as commander of the division. The following is from the diary of an officer with the Müncheberg Panzer Division and describes the evening of 26 April.

"Scarlet night. Heavy artillery fire. Uncanny silence. We get shot at from many houses. Foreign workers, no doubt. From the Air Ministry comes news that General Erich Barenfanger has been relieved of his post of commander of the Berlin garrison. One hour later we hear that General Weidling is our new commander. General Mummert takes charge of the Tank Corps . . . " [1]

On 27 April, very early in the morning, Hitler ordered the flooding of the Berlin underground to slow the advancing Soviets. Hitler's order resulted in the drowning of thousands of German soldiers under Weidling's command and civilians who had taken refuge in the tunnels. The diary of the officer with the Müncheberg Division went on to describe the flooding.

"New command post: Anhalter subway station. Platforms and control rooms look like an armed camp. Women and children huddle in niches and corners. Others sit about in deck chairs. They all listen for the sounds of battle . . . Suddenly water starts to pour into the station. Screams, sobs, curses. People fighting around the ladders that run through the air shafts up to the streets. Masses of gurgling water rush over the stairs. Children and wounded are abandoned and trampled to death. The water overs them, rises three feet or more and then slowly goes down. The panic lasts for hours. Many are drowned. Reason: On somebdy's orders, engineers have blasted the locks of the canal between Schoeneburg and Mockern Bridges to flood the tunnels against the advancing Rusians. Meanwhile heavy fighting has been going on above ground level. Change of position to Potsdamer Platz subway stationin the late afternoon. Command post on the first floor, as tunnels still under water. Direct hits on the roof. Heavy loses among wounded and civilians. Smoke pours in through the shell holes. Outside, stacks of Panzerfists go up in the air. Another direct hit, one flight below street level. A horible sight: Men, soldiers, women, and children are literally glued to the wall." [1]

The diary of the officer with the Müncheberg Division also described the "flying courts-martial" prevalent at this time.

"Flying courts-martial unusually prominent today. Most of them very young SS officers. Hardly a decoration among them. Blind and fanatical. The hope of relief and the fear of these courts bring men back to the fighting. General Mummert refuses to allow any further courts-martial in the sector under his command . . . He is determined to shoot down personally any courts-martial that appears . . . We cannot hold the Potsdamer Platz and move through the subway tunnel to Nollendorferplatz. In the tunnel next to ours, the Russians are advancing in the opposite direction." [1]

By the end of the day on 27 April, Weidling and the forces under his command in Berlin found themselves to be completely cut off from the the rest of Germany. As the Müncheberg division was engaged in desperate fighting in Wilmersdorf, the encirclement of Berlin was completed and the remnants of the city's defenders were trapped. The Soviet Information Bureau announced that troops of the 1st Belorussian Front had broken through strong German defences around Berlin and, approaching from the east and from the south, had linked up in Berlin and northwest of Potsdam. These link ups cut Berlin off from the outside world. The Soviet Information Bureau went on to announce that troops of the 1st Belorussian Front took Gartenstadt, Siemenstadt, and the Goerlitzer Railway Station in eastern Berlin. [2]

When Weidling discovered that a major part of the last line of the German defenses in Berlin were "manned" by Hitler Youth, he ordered Reich Youth Leader (Reichsjugendführer) Artur Axmann to disband the Hitler Youth combat formations in the city. But, in the confusion, his order was never carried out. In the end, many German youths did die defending Berlin. The following is from an account of an interview with a member of the Hitler Youth who was preparing to defend a bridge over the Havel. The interview took place on either 28 April or 29 April. When the Hitler Youth was asked how it was that he was fighting at this bridge when he was only thirteen years old, he pointed at his comrades (many of them from Oranienburg) and said:

"The district leader, Haupthannfuehrer Frischefskly, had all of us fetched from our homes by policemen and ordered us to report to the SS barracks and on the Castle Square. Then we were divided into two separate squads and attached to various SS and Volkssturm units. We were detailed to fight north and east of the town. Most of us were killed by rifle fire, when we were ordered to attack across an open field. Later the fighting shifted to the center of the town. [This lasted] for two days. During these two days and nights, Oranienburg changed hands several times. Nearly all of us died. Then the Russians started to hammer us with their Stalin Organs. And, when we called it a day and headed for home, we were stopped and had to go along to Eden, acros the canal. My Youth-Group Leader, who refused, was hanged on the nearest tree by a few SS men and one SA man. He was fifteen. Then the rest of our squad - 8 of the original 120 - decided to do as we were told. Soon after the bridge across the canal was blown up, and they left us in peace. I met a few schoolmates who told me that the Haupthannfuehrer himself, his girlfriend, and Hitler Youth Leader Schiller of the Aerotechnical School had made off to te West two days earlier on bicycles. I then walked to Velten and tried to make for Henningsdorf, where I have an aunt. But, just before I got there, I was picked up. Then I had to fight in Reinickendorf, on the Spandau road. Then we pulled out. This morning we were picked up again and ordered to fight right here." [3]

On 29 April, the Soviet Information Bureau announced that troops of the 1st Belorussian Front continued to clear the streets of Berlin, occupied the northwest sector of Charlottenburg as far as Bismark Street, the west half of Moabit, and the east part of Schoeneberg. Troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front occupied Friedenau and Grunewald in northwest Berlin. [4]

On 30 April, the Soviet Information Bureau announced that troops of the 1st Belorussian Front captured Moabit, Analter Railway Station, Joachimsthal to the north of Berlin, and Neukoelln, Marienwerder, and Liebenwalde. Troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front occupied the southern part of Wilmersdorf, Hohenzollerndamm, and Halensee Railway Station. [4]

[edit] The Führerbunker

On 30 April, as the Soviet forces continued to fight their way into the center of Berlin, German dictator Adolf Hitler married Eva Braun in the Führerbunker. Hitler and Braun then committed suicide. Braun by taking cyanide and Hitler by shooting himself. Per instructions, their bodies were burned.

