Matthias Kleinheisterkamp

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Matthias Kleinheisterkamp
22 June 1893 - 08 May 1945

Place of birth Elberfeld
Place of death suicide near Halbe
Allegiance Germany
Years of service 1914-1945
Rank Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS
Awards Ritterkreuz des Eisernes Kreuz mit Eichenlaub


SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS Matthias Kleinheisterkamp (1893-1945) was a German, Heer and Waffen-SS, officer who served in both World War I and World War II. During World War II, Kleinheisterkamp commanded the 3. SS-Division Totenkopf, 6. SS-Gebirgs-Division Nord, 2. SS-Division Das Reich, III.(germanische) SS-Panzerkorps , VII. SS-Panzerkops, IV. SS-Panzerkops, XII. SS-Armeekorps and the XI. SS-Armeekorps. He was also a winner of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub.


Contents

[edit] Early Life – World War I Service

Matthias Kleinheisterkamp was born in Elberfeld, Germany on June 22, 1893. He was a son of railway secretary Matthias Kleinheisterkamp and his wife Anna Rüpper. After passing his Abitur in 1914, he decided to join the Army and was assigned first to the 1.Westfälische Pionier-Bataillon Nr. 7 later to 1. Lothringische Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 130 and finally to Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 219. It was with this regiment Leutnant Kleinheisterkamp saw action in World War I first from 1914 to 1915 on the Western Front, from 1915 to 1916 on the Eastern Front and from 1916 until 1918 back in the West. However, before the Great War's end, Kleinheisterkamp was seriously wounded in the head and spent the rest of 1918 recovering from his injuries. For his heroic achievements he was awarded both classes of the Iron Cross and a silver grade Wound Badge.

[edit] Inter-war Years

Following the Armistice in 1918, Kleinheisterkamp joined the Freikorps and also served in the Reichswehr with various infantry units until he joined the Allgemeine-SS on November 1, 1933. He transferred to the SS-VT on April 1, 1935 and was assigned to the SS-Führerschule Braunschweig, future SS-Junkerschule Braunschweig, as an infantry instructor. He taught there for a year, after which he joined Oberstgruppenführer Paul Hausser's Inpectorate of the SS-VT as a senior staff officer. On April 20, 1937 Kleinheisterkamp joined the Nazi Party, but his career backtracked when in June 1938 he got into serious legal and disciplinary troubles, had to be reprimended by the SS court and placed on leave until August 1938. Upon his return to active duty, he was assigned to the SS-Standarte Deutschland in Munich and from December 1, 1938 commanded the Deutschland's III.Sturmbann.

[edit] War War II Service

Kleinheisterkamp remained with the III.Sturmbann during the 1939 operation Fall Weiß when he commanded the Gefechtsgruppe Kleinheisterkamp responsible in part for the evacuation of German citizens and diplomatic personnel from Warsaw. Following his promotion to SS-Standartenführer in May 1940, he was pun in charge of Infanterie-Regiment 3 within the SS-Division Totenkopf, despite the fact that he did not get along with Totenkopf’s commander Theodor Eicke. After Eicke was injured in July 1941 Kleinheisterkamp was, for a short time, commander of the Totenkopf Division, before being replaced by Georg Keppler. He remained with the division for the next 3 months until the continuous friction with Eicke resulted in Kleinheisterkamp’s transfer first to SS-Führungshauptamt and later then to the 2. SS-Division Das Reich. During his time with this division, Kleinheisterkamp was finally awarded the Ritterkreutz, after two previous nominations for this award in 1940 and 1941, for his exemplary leadership of the Das Reich Division during its 1942 operations on Eastern Front. In January 1942, after 4 months as a commander of Das Reich, he was assigned to the SS-Division Nord, however did not take over the division until June, succeeding SS-Obergruppenführer Demmelhuber. He proved himself to be an excellent divisional leader and was extremely popular with his men and fellow officers, including his superior Eduard Dietl. Kleinheisterkamp remained with the SS Gebirgs Division Nord until December 1943, when he was again transferred to the Waffen-SS reserves at the SS-Führungshauptamt. In January 1944, he was again transferred in the field and commanded the VII. SS-Panzerkops, III.(germanische) SS-Panzerkorps , IV. SS-Panzerkops, XII. SS-Armeekorps, before he finally returned to the XI. SS-Armeekorps. General Kleinheisterkamp was captured by the Soviets on April 28, 1945 near the village of Halbe, south-east of Berlin and committed suicide a day later while in captivity. Posthumously Matthias Kleinheisterkamp received Eichenlaub to his Ritterkreuz.

[edit] Personal Life

  • Kleinheisterkamp got married on March 27, 1921 to Ellen Heusing-Esch (born July 04, 1900 and died on October 14, 1943). They had tree sons Karl-Ernst, born on April 11, 1922; Hans-Joachim, born on April 12, 1928 and Heinrich, born on September 18, 1937. He had also two daughters Waltraud, born on September 15, 1923 and Marliese, born on December 11, 1929.


[edit] Summary of his SS career

[edit] Dates of rank

[edit] Notable decorations

[edit] References

  • Gordon Williamson - The SS: Hitler's Instrument of Terror: The Full Story From Street Fighters to the Waffen-SS - Motorbooks International, (March 1994), ISBN-10: 0879389052, ISBN-13: 978-0879389055.
  • Yerger, Mark C. - Waffen-Ss Commanders: The Army, Corps and Divisiional Leaders of a Legend : Augsberger to Kreutz - Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing (October 1997). ISBN-10: 0764303562, ISBN-13: 978-0764303562.
Preceded by
SS-Obergruppenführer Theodor Eicke		 Commander of 2. SS-Panzer Division Totenkopf
July 07, 1941 - July 15, 1941		 Succeeded by
SS-Obergruppenführer Georg Keppler
Preceded by
SS-Obergruppenführer Wilhelm Bittrich		 Commander of 2. SS-Division Das Reich
January 01, 1942 - April 19, 1942		 Succeeded by
SS-Obergruppenführer Georg Keppler
Preceded by
SS-Obergruppenführer Karl-Maria Demelhuber		 Commander of 6. SS-Gebirgs-Division Nord
April 01, 1942 - April 20, 1942		 Succeeded by
SS-Oberführer Hans Scheider
Preceded by
SS-Obergruppenführer Hans Scheider		 Commander of 6. SS-Gebirgs-Division Nord
June 01, 1942 - December 15, 1943		 Succeeded by
SS-Gruppenführer Lothar Debes
Preceded by
none		 Commander of VII. SS-Armeekorps
May 01, 1943 - June 01, 1943		 Succeeded by
absorbed into IV. SS-Panzerkorps
Preceded by
SS-Obergruppenführer Walther Krüger		 Commander of IV. SS-Panzerkorps
June 01, 1944 - June 20, 1944		 Succeeded by
SS-Brigadeführer Nikolaus Heilmann
Preceded by
none		 Commander of XI. SS-Armeekorps
August 01, 1944 - April 30, 1945		 Succeeded by
none
Preceded by
SS-Obergruppenführer Georg Keppler		 Commander of III.(germanische) SS-Panzerkorps
February 04, 1945 - February 11, 1945		 Succeeded by
Generalleutnant Martin Unrein
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