Günther Meinhold

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Major General Günther Meinhold (around April 1942)

Günther Meinhold (born May 12, 1889 in Altdamm , Randow district , † February 21, 1979 in Göttingen ) was a German major general in World War II , most recently in 1944/1945 fortress commander of the port city of Genoa occupied by the German Wehrmacht and commander of a German-Italian division (" Kampfgruppe Meinhold") there. Before the end of the war, he refused the ordered demolition of the port and industrial facilities and in April 1945 negotiated conspiratorially with the CLN of Liguria , with which he agreed on April 25, 1945 the surrender of his troops. The liberation from German occupation achieved by local forces - for the first time in a major European city - before the arrival of the Allied troops and the prevention of further destruction and human life is still publicly recognized in Genoa on the annual day of the liberation of Italy .

origin

Günther Meinhold was born in Altdamm near Stettin in Pomerania . His father Julius Philipp Bogislaw Meinhold (1844–1889) was a senior staff doctor in the Prussian army .

Military career

Meinhold came on 11 January 1908 as a cadet in the Infantry Regiment "von der Goltz" (7 Pommersches) No. 54 of the Prussian army in Kolberg and advanced to mid-July 1909. Lieutenant . After the outbreak of World War I , he was initially employed in the same regiment as a company commander on the Eastern Front and promoted to lieutenant on July 24, 1915 . From May 29, 1917 to November 12, 1918, Meinhold was on the Western Front , rose to captain on July 15, 1918 and finally served as battalion leader and regimental adjutant . For his military behavior he was awarded both classes of the Iron Cross , the Hamburg Hanseatic Cross and the Austrian Military Merit Cross III. Class awarded with war decoration.

Meinhold was released from the army on June 11, 1920, and transferred to the Berlin Police on June 22, 1920 . He was initially a captain a. D. used in the police administrations in Munich , Cottbus and Gleiwitz / Oberschlesien. On April 4, 1928, he was promoted to police major and, after his takeover in the Prussian state police, on April 20, 1935 to lieutenant colonel of the state police.

On October 1, 1935, Meinhold was taken over as a lieutenant colonel in the army of the Wehrmacht and commander of the 2nd battalion of the 50th Infantry Regiment in Küstrin . Promoted to colonel on August 1, 1937 , he served in the staff of the 50 Infantry Regiment in Landsberg an der Warthe and was appointed commander of the 122nd Border Infantry Regiment in Meseritz on November 10, 1938 .

This unit, which was renamed Infantry Regiment 122 at the beginning of World War II and was subordinate to the newly formed 50th Infantry Division led by General der Infanterie Karl-Adolf Hollidt , was also transferred to the Wehrmacht in the Polish , Balkan and Russian campaigns Odessa on the Black Sea to the Crimean peninsula , where he was also involved in the battle for the Sevastopol fortress . On April 1, 1942, he was promoted to major general and, out of consideration for his poor health, was deployed from June 1, 1942 to January 1944 as combat commander in Dnjepropetrovsk and Krivoy-Rog / Ukraine .

Use in Genoa and surrender

General Günther Meinhold in front of a map of the Bay of Genoa (Jan. 1945)

On March 16, 1944, Meinhold was transferred to Genoa / Italy as a fortress commander, and from November 1, 1944, he took over parts of the 148th Infantry Division with its command post in Savignone , which was called "Kampfgruppe Meinhold" and the Army Corps "Lombardia" under Artillery General Kurt Jahn was subordinate to and transformed into a mixed German-Italian division with mountain artillery was to hold the Genoa- La Spezia section of the front . In the event of an uprising by the population or an Allied attack on Genoa, Hitler had ordered the destruction of all Genoa's industrial and port facilities in a so-called Z-Plan (" Nero order ") and had already had pioneers and naval units prepared for the demolitions . These plans had leaked to some of the affected companies and caused increasing concern among the population.

When the arbitrary arrests of alleged partisans by the ruthless Security Service (SD) under the notorious SS - Obersturmbannführer Friedrich Engel continued to increase, the Genoese medical professor A. Giampalmo and his German wife E. Müller turned to Meinhold for help. After they had pointed out to the general on one such occasion the catastrophic consequences of blowing up the port facilities, in particular the outer pier, which was essential for Genoa, Meinhold promised not to issue the order to blow it up, but to prevent it if possible, provided his soldiers were not attacked by partisans would.

Therefore Meinhold made conspiratorial contact with his colleague A. Romanzi at the beginning of April 1945 through the mediation of Giampalmo, who as a confidante of the partisans in the CLN ( Comitato di Liberazione Nazionale ) of Liguria initially appeared only as "Stefano"; Meinhold negotiated with him on April 11th, 17th and 23rd, initially successfully about the omission of the destruction and sent him a map of the port through Prof. Giampalmo with details of the explosive charges that the partisans might have to remove; In return, through Romanzi, he was assured of an undisturbed withdrawal of his division by the partisans. While the stage, including the SD and SS men, was able to move north from Genoa on the evening of April 23 without being attacked by the partisans, the army corps' withdrawal order for the combat units in and around Genoa came too late to arrive in time for them the city past the allies advancing north to reach the German positions in the Po Valley .

Thereupon Meinhold informed his trustworthy general staff officer , Captain Asmus, on April 24th that he had decided not to sacrifice his soldiers "for Hitler" in a now hopeless fight, but to lay down his arms . Meinhold then issued the order to his soldiers not to attack the partisans who were now openly so as not to provoke a fight. In addition, through Giampalmo, he urgently ordered Romanzi, the meanwhile proven negotiator, to his command post in Savignone, who did not arrive there early on April 25 with another partisan representative in a medical vehicle after a dangerous journey between the fronts. Romanzi handed Meinhold a letter from Cardinal Boetto , in which he asked the general to spare the city of Genoa, as well as a negotiating power of the CLN and suggested an early meeting with their leaders at the cardinal's neutral seat in the Villa Migone in the old district of San Fruttuoso . Meinhold accepted this and explained to Romanzi that despite his order to withdraw and the fighting strength of his troops, which were still superior to the partisans, as well as the readiness of the mountain artillery to avoid senseless victims and destruction, he did not want to continue “fighting for Hitler”. He then explained to the assembled officers of his command post the hopeless military situation, rejected a proposed waiting for the Allied troops or an outbreak individually or in small groups as unsuitable, and now communicated his decision to lay down his arms, for which he took full responsibility. This was accepted by his officers despite Hitler's notorious blanket authorization to immediately arrest or, if necessary, shoot a superior willing to surrender.

Surrender room at Villa Migone

Then Meinhold drove with Romanzi in his ambulance with a serviette as the parliamentary flag , behind him Captain Asmus with an interpreter and the other partisan representative in his own car back to Genoa. On the way they were able to defuse several critical conflict situations between German units and insurgent partisans together; however, he was unable to persuade the naval units under the sea commander, Captain Max Berninghaus, who had holed up in the port area and fought fierce battles with the partisans, to give up.

Surrender agreement of April 25, 1945 in the Villa Migone (Genoa)

Finally Meinhold and his companion reached the Villa Mignone in the early evening and were warmly received there by Cardinal Boetto; he invited to his premises for "peace negotiations", in which he himself as a cleric, however, could not participate. The representatives of the CLN Liguria, Messrs. Remo Scappini, Giovanni Savoretti, the lawyer Errico Martino and the commanding officer Mauro Aloni also arrived. Meinhold, who initially gave them a nervous and still undecided impression, now explained his decision, despite his intact and combat-ready units and the heavy batteries in the mountains, to put down his arms to the city and its inhabitants as well as around 9,000 soldiers no longer to sacrifice “for Hitler” in an obviously lost war. The CLN representatives took note of this with relief, so that agreement could be reached quickly on the handover modalities, in particular on the correct treatment of the soldiers in accordance with martial law, and the corresponding bilingual surrender agreement could be signed by everyone around 7:30 p.m. the document can still be viewed in the Villa Migone today.

Memorial to the victims before liberation under the monumental bridge in Via XX Settembre (Genoa)

Then Meinhold, who initially stayed at Villa Migone with his companion, gave the order to his units to stop fighting on April 26, 1945. After this was immediately reported to the Führer Headquarters , the German radio announced the death sentence for Meinhold. However, after he was already in the custody of the partisans, the latter was protected against unauthorized attempts at execution by fanatical naval officers who initially refused to surrender but had to capitulate themselves the following day. The partisans celebrated with the residents of Genoa their happily achieved liberation from the German occupation and handed over Meinhold and the German soldiers to them two days later after the arrival of the Allied troops.

On several memorial plaques u. a. reminiscent of Villa Migone and under the Ponte monumentale in Via XX Settembre. On April 25th every year, the official day of liberation, the services of General Meinhold and his Italian negotiating partners for the saving of the city of Genoa are honored in a ceremony in the Villa Migone. At the ceremony on April 25, 2014, the then President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, emphasized their importance for German-Italian reconciliation and for European unification.

post war period

Grave of gene Meinhold with the badge of the 50th Inf. Division

Meinhold was interned in various US Army prison camps in Italy and Germany from April 30, 1945 , most recently in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and was interrogated as a witness in the Nuremberg OKW trial against Colonel General Hollidt . After his release, he returned to his family in Hardegsen near Göttingen on June 26, 1947, where he was initially attacked by some fellow citizens for his surrender. However, his former soldiers called him "Father Meinhold" because of his responsible and caring attitude. He was co-founder and later honorary chairman of the traditional community of the 50th Infantry Division and played a leading role in creating the division's history. The divisional monument in Göttingen is also based on his initiative. His commitment, especially for the rescue of Genoa and the soldiers entrusted to him there, was honored in his homeland during his lifetime and on the occasion of his death on February 21, 1979.

Awards

  • Clasp for the Iron Cross, 2nd and 1st Class (1939)
  • Eastern Medal (1942)
  • Crimean shield Order of the Star of Romania with swords on the ring in the commander class
  • War Merit Cross 1st Class with Swords
  • Commander's Cross of the Kgl. Romanian Order of the Star with Swords

Fonts

  • The Infantry Regiment von der Goltz (7th Pomm.) No. 54 in the World War. Memorial sheets of German regiments, Verlag Gerhard Stalling, Oldenburg i. O. 1928.
  • The 50th Infantry Division 1939–1945. Self-published by the traditional association 50th Inf.Div., Augsburg 1965.
  • Typewritten report from retired Major General Günther Meinhold from 1949 about his assignment as fortress commander and later division commander in Genoa 1944/45 and his surrender on April 25, 1945, archived in the Federal Archives / Military Archives (BAMA) in Freiburg under MSG 2/261, in the Institute for Contemporary history (IfZ) Munich at www.ifz-muenchen.de/archiv/zs/zs-0103 as well as in the Istituto ligure per la Storia della Resistenza e dell'Eta (ILSREC), Genoa, authenticated and approved. a. by Mrs. E. Müller-Giampalmo.
  • Günther Meinhold - Remo Scappini: Il generale e l'operaio: La Liberazione di Genova nei memoriali dei protagonisti. Istituto ligure per la Storia della Resistenza e dell'Eta (ILSREC), Genova 2009. This brochure, which is now out of print, contains the "Meinhold Report", translated into Italian by Ms. E. Müller-Giampalmo and rated as correct by the ILSREC, with numerous images and further explanations .

