Karl Pfeffer-Wildenbruch

Karl Pfeffer Wildenbruch
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	, Waffen SS
Years of service	1907–1945
Rank	Obergruppenführer
Unit	4th SS Polizei Division VI SS Corps IX SS Mountain Corps
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross with Oakleaves Iron Cross 1st Class (1914) & (1939) Iron Cross 2nd Class (1914) &(1939) Wound Badge Anschluss Medal Sudetenland Medal Cross of Honor SS Honour Ring

Karl Pfeffer Wildenbruch {1888-1971} was a staff officer of the German General Staff during World War I and a Obergruppenführer General der Waffen-SS und der Polizei, during World War II, he commanded the 4th SS Polizei Division and the VI SS Army Corps and the IX SS Mountain Corps, he was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves.

Early life

Karl Pfeffer-Wildenbruch was born on the 12 June 1888, in Kalkberge , Rüdersdorf. After finishing high school he became a Fahnenjunker in the 22 Field Artillery Regiment in March 1907 and promoted to Leutnant, in August 1908 and in 1911 given command of the Military Technical School in Berlin.

World War I

On the outbreak of World War I, he commanded a Battery and was a Regimental Adjutant, then became a staff officer on the German General Staff. He served under Field Marshal General, Colmar von der Goltz, in Baghdad who was the commander of the 1st Turkish Army, his next posting was as the IA to the German Military mission in Constantinople from May to November 1917. At the end of 1917 he returned to Germany, as a staff officer with the 11th Infantry Division. At the end of the war he remained on the General staff of the ZBV 55 and XXIV reserve corps.

Interwar period

In August 1919 he joined the police service, and spent time in the Reich Ministry of the Interior and was the police commander in Osnabrueck and Magdeburg. From 1928 he was in Santiago de Chile as the Chief of the Chilean Carabinieros, returning to Germany in 1933.

In June 1933, Pfeffer Wildenbruch became an Oberstleutnant in the National Police Regiment at Frankfurt an der Oder and from May 1936 he was the Inspector General of Police schools, being promoted to Generalmajor der Polizei in May 1937.

In March 1939, he joined the SS, service number was 292 713 and served on the staff of the Reichsführer-SS, being promoted to SS-Brigadeführer in April 1939.

World war II

At the end of 1939, he was given command of the 4th SS Polizei Division with the rank of SS-Gruppenführer and Generalleutnant der Polizei. After the Battle of France he returned to the staff of the Reichsführers-SS, until being made the chief of the colonial police in the Reich ministry in from 1941 to 1943.

In October 1943 he took over as commander of the VI SS Corps, with a promotion to SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS und Polizei.

In December 1944 was appointed commander of the IX SS Mountain Corps, which was stationed in Budapest, Hungary. He was responsible for the defence of the Hungarian capital, after it had been encircled by the advancing Russian forces, from the 24 December, 1944 to the 11 February, 1945

The siege of Budapest was one of the longest and bloodiest city struggles of the Second World War and the fight lasted 102 days. For his defence of the city he was awarded with the Knight's Cross on the 11 January 1945 and the Oakleaves on the 1 February 1945. During the attempt to break out from Budapest he was seriously wounded and captured by the Russians. He was released from captivity in October 1955.

Karl Pfeffer Wildenbruch, was killed in a traffic acident on the 29 January 1971 at Bielefeld.

References

General

• Berger, Florian. Ritterkreuzträger mit Nahkampfspange in Gold. Selbstverlag Florian Berger, 2004. ISBN 3-9501307-3-X.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.