Friedrich von Kieffer

Friedrich Kieffer , since 1916 Knight von Kieffer , (born July 27, 1880 in Asbach , † March 21, 1952 in Dießen am Ammersee ) was a German lieutenant general in World War II .

Life

origin

He was the son of Friedrich Kieffer of the same name and his wife Emilie, née Barnstein. His father was a board member of the state railways .

Military career

After attending a humanistic grammar school , Kieffer joined the 20th Infantry Regiment of the Bavarian Army on July 15, 1899 as a flagjunker . There he was promoted to lieutenant on May 17, 1901 after attending military school . From October 1, 1907 to September 30, 1909, Kieffer served as an adjutant of the Weilheim district command and from October 1910 graduated from the War Academy for three years . As a first lieutenant he was then assigned to the Department of Personal Affairs in the War Ministry .

When the First World War broke out , Kieffer was appointed adjutant of the 2nd mixed Landwehr infantry brigade with which he was deployed in Lorraine . There he was promoted to captain on November 3, 1914, and on January 27, 1915, he was transferred as adjutant to the newly formed 6th Landwehr Division . With her Kieffer was in the trench warfare in the Upper Rhine . In mid-November 1916 he returned to the troop service, initially taking over the leadership of the III. Battalion in the 27th Infantry Regiment and was finally appointed battalion commander at the end of the month. With the regiment he took part in the campaign against Romania . On December 5, 1916, despite the numerical inferiority of his troops, under cover of darkness and with the onset of rain, he succeeded in conquering the strategically important 300 m long railway bridge over the Prahova in a single stroke. As a result of this act, 600 Romanian officers and men were brought in as prisoners of war and the following 12th Infantry Division was able to cross the river the next day, attack and finally take the city of Ploesti . For this achievement Kieffer was by King Ludwig III. entrusted with the Knight's Cross of the Military Max Joseph Order . With the award the elevation to the personal nobility was connected and he was allowed to call himself "Ritter von Kieffer" after the entry in the nobility register .

After further pursuit battles, Kieffer took part in the battle of Rimnicul-Sarat and was in trench warfare on the Putna and the Sereth . On March 15, 1917, Kieffer was replaced and transferred to the staff of the 12th Infantry Division as second general staff officer. After six months of general staff work, he was transferred to Munich in the Department of Personal Affairs of the War Ministry. From July 1, 1918, Kieffer was active as a lecturing council and remained in this function after the armistice . For his achievements during the war Kieffer was awarded both classes of the Iron Cross , the Military Merit Order IV. Class with Swords, the Hanseatic Cross of the City of Hamburg, the Mecklenburg Military Merit Cross II. Class and the Austrian Military Merit Cross III. Class with war decorations.

Kieffer was promoted to major on September 26, 1919 with seniority of October 18, 1918 , accepted into the provisional Reichswehr and assigned to Reichswehr Group Command 4 as an adjutant. From May 16, 1920 he became adjutant of the 7th Division and rose to the division staff on October 1, 1921 after the formation of the Reichswehr. From October 1, 1923 to February 28, 1927, Kieffer commanded the 2nd Battalion of the 20th (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment in Ingolstadt and had meanwhile become a lieutenant colonel on May 1, 1924 . Subsequently assigned to the staff of the 7th (Bavarian) Division, he was transferred to the staff one month later. With his promotion to colonel on February 1, 1929, he was transferred to Regensburg to the staff of the 20th (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment. From July 1, 1929 to January 31, 1931 he served as regimental commander and was then appointed commander of Munich. In this position, Kieffer was promoted to major general on February 1, 1932 and retired from active military service on March 31, 1932.

On July 1, 1938, at the disposal of the Wehrmacht Army , Kieffer was appointed commander of the 45th Infantry Regiment from August 26, 1939, shortly before the start of World War II. However, he gave up this command again on September 9, 1939, was transferred to the Führerreserve and appointed Commander of Munich on October 25, 1939. In this position, promoted to Lieutenant General zV on January 1, 1942, Kieffer was relieved of his post on March 31, 1943, reassigned to the Führerreserve and his mobilization provision on May 31, 1943 repealed.

After his death he was buried in the north cemetery in Munich.

family

Kieffer was married twice. He married Theodore Usener on September 12, 1910. The marriage produced a son and a daughter. On February 15, 1943, Kieffer married Eleonore, widowed Tempel, nee Kerlen in Munich.

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 6: Hochbaum – Klutmann. Biblio Verlag, Bissendorf 2002m ISBN 3-7648-2582-0 , pp. 444-446.
• Othmar Hackl : The Bavarian War Academy (1867-1914). CH Beck´sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-406-10490-8 , pp. 491–492.
• Rudolf von Kramer, Otto von Waldenfels : VIRTUTI PRO PATRIA. The Royal Bavarian Military Max Joseph Order. Self-published by the kb Militär-Max-Joseph-Order, Munich 1966, pp. 173, 332.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Reichswehr Ministry (Ed.): Ranking list of the German Reichsheeres. Mittler & Sohn, Berlin 1924, p. 124.