literature

  • Peter Bamm : The invisible flag . Droemersche Verlagsanstalt, Munich 1952, in which Meinhold under the pseudonym "Colonel Reinhart" was erected a literary memorial as an older officer with a noble disposition towards "the others" soldiers who were influenced by National Socialists.
  • Kalmuth: The inner command, memories of a young officer. Kurt Vowinkel Verlag, Neckargmünd, 1962, pp. 96, 97.
  • Ulla Borchard in: Göttinger Tageblatt from 19./20. April 1975: A whole city worships this Göttinger: Günther Meinhold saved Genoa from destruction at the end of the war.
  • Horst Lange : Diaries from World War II. Hase & Köhler, Mainz 1979, pp. 203, 204.
  • Rainer Blasius : Hasso von Etzdorf a German diplomat in the 20th century. Haumesser, Zurich 1994, p. 39 ff.
  • Gerhard Schreiber , German war crimes in Italy: perpetrators - victims - criminal prosecution, CH Beck, Munich 1996
  • Elisabetta Tonizzi, et al. Alfredo Romanzi (Stefano): una testimonianza. In: Storia e Memoria Istituto Storico della Resistenza in Liguria. Genova 1/1994, p. 97 ff.
  • Remo Scappini: E il generale nazista si arrese all'operaio. In: Patria indipendente: quindicinale della Resistenza e degli ex combattenti N. 3 2005, Rome 2005 ( PDF )
  • Elisabetta Tonizzi, et al. “A wonderfull job” Genova April 1945: insurrezione e liberazione. Carocci editore, Roma 2006.
  • Lutz Klinkhammer : Distruzione totale? La strategia tedesca per l'Italia occupata e per il porto di Genova nel 1944/45. In: Storia e Memoria Istituto Storico della Resistenza in Liguria. Genova 2/2007, p. 159 ff.
  • Elisabetta Tonizzi, et al. Genova 1943-1945. Occupazione tedesca, fascismo repubblican, Resistenza. Rubbetttino Editore, 2015.

