Albrecht Wüstenhagen

Albrecht Wüstenhagen
Nickname	Spezialist
Birth date	19 October 1892
Place of birth	Klostermansfeld, Province of Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date	⚔ 28 June 1944 (aged 51)
Place of death	Between Kochanawa and Witebsk, Soviet Union
Allegiance	German Empire Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	Prussian Army Imperial German Army Preliminary Reichswehr Heer
Years of service	1913–1919 1935–1944
Rank	Generalleutnant
Commands held	129th Artillery Regiment 110th Infantry Division 256th Infantry Division
Battles/wars	World War II World War II Poland Campaign Battle of France Operation Barbarossa
Awards	Iron Cross German Cross in Gold Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Relations	∞ 1918 Margarete Seyffert

Albrecht Wüstenhagen (1892–1944) was a German officer of the Prussian Army, the Imperial German Army, the Preliminary Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht, finally Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General) and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in World War II.

Life

The "Specialist"

Captain Hans-Albrecht Wüstenhagen (1920–2008), son and oldest child of the General Wüstenhagen

On 24 May 1913, after Gymnasium and Abitur, Wüstenhagen joined the Prussian Hohenzollernsches Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 13 which was stationed in the Kingdom of Württemberg. With his regiment he participated in WWI. On 16 July 1916, he was appointed adjutant of the I. Battalion and on 20 December 1916 adjutant of the Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 233. On 26 October 1918, he became so seriously ill that he had to be admitted to a military hospital. After his recovery, he became a reserve officer in the Reichswehr-Artillerie-Regiment 24 on 2 July 1919. He was released from military service on 29 July 1919. After completing agricultural training, Wüstenhagen became an agricultural official in Hecklingen in 1921 and in Klostermannsfeld in 1922. From 1923, he was the estate administrator in Ermsleben.

Wehrmacht

• 1.6.1935 Employed in the army as a supplemental office by the staff of the Army Field Equipment Administration (Heeresfeldzeugverwaltung) IX (Kassel)
• 26.10.1936 Staff/Artillerie-Regiment 17 (Nürnberg)
  • transferred from the supplemental officers (Ergänzungsoffiziere; E) to the active officers
• 1.11.1936 Commander of the der 10. (Replacement) Company/Artillerie-Regiment 17 (Nürnberg)
• 12.10.1937 Commander of the der 9. Company/Artillerie-Regiment 17 (Nürnberg)
• 10.3.1939 Commander of the I. Abteilung/Artillerie-Regiment 22 (Verden)
• 6.5.1939 Commander of the II. Abteilung/Artillerie-Regiment 30 (Rendsburg)
• 28.11.1941 Commander of the Artillerie-Regiment 129
• 25.9.1943 Delegated with the leadership of the 110. Infanterie-Division
• 29.10.1943 Führerreserve OKH (Army Group Center)
• 25.11.1943 Delegated with the leadership of the 256. Infanterie-Division
• 1.12.1943 Commander of the 256. Infanterie-Division

Knight's Cross recommendation

Wüstenhagen’s Knight’s Cross recommendation reads as follows…

“During the weeks-long defensive battle near Rzhev, Oberst Wüstenhagen has demonstrated heroic bravery on countless occasions. Through his actions in the foremost line, as well as the outstanding conduct of his regiment’s artillery fire, he has had a decisive role in ensuring the holding of the division’s defensive front against a tenfold superior enemy. In particular, his incredible leadership abilities and ruthless employment of his person were responsible for preventing an enemy breakthrough in the direction of Rzhev on 24 August 1942. Following a three-hour artillery barrage, the enemy’s 31st Army attacked with 5 rifle divisions and 2 tank brigades. They broke through a part of the frontline and began a steady assault against Bertinowo, a decisive piece of high ground and the lynchpin of the flank position of the 129. Infanterie-Division southeast of Rzhev (see sketch). In this major crisis, Oberst Wüstenhagen personally intervened in the foremost line. On his own initiative, he deployed the 1., 2., 4. and 5. Batteries for close combat against enemy tanks and organized a new line of resistance. Here he rallied straggling infantry elements, and by his unstoppable boldness and skillful leadership, the enemy attack was brought to a halt. Where Oberst Wüstenhagen appeared the infantry was able to gather new courage despite the overwhelming enemy artillery fire (enemy batteries of all calibers were being concentrated on this point). In the face of about 20o Katyusha rocket launchers, tank fire from about 30 to 40 enemy tanks and the fury of all infantry weapons, the friendly infantry was able to once again take up the defensive battle against the oncoming masses of Bolsheviks. Oberst Wüstenhagen was the soul of resistance (in the literal sense of the word) among the thin friendly ranks. By the evening of the day, hundreds of dead Russians littered the battlefield. 10 tanks were destroyed by Wüstenhagen’s batteries. The coordinated enemy attack by 5 rifle divisions and 2 tank brigades had been smashed. On this day, the Artillerie-Regiment 129 lost 6 officers plus 75 NCOs and men, as well as 6 light field howitzer [10.5 cm leFH 18] through enemy action. The victor of this day, Oberst Wüstenhagen, had prevented a strong Russian breakthrough aimed at the flank and rear of Rzhev as well as the interdiction of the railway line Saytschewka-Rzhev (vital for the XXVII. and VI. Armee-Korps). Details of the deed by Oberst Wüstenhagen have only now come to light following the cessation of hostilities due to the loss of many officers from his regiment.”

Death

In variuos sources, three death dates are listed: 26 April 1944, 26 June 1944 and 28 June 1944. It is presumed, that Lieutenant General Wüstenhagen was killed in action on 26 or 28 June 1944, when his command vehicle was hit by a Soviet tank round in the vicinity of Kochanawa, southwest of Vitebsk/Witebsk and west of Orscha. On the tombstone of the now dissolved grave of the family Wüstenhagen at Offenbach Stadtfriedhof (Offenbach city cemetery) was a commemorative plaque for Albrecht Wüstenhagen stating:

Zum Gedächtnis

Albrecht Wüstenhagen

Generalleutnant Kdr. 256 ID

gefallen am 28.6.1944 bei Witebsk

Family

Albrecht was the son of retired Rittmeister, domain tenant and Royal Official Council (Königlicher Amtsrat) Otto Karl Wilhelm Wüstenhagen and his wife Emma, née Erxleben.

Marriage

On 22 July 1918, 2nd Lieutenant Wüstenhagen married his fiancée Margarete Seyffert. They had three children: two sons (b. 1920 and 1924) and a daughter (b. 1922). Their oldest son was Hans-Albrecht Wüstenhagen (1920–2008), Captain of the Wehrmacht. He also earned the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 14 April 1945 as leader of the heavy infantry gun company of the Küstrin Fortress.

Promotions

• 24.5.1913 Fahnenjunker (Officer Candidate)
• