Hans Siegel
Encyclopedia
Hans Siegel was a Sturmbannführer
(Major) in the Waffen-SS
during World War II
, who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany
during World War II
.
in the Erzgebirge, he was the only son of Ernst and Liddy Siegel. In his youth he was the leader of the Hitler Youth
in his village and later took on the role of their social secretary. He also completed voluntary military training at school and at the local sports ground with the 15th SS Totenkopf Standarte.
In 1938 after completing his six month compulsory labour service, he volunteered to join the SS-VT (SS service number 293261) and was assigned to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Regiment (mot).
(the standard German medium mortar) platoon, 12th (MG) (Machine Gun) Company. He was then selected to become an officer and sent to the SS-Junkerschule at Bad Tölz
. Upon graduation in 1940 he was posted to the 4th (MG) Company, SS Training and Reserve Battalion, LSSAH.
In 1941 he was promoted to Untersturmführer
(Second Lieutenant) and in December posted to command the 1st platoon, 3rd Battery, 1st SS Sturmgeschütz
(Assault Gun, StuG) Battalion, LSSAH, fighting in Russia in the Taganrog
sector beside the Azov Sea.
He took part in the Battle of Kharkov
in March 1943, as part of Kampfgruppe
(Battle Group) Peiper
, which was based on the III. 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment, supported by the 3rd SS Sturmgeschütz Battery, under the command of Karl Rettlinger
. Siegel was wounded by a sniper
during the attack. He was wounded in the head and back which had damaged the 3 and 4 Vertebra in his spine resulting in paralysis from his chest to his legs. He was evacuated first by a Fieseler Storch to Poltava
and then by a Ju-52 to Kiev
, and then by rail to Stettin, and finally to Berlin
. He was hospitalised for six months and after recovery was classified as unfit for front line service.
In the Autumn of 1943 he was given command of the SS Training and Reserve Battalion Truppenübungsplatz in Krakow
until January 1944, when he was posted to the Panzer Division Hitlerjugend and given command of the 8th Company, II Battalion, at the request of Lieutenant Colonel Max Wünsche
.
During the Normandy Invasion Siegel and his company was always in the thick of the fighting and he was wounded for the fifth time on the 27 June 1944, when his Panzer was hit and he received severe burns on his face and hands. He refused to be evacuated to the rear and remained with the Division.
He was awarded the Knight's Cross for his bravery and leadership in Normandy, in the Caen
sector at Le Mesnil-Patry
and Cheux
, when on the 27 June his company destroyed 37 Allied tanks, being responsible for the destruction of eleven himself.
After a short stay in a field hospital he returned to the division and was given command of the II.Battalion, 12th SS Panzer Regiment after its previous commander Karl Heinz Prinz
was killed in action in August 1944.
During the fighting in Spring of 1945, in the Esztergom Bridgehead, in preparation for Operation Spring Awakening, the Battalion committed itself to a night attack during the night of the 7 and 8 March, and overcame a Russian anti tank force within the first two kilometers advancing towards Puszta
Antal
which is six kilometers away. Siegel led the remaining Panzer IV
s of the regiment in a number of small actions, until the division was forced to withdraw. He commanded the rear guard, and on the 24 March in a duel with a T-34
he received his ninth wound and was evacuated by rail to St Pölten. After treatment for damage to his knee he returned to his battalion with a cast around the knee and walking on crutches.
Siegel remained with the Division and was wounded again on the 8 May 1945, which resulted in a shattered left elbow, and his arm was amputated in a Russian hospital.
, but moved to West Germany
after it became known to the occupying power he was an ex SS officer and they tried to arrest him. He went on to study at the university of Emden
and studied architecture at the university of Stuttgart
.
After graduating he worked successfully as an architect and formed his own company.
He also took part in battlefield tours and had a high reputation with the Staff College
of the Canadian Armed Forces, participating in 19 battlefield tours going over the battlefields that the 12th SS Panzer Division had fought over, his last tour being in 2001.
Hans Siegel died on 18 April 2002 in Andernach
.
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
(Major) in the Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
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 of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
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...
.