Web links

Remarks

  1. Not to be confused with the Z-Plan for arming the Navy

Individual evidence

  1. Günther Meinhold: The infantry regiment von der Goltz (7th Pomm.) No. 54 in the world wars . In: memorial sheets of German regiments . Verlag Gerhard Stalling, Oldenburg i. O. 1928.
  2. Personnel files in the Federal Archives Berlin R 52 IV 89
  3. ^ Joachim Schmidt: Meseritz, garrison town from 1938 to 1945 location of the border infantry regiment 122. In: http://www.heimatkreis-meseritz.de/ . Retrieved August 8, 2016 .
  4. Description as "Colonel Reinhart" in: Peter Bamm: The invisible flag . Droemersche Verlagsanstalt, Munich 1952, p. 32 ff .
  5. Description as a sick Colonel von Kalmuth: The inner command, memories of a young officer . Kurt Vowinkel Verlag, Neckargemünd 1962, p. 96, 97 .
  6. Peter Bamm: The Invisible Flag. In the chapter: Peaceful everyday life.
  7. Horst Lange: Diaries from the Second World War . Hase & Köhler, Mainz 1979, p. 203, 204 .
  8. typed report by Major General a. D. Günther Meinhold from 1949, archived in the BAMA under MSG 2/261, in the Institute for Contemporary History (IfZ) Munich under www.ifz-muenchen.de/archiv/zs/zs-0103 and for the Istituto ligure per la Storia della Resistenza e dell'Eta (ILSREC), Genoa, certified and translated by Ms. E. Müller-Giampalmo and published together with the report of the CLN representative Remo Scappini under: Günther Meinhold - Remo Scappini, “Il Generale E L'Operario, La Liberatione di Genova nei memoriali dei protagonisti “, Genova 2009
  9. ^ NN: European Memorials 1939–1945 - Genoa. In: http://www.gedenkorte-europa.eu/content/list/480/ . September 8, 2016, accessed September 8, 2016 .
  10. Gerhand Schreiber: German war crimes in Italy: offender - victim - law enforcement . CH Beck, Munich 1996.
  11. Meinhold thereupon asked Engel to release the prisoners, whereupon he complained to Field Marshal Kesselring about Meinhold's alleged refusal to support the fight against partisans , which, however, was not discussed further, cf. "Meinhold Report"
  12. Meinhold later found out from the consul general in Genoa, Hasso von Etzdorf , that at the insistence of Bishop Siri , he had also tried, via the German ambassador in Italy, Rahn with the army command and Grand Admiral Dönitz, to repeal or at least moderate the destruction order; however, after a brief transfer to naval offices in Genoa, responsibility for execution remained with Meinhold (see "Meinhold Report").
  13. a b Meinhold report, as above
  14. Elisabetta Tonizzi et al .: Alfredo Romanzi (Stefano): una testimonianza . In: Istituto Storico della Resistenza ub Liguria (ed.): Storia e Memoria . No. 1 . Genova September 1, 1994, p. 97 ff .
  15. ^ Villa Migone: Storia (Italian).
  16. Horst Lange: Diaries from the Second World War . Hase & Köhler, Mainz 1979, p. 203, 204 .
  17. ^ Meinhold report, as above
  18. Günther Meinhold - Remo Scappini: Il Generale e l'Operaio - La Liberazione di Genova nei Memoriali dei Protagonisti . Ed .: Istituto ligure per la Storia della Resistenza e dell'Eta - ILSREC. Genova 2009.
  19. Remo Scappini: e il generale nazista si Arrese all'operaio . Ed .: Patria indipendente: quindicinale della Resistenza e degli ex combattenti N. 3. Rome 2005.
  20. ^ Gerhard Schreiber: German war crimes in Italy: Perpetrator - victim - criminal prosecution . CH Beck, Munich 1996, p. 30 .
  21. from an Italian perspective: Elisabetta Tonizzi et al .: , “A wonderfull job” Genova April 1945: insurrezione e liberazione . Carocci editore, Roma 2006.
  22. from a German perspective: Lutz Klinghammer: Distruzione totale? La strategia tedesca per l'Italia occupata e peril dorto di Genova nel 1944/45 . In: Istituto Storico della Resistenza ub Liguria (ed.): Storia e Memoria . tape 2 . Genova 2007, p. 159 ff .
  23. Elisabetta Tonizzi et al .: Genova 1943–1945 Occupazione tedesca, fascismo repubblican, Resistenza . Rubbetttino Editore, 2015.
  24. Instead of many: Henning Klüver: Commemoration in Italy - Former enemies look ahead as friends . Deutschlandfunk, April 26, 2015.
  25. Mino Ronzitti: Meinhold, il inglese che si Ribello a Hiltler per saggezza. https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio , April 4, 2016, accessed on January 16, 2018 (Italian).
  26. ^ NN: Visit of President Schulz in Italy on the occasion of the celebrations for the anniversary of the liberation. Retrieved January 18, 2019 .
  27. ^ Il presidente dell'Europarlamento Schulz celebra il 25 April a Villa Migone: “Europa miglior strumento per sconfiggere razzismo”. April 24, 2014, accessed January 28, 2019 (Italian).
  28. April 25, Martin Schulz a Genova: emoziona visitare Villa Migone. April 25, 2014, accessed January 28, 2019 (Italian).
  29. ^ Schulz a Villa Migone: "qui chi ha liberato l'Italia ha liberato l'Europa". April 25, 2014, accessed January 28, 2019 (Italian).
  30. Ulla Borchard: A whole city worships this Göttinger: Günther Meinhold saved Genoa from destruction at the end of the war . Ed .: Göttinger Tagblatt. April 19, 1975.
  31. ^ Günther Meinhold: The 50th Infantry Division 1939 - 1945 . Self-published by the traditional association 50th Inf.Div., Augsburg 1965.
  32. Ulla Borchard: The savior of Genoa has died . Ed .: Göttinger Tagblatt. April 15, 1979.