Siegfried Müller
Encyclopedia
Siegfried Müller was a Sturmbannführer
(Major) in the Waffen-SS
during World War II
. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany
during World War II
.
on the Rhine in Germany
to Paul and Wilhelmine Müller. His father was killed in 1916, fighting in World War I
before Siegfried had turned two years old. In 1920 his mother remarried to Heinrich Becker, a locksmith.
Müller attended the peoples school in Krefeld from 1922 until 1927 and then the middle school in Essen
(Altstadt
), he graduated in 1933 and started as an apprentice with an Architect's firm in Essen.
In 1935 Müller decided to end his apprenticeship to join the Heer
, just after his twenty first birthday in October he was posted to the 1st Company, 1st Pioneer (Engineer) Battalion stationed in Königsberg
and received his basic training. He was later selected to become an officer and commissioned with the rank of Lieutenant
in the Reserve in the January 1938. He was then given command of 3rd (mot) Company, 1st Pioneer Battalion. As Müller had volunteered to join the SS in April 1934 (SS service number 230815), he transferred to the active list in November 1938 and was posted to the SS Totenkopf Standarte Brandenberg with the rank of Untersturmführer
(Second Lieutenant).
in January 1940, he was awarded his first combat decorations during the Battle of France
the Iron Cross
II class in May and the I class in June 1940. His next promotion to Hauptsturmführer
(Captain) was in April 1941, just before he took part in Operation Barbarossa
, the invasion of the Soviet Union
, and like all who suffered in the first Russian winter of the war, he was awarded the Eastern Front Medal
followed by the German Cross
in Gold in October 1942 and the Infantry Assault Badge
in December 1942, which was awarded for having taken part in three or more motorized infantry assaults.
Siegfried Müller was awarded the Knight's Cross in December 1944 for his personal bravery and leadership, by now he had been promoted to Sturmbannführer
(Major) and had been transferred to the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend and was in command of the 25th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment.
After the 227th Grenadier Division
was unsuccessful in forcing a breakthrough through the American positions to the west of Hollerath on the 16 December 1944, the next day the 25th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment was tasked to force a breakthrough towards Krinkelt
.
The Americans had moved the US 2nd Infantry Division forward into the area of Rocherath
and Krinkelt. In two days of hard fighting in village and forest the 25th SS Panzergrenadier's succeeded in breaking through the US 99th Infantry Divisions positions to retake Rocherath which was defended by the US 2nd Infantry Division, capturing over 450 prisoners of war.
on the 7 April 1974.
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...
. He 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...
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
Siegfried Müller was born on the 18 October 1914 in KrefeldKrefeld
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...
on the Rhine in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to Paul and Wilhelmine Müller. His father was killed in 1916, fighting 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...
before Siegfried had turned two years old. In 1920 his mother remarried to Heinrich Becker, a locksmith.
Müller attended the peoples school in Krefeld from 1922 until 1927 and then the middle 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...
(Altstadt
Altstadt
Altstadt is the German language word for "old town", meaning "historical city centre within the city wall", in contrast to a Neustadt built outside later....
), he graduated in 1933 and started as an apprentice with an Architect's firm in Essen.
In 1935 Müller decided to end his apprenticeship to join the Heer
Heer
Heer is German for "army". Generally, its use as "army" is not restricted to any particular country, so "das britische Heer" would mean "the British army".However, more specifically it can refer to:*An army of Germany:...
, just after his twenty first birthday in October he was posted to the 1st Company, 1st Pioneer (Engineer) Battalion stationed in Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
and received his basic training. He was later selected to become an officer and commissioned with the rank of Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the Reserve in the January 1938. He was then given command of 3rd (mot) Company, 1st Pioneer Battalion. As Müller had volunteered to join the SS in April 1934 (SS service number 230815), he transferred to the active list in November 1938 and was posted to the SS Totenkopf Standarte Brandenberg with the rank of 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).
World War II
Müller was promoted to ObersturmführerObersturmführer
Obersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi party that was used by the SS and also as a rank of the SA. Translated as “Senior Assault Leader”, the rank of Obersturmführer was first created in 1932 as the result of an expansion of the Sturmabteilung and the need for an additional rank in...
in January 1940, he was awarded his first combat decorations during 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...
the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
II class in May and the I class in June 1940. His next promotion to Hauptsturmführer
Hauptsturmführer
Hauptsturmführer was a Nazi rank of the SS which was used between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank of Hauptsturmführer was a mid-grade company level officer and was the equivalent of a Captain in the German Army and also the equivalent of captain in foreign armies...
(Captain) was in April 1941, just before he took part in 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...
, the invasion of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and like all who suffered in the first Russian winter of the war, he was awarded the Eastern Front Medal
Eastern Front Medal
The Eastern Front Medal, , more commonly known as the Ostmedaille was instituted on May 26, 1942 to mark service on the German Eastern Front during the period November 15, 1941 to April 15, 1942...
followed by the German Cross
German Cross
The German Cross was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 17 November 1941 as an award ranking higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross respectively ranking higher than the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords but below the Knight's Cross of the War Merit...
in Gold in October 1942 and the Infantry Assault Badge
Infantry Assault Badge
The Infantry Assault Badge was a German war badge awarded to Waffen SS and Wehrmacht Heer soldiers during WWII. This decoration was instituted on December 20th 1939 by the Oberstbefehlshaber des Heeres, Generalfeldmarschall von Brauchitsch...
in December 1942, which was awarded for having taken part in three or more motorized infantry assaults.
Siegfried Müller was awarded the Knight's Cross in December 1944 for his personal bravery and leadership, by now he had been promoted to Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
(Major) and had been transferred to the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend and was in command of the 25th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment.
After the 227th Grenadier Division
227th Infantry Division (Germany)
The 227th Infantry Division named "Rheinisch-Westfälische" was created on 26 August 1939 in Krefeld. The Division was deployed for the last time in February 1945 in the Tuchola Forest.-Commanding officers:...
was unsuccessful in forcing a breakthrough through the American positions to the west of Hollerath on the 16 December 1944, the next day the 25th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment was tasked to force a breakthrough towards Krinkelt
Büllingen
Büllingen is a largely German language-speaking municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. On January 1, 2006 Büllingen had a total population of 5,385. The total area is 150.49 km² which gives a population density of 36 inhabitants per km²....
.
The Americans had moved the US 2nd Infantry Division forward into the area of Rocherath
Büllingen
Büllingen is a largely German language-speaking municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. On January 1, 2006 Büllingen had a total population of 5,385. The total area is 150.49 km² which gives a population density of 36 inhabitants per km²....
and Krinkelt. In two days of hard fighting in village and forest the 25th SS Panzergrenadier's succeeded in breaking through the US 99th Infantry Divisions positions to retake Rocherath which was defended by the US 2nd Infantry Division, capturing over 450 prisoners of war.
Post war
Siegfried Müller survived the war and returned to being an architect, living under an assumed name of Siegfried Heuser, (Heuser being his mother's maiden name). He died in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
on the 7 April 1974.
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