Branch: Heer
Born: 15 February 1895, Fürstenwalde.
Died: 2 May 1945, Berlin.
Ranks:
General der Infanterie
Generalleutnant
Generalmajor
Oberst
Oberstleutnant
Major
Hauptmann
Oberleutnant
Leutnant
Fähnrich
Decorations:
Iron Cross 1914
2nd Class 24 January 1915
1st Class 14 August 1916
Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg 18 October 1918
Cross of Honor 20 December 1934
Iron Cross 1939
2nd Class 15 June 1940
1st Class 17 June 1940
Eastern Front Medal
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross on 29 September 1941
Commands:
Infanterie-Regiment 529
Other: Personnel
Articles:
Wilhelm Burgdorf was a German general. Born in Fürstenwalde,
Wilhelm Burgdorf served as a commander and staff officer in
the German Army during World War II.
Burgdorf military career
Wilhelm Burgdorf joined the German Army (Reichsheer) at the
outbreak of World War I as an officer cadet and was commissioned
as an infantry officer in Grenadier Regiment 12 in 1915. Between
the wars he served in the Reichswehr and was promoted to captain
in 1930. In 1935 he became an instructor in tactics at the
military academy in Dresden with the rank of major and was
appointed an adjutant on the staff of the IX corps in 1937.
He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1938 and served as
the commander of the 529th Infantry Regiment from May 1940
to April 1942. In May 1942, he became Chief of Department
2 of the Army Personnel Office. Wilhelm Burgdorf became the
Deputy Chief in October 1942, when he was promoted to Generalmajor.
Wilhelm Burgdorf was promoted to Chief of the Army Personnel
Office and Chief Adjutant to
Adolf
Hitler in October 1944. At that time, he was further promoted
in rank to Generalleutnant. Wilhelm Burgdorf retained that
rank and position until his death.
Erwin Rommel
As part of Wilhelm Burgdorf 's function as
Adolf
Hitler's chief adjutant, he played a key role in the death
of Field Marshal
Erwin
Rommel.
Erwin
Rommel had been implicated as having a peripheral role
in the bomb plot of 20 July 1944, in which an attempt was
made to assassinate
Adolf
Hitler.
Adolf
Hitler recognised that to haul the most popular general
in Germany before a People's Court would cause a scandal throughout
Germany and accordingly arranged a face-saving maneuver.
On 14 October 1944, Wilhelm Burgdorf , with General Ernst
Maisel, arrived at the
Erwin
Rommel home. Wilhelm Burgdorf had been instructed by Field
Marshal
Wilhelm
Keitel to offer
Erwin
Rommel a choice take poison, receive a state funeral,
and obtain immunity for his family and staff, or face a trial
for treason.
Erwin
Rommel drove away with Wilhelm Burgdorf and Maisel.
Erwin
Rommel's family received a telephone call 10 minutes later
saying that he had died.
Berlin
Shortly before the Battle of Berlin, Wilhelm Burgdorf was
overheard by Philipp Freiherr von Boeselager saying, When
the war is over, we will have to purge, after the Jews, the
Catholic officers in the army. Philipp Freiherr von Boeselager,
a Roman Catholic Wehrmacht officer, vocally objected, citing
his own decorations for heroism in combat. Boeselager then
left before General Wilhelm Burgdorf could respond.
When the Soviet Army began their assault on Berlin, Wilhelm
Burgdorf joined
Adolf
Hitler in the Führerbunker. On 28 April, when it
was discovered that
Heinrich
Himmler was trying to negotiate a surrender to the western
Allies via Count Folke Bernadotte, Wilhelm Burgdorf became
part of a military tribunal ordered by
Adolf
Hitler to court-martial
Heinrich
Himmler's SS liaison officer Hermann Fegelein. Fegelein,
by that time was Eva Braun's brother-in-law. SS-General Wilhelm
Mohnke presided over the tribunal which, in addition to Wilhelm
Burgdorf and Mohnke, included SS-General Johann Rattenhuber
and General
Hans
Krebs. However, Fegelein was so drunk that he was determined
to be in no condition to stand trial. Mohnke closed the proceedings
and turned Fegelein over to Rattenhuber and his security squad.
On 29 April 1945, Wilhelm Burgdorf ,
Hans
Krebs,
Joseph
Goebbels, and
Martin
Bormann witnessed and signed
Adolf
Hitler's last will and testament. On 2 May, following
the earlier suicides of
Adolf
Hitler and
Joseph
Goebbels, Wilhelm Burgdorf and his colleague Chief of
Staff
Hans
Krebs also committed suicide by gunshot to the head. The
bodies of
Hans
Krebs and Wilhelm Burgdorf were found when Soviet personnel
entered the bunker complex
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