Early life
Hans Siegfried Siegel was born on the 25 July 1918 in BöckauBockau
Bockau is a community in the district of Erzgebirgskreis in the Free State of Saxony in Germany. The community is known for growing and researching herbs...
in the Erzgebirge, he was the only son of Ernst and Liddy Siegel. In his youth he was the leader of the Hitler Youth
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
in his village and later took on the role of their social secretary. He also completed voluntary military training at school and at the local sports ground with the 15th SS Totenkopf Standarte.
In 1938 after completing his six month compulsory labour service, he volunteered to join the SS-VT (SS service number 293261) and was assigned to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Regiment (mot).
World War II
Siegel took part in the Polish Campaign in 1939, in command of the Heavy Granatwerfer8 cm sGrW 34
The 8 cm Granatwerfer 34 was the standard German medium mortar throughout World War II. It gained a reputation for extreme accuracy and rapid rate of fire, although much of the credit should go to the training of the crews....
(the standard German medium mortar) platoon, 12th (MG) (Machine Gun) Company. He was then selected to become an officer and sent to the SS-Junkerschule at Bad Tölz
Bad Tölz
Bad Tölz is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and administrative center of the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen.- History :Since the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the Ice Age, archaeology has shown continuous occupation of the site of Bad Tölz...
. Upon graduation in 1940 he was posted to the 4th (MG) Company, SS Training and Reserve Battalion, LSSAH.
In 1941 he was promoted to Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the German Schutzstaffel first created in July 1934. The rank can trace its origins to the older SA rank of Sturmführer which had existed since the founding of the SA in 1921...
(Second Lieutenant) and in December posted to command the 1st platoon, 3rd Battery, 1st SS Sturmgeschütz
Sturmgeschütz
Sturmgeschütz is a German word for "assault gun", usually abbreviated StuG. The vehicle was a leading weapon of the Sturmartillerie, a branch of the German artillery tasked with close fire support of infantry in infantry, panzer, and panzergrenadier units...
(Assault Gun, StuG) Battalion, LSSAH, fighting in Russia in the Taganrog
Taganrog
Taganrog is a seaport city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located on the north shore of Taganrog Bay , several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: -History of Taganrog:...
sector beside the Azov Sea.
He took part in the Battle of Kharkov
Battle of Kharkov
Battle of Kharkov may refer to:* First Battle of Kharkov, a 1941 battle in which German troops captured the city* Second Battle of Kharkov, a 1942 battle in which Soviet forces attempted to retake the city...
in March 1943, as part of Kampfgruppe
Kampfgruppe
In military history and military slang, the German term Kampfgruppe can refer to a combat formation of any kind, but most usually to that employed by the German Wehrmacht and its allies during World War II and, to a lesser extent, in World War I...
(Battle Group) Peiper
Joachim Peiper
Joachim Peiper , more often known as Jochen Peiper, was a field officer in the Waffen-SS during World War II, convicted of war crimes in Belgium and accused of war crimes in Italy. He was Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler's personal adjutant . In 1945, he was an SS-Standartenführer, the Waffen-SS's...
, which was based on the III. 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment, supported by the 3rd SS Sturmgeschütz Battery, under the command of Karl Rettlinger
Karl Rettlinger
Karl Rettlinger was a Sturmbannführer in the Waffen-SS who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on the 20 December 1943, for personally destroying 30 Russian tanks on the Eastern Front, including 6 in one attack...
. Siegel was wounded by a sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
during the attack. He was wounded in the head and back which had damaged the 3 and 4 Vertebra in his spine resulting in paralysis from his chest to his legs. He was evacuated first by a Fieseler Storch to Poltava
Poltava
Poltava is a city in located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Poltava Oblast , as well as the surrounding Poltava Raion of the oblast. Poltava's estimated population is 298,652 ....
and then by a Ju-52 to Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, and then by rail to Stettin, and finally to 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...
. He was hospitalised for six months and after recovery was classified as unfit for front line service.
In the Autumn of 1943 he was given command of the SS Training and Reserve Battalion Truppenübungsplatz in Krakow
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
until January 1944, when he was posted to the Panzer Division Hitlerjugend and given command of the 8th Company, II Battalion, at the request of Lieutenant Colonel Max Wünsche
Max Wünsche
Max Wünsche was a Obersturmbannführer in the Waffen-SS during World War II who was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.-Early life:Max Wünsche was born on 20 April 1914 in Kittlitz...
.
During the Normandy Invasion Siegel and his company was always in the thick of the fighting and he was wounded for the fifth time on the 27 June 1944, when his Panzer was hit and he received severe burns on his face and hands. He refused to be evacuated to the rear and remained with the Division.
He was awarded the Knight's Cross for his bravery and leadership in Normandy, in the Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
sector at Le Mesnil-Patry
Le Mesnil-Patry
-References:*...
and Cheux
Cheux
Cheux is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:...
, when on the 27 June his company destroyed 37 Allied tanks, being responsible for the destruction of eleven himself.
After a short stay in a field hospital he returned to the division and was given command of the II.Battalion, 12th SS Panzer Regiment after its previous commander Karl Heinz Prinz
Karl Heinz Prinz
Karl-Heinz Prinz was a Sturmbannführer in the Waffen-SS during World War II, who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross: which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.-Early life:Karl-Heinz Prinz was born...
was killed in action in August 1944.
During the fighting in Spring of 1945, in the Esztergom Bridgehead, in preparation for Operation Spring Awakening, the Battalion committed itself to a night attack during the night of the 7 and 8 March, and overcame a Russian anti tank force within the first two kilometers advancing towards Puszta
Puszta
Puszta is a steppe biome on the Great Hungarian Plain around the River Tisza in the eastern part of Hungary as well as on the western part of Hungary and in the Austrian Burgenland. The Hungarian puszta is an enclave of the Eurasian Steppe....
Antal
Antal
Antal , known in classical writings as the Amateans or Antixenes , is a gotra of Jats found in India.-History and origin:...
which is six kilometers away. Siegel led the remaining Panzer IV
Panzer IV
The Panzerkampfwagen IV , commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a medium tank developed in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz...
s of the regiment in a number of small actions, until the division was forced to withdraw. He commanded the rear guard, and on the 24 March in a duel with a T-34
T-34
The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II...
he received his ninth wound and was evacuated by rail to St Pölten. After treatment for damage to his knee he returned to his battalion with a cast around the knee and walking on crutches.
Siegel remained with the Division and was wounded again on the 8 May 1945, which resulted in a shattered left elbow, and his arm was amputated in a Russian hospital.
Post war
After being released from Russian captivity he returned to AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, but moved to West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
after it became known to the occupying power he was an ex SS officer and they tried to arrest him. He went on to study at the university of Emden
Emden
Emden is a city and seaport in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia; in 2006, the city had a total population of 51,692.-History:...
and studied architecture at the university 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 ....
.
After graduating he worked successfully as an architect and formed his own company.
He also took part in battlefield tours and had a high reputation with the Staff College
Staff college
Staff colleges train military officers in the administrative, staff and policy aspects of their profession. It is usual for such training to occur at several levels in a career...
of the Canadian Armed Forces, participating in 19 battlefield tours going over the battlefields that the 12th SS Panzer Division had fought over, his last tour being in 2001.
Hans Siegel died on 18 April 2002 in Andernach
Andernach
Andernach is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, of currently about 30,000 inhabitants. It is situated towards the end of the Neuwied basin on the left bank of the Rhine between the former tiny fishing village of Fornich in the north and the mouth of the...
.
Further reading
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Mitcham, Jr.Samuel, Retreat to the Reich, Stackpole books 2007. ISBN 081173384X
- Henschler Henri & Fay Will, Armor Battles of the Waffen-SS, 1943-45 Stackpole Books, 2003. ISBN 0811729052
- Mitcham Samuel, The German Defeat in the East, 1944-45,Stackpole Books, 2007. ISBN 0811733718
- Meyer Hubert, The 12th SS: The History of the Hitler Youth Panzer Division, Stackpole Books, 2005. ISBN 0811731987