Bruno Bieler

Bruno Bieler (born June 18, 1888 in Gumbinnen , † March 22, 1966 in Dorfmark ) was a German infantry general and commanding general of several army corps in World War II .

Life

Bieler joined the Fusilier Regiment "Graf Roon" (East Prussian) No. 33 as an ensign on March 14, 1907 and was assigned to the Anklam War School. After their visit on August 18, 1908, he was promoted to lieutenant . As such, Bieler was used from October 1, 1912 as an adjutant and court officer of the 1st Battalion and promoted to lieutenant on February 25, 1913 .

With the outbreak of the First World War , Bieler and his regiment came to the front, where on December 21, 1914, he was appointed regimental adjutant. He held this position until his command on July 31, 1916 to the General Command of the 1st Army Corps . On August 5, 1916, he was transferred there and served as an orderly officer . Four months later he joined the General Staff of the XXV. Reserve Corps . From March 6 to June 15, 1917 Bieler was then active in the General Staff of the 5th Cavalry Division and then until December 6, 1917 in the General Staff of the 87th Division . During his time in the 87th Division, Bieler was repeatedly entrusted with front-line commands. So from July 10 to 27 as a company commander in the Infantry Regiment. 345 and from August 10 to 24 as a battery commander in the Field Artillery Regiment. 87. As captain (since November 28, 1917) he was transferred on the 7th. December 1917 in the General Staff of the Commander in Chief East. He then completed the General Staff Course Sedan from January 10 to February 8, 1918 . Retaining his position with Commander-in-Chief East, he was transferred to the Army General Staff on February 27, 1918. As an army officer he was assigned to the Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army on April 20, 1918 for special use. For his work during the war, in addition to both classes of the Iron Cross , he had received the Hanseatic Cross Hamburg, the Bavarian Military Merit Order IV. Class with Swords and the Merit Cross for War Aid.

After the end of the war, Bieler was transferred to the General Staff on February 1, 1919 . From there he was assigned to the Reichswehr Ministry on October 1, 1919, and transferred here on November 24, 1919. For half a year Bieler was then on the staff of Group Command 1. From October 1, 1923 he acted as a company commander in the 7th (Prussian) Infantry Regiment and was transferred to the staff of the 3rd Division on April 1, 1927 . Six months later he was transferred to the staff of Infantry Leader III, leaving his previous function. After Bieler had become major on April 1, 1928 , he was reassigned to the Reichswehr Ministry on October 1, 1929, and commanded him to the naval command . At the same time as he was promoted to lieutenant colonel on October 1, 1932, he was transferred to the staff of Infantry Leader I. Bieler was then from October 1, 1933 to October 14, 1935 with the Allenstein military headquarters and then became a colonel (from October 1, 1934 ) Commander of the 55th Infantry Regiment. He gave up this command on October 11, 1937 and became Chief of the General Staff of the II Army Corps . In this capacity, he was promoted to major general on March 1, 1938, and on April 22, 1938, he was awarded the Commendation of the Order of the Sword .

After the outbreak of World War II , Bieler became commander of the 73rd Infantry Division on September 29, 1939 . With this division he took part in the Western campaign and the Balkan campaign as well as in the war against the Soviet Union . He had already received the promotion to lieutenant general on February 29, 1940. For his achievements in the east, Bruno Bieler was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on October 26, 1941 .

On October 29, 1941 he was with the leadership of the XXXXII. Army Corps , which was subordinate to the 11th Army and deployed in the Crimea , among other places . With the promotion to general of the infantry on December 17, 1941 he was commanding general of the corps. On January 1, 1942, he took over the VI. Army corps with which he was deployed in the 9th Army in the Rzhev area. Due to illness, Bieler was relieved of his command on April 9, 1942 and was given leave of absence. He spent the coming months to restore health in the Bad Nauheim health hospital. From November 1st until his appointment as commanding general of the LXXXVI. Army Corps on November 16, 1942, he was in the Führerreserve and received the German Cross in Gold on November 20, 1942 . He led this command with interruptions due to illness until April 30, 1943. He was then appointed military commander for the north in France. Bieler was reassigned to the Führerreserve on May 27, 1943 and on August 9, 1943 to the staff of the Deputy General Command of the XI. Army Corps commands. He was then set up on August 21, 1943, effective August 15, as the commanding general of the Deputy XI. Army corps and commanders in military district XI based in Hanover . From August 15 to September 4, 1944, Bieler was temporarily in the Bad Pyrmont reserve hospital and was transferred to the Führer reserve for the last time on December 1, 1944. On April 30, 1945 he retired from active service.

literature

• Dermot Bradley (Ed.): The Generals of the Army 1921-1945. The military careers of the generals, as well as the doctors, veterinarians, intendants, judges and ministerial officials with the rank of general. Volume 1: Abberger – Bitthorn. Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1993, ISBN 3-7648-2423-9 , pp. 400-402.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Reichswehr Ministry (Ed.): Ranking list of the German Reichsheeres. Mittler & Sohn Verlag, Berlin 1930, p. 124.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Veit Scherzer : Knight's Cross bearer 1939–1945. The holders of the Iron Cross of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and armed forces allied with Germany according to the documents of the Federal Archives. 2nd edition, Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, Ranis / Jena 2007, ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2 , p. 221.