In accordance with Hitler's last will and testament, Joseph Goebbels, the Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, became the new "Head of Government" and Chancellor of Germany (Reichskanzler). At 3:15 am, Reichskanzler Goebbels and Martin Borman (head of the Party Chancellery (Parteikanzlei) and private secretary to Hitler) sent a radio message to Admiral Karl Dönitz informing him of Hitler's death. Per Hitler's last wishes, Dönitz was appointed as the new "President of Germany" (Reichspräsident).

On 1 May, within hours of Hitler's suicide on April 30, Reichskanzler Joseph Goebbels sent German General and Chief of Staff Hans Krebs, under a white flag to talk with General Vasily Chuikov. Chuikov, as commander of the Soviet 8th Guards Army, commanded the Soviet forces in central Berlin. Krebs arrived shortly before 4 a.m., taking Chuikov by surprise. Krebs, a Russian-speaker, informed Chuikov that Hitler and Eva Braun, his wife, had killed themselves in the Führerbunker. Chuikov, who was not aware that there was a bunker under the Reich Chancellery or that Hitler was married, calmly said that he already knew. Chuikov was not, however, prepared to negotiate with Krebs. The Soviets were unwilling to accept anything other than unconditional surrender. Krebs was not authorized by Goebbels to agree to an unconditional surrender. The meeting ended with no agreement. According to Hitler's personal private secretary Traudl Junge, Krebs returned to the bunker looking "worn out, exhausted". The surrender of Berlin was thus delayed until Goebbels himself committed suicide.

In the late afternoon, Goebbels poisoned his children. At about 8:30 pm, Goebbels orderered an SS guard to accompany him and his wife to the garden of the Reichs Chancellery. He further ordered the guard to shoot them both and to burn the bodies. [5]

[edit] Surrender to Chuikov

On 2 May, General Weidling, as the commander of the Berlin Defense Area, contacted General Chuikov. They met and had the following conversation:

Chuikov: "You are the commander of the Berlin garrison?"

Weidling: "Yes, I am the commander of the LVIIth Tank Corps."

Chuikov: "Where is Krebs?"

Weidling: "I saw him yesterday in the Reichs Chancellery. I thought he would commit suicide. At first he (Krebs) criticized me because unofficial capitulation started yesterday. The order regarding capitulation has been issued today." [5]

Soviet General Vasily Sokolovsky entered with an immediate question. The conversation continued:

Sokolovsky: "Where have Hitler and Goebbels gone?" [5]

The question surprised Weidling, but he kept his voice calm as he responded.

Weidling: "So far as I know, Goebbels and his family were to commit suicide. The Fuhrer took poison (sic) on April 30. His wife also poisoned herself."

Chuikov: "Did you hear that or see that?"

Weidling: "I was in the Reichs Chancellery on the evening of April 30. Krebs, Borman, and Goebbels told me about it."

Chuikov: "So the war is over?"

Weidling: "I think that every unnecessary death is a crime . . . madness." [5]

Sokolovsky cut in again.

Sokolovsky: "Issue an order regarding complete surrender, so that there will be no resistance in individual sectors. Better late than never."

Weidling: "We have neither ammunition nor heavy weapons. Therefore resistance cannot last long. All the Germans have become confused, and they will not believe me that the Fuehrer is dead."

Chuikov: "Write an order regarding complete capitualtion. Then your conscience will be clear." [6]

Per Chuikov's and Sokolovsky's direction, Weidling put his order to surrender in writing. The document written by Weidling read as follows:

"On April 30, 1945, the Fuhrer committed suicide, and thus abandoned those who had sworn loyalty to him. According to the Fuhrer's order, you German soldiers would have had to go on fighting for Berlin despite the fact that our ammunition has run out and despite the general situation which makes our further resistance meaningless. I order the immediate cessation of resistance. WEIDLING, General of Artillery, former District Commandant in the defence of Berlin" [6]

Chuikov and Sokolovsky reviewed what Weidling had written and the conversation continued.

Chuikov: "There is no need to say 'former'. You are still commandant."

Weidling: "Jawold! How shall it be headed, as an appeal or an order?"

Chuikov: "An order." [6]

The meeting between Weidling and Chuikov ended at at 8:23 am on 2 May 1945.

Later on 2 May, loudspeakers announced Weidling's surrender and copies of his "order" was distributed to the remaining defenders. Much fighting stopped. Some isolated fighting continued.

The Soviet forces took Weidling into custody as a prisoner of war and flew him to the Soviet Union. He never returned to Germany alive.

[edit] Aftermath

On 27 February 1952, a Soviet military tribunal in Moscow sentenced Weidling to 25 years' imprisonment. Weidling died on 17 November 1955, apparently in the custody of the KGB in Vladimir. KGB records listed the cause of death as "arterial and cardiac sclerosis along with circulatory collapse."

During Weidling's military career he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with oak leaves and swords.

[edit] References

  • Dollinger, Hans. The Decline and Fall of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number 67-27047

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../h/e/l/Helmuth_Weidling_0180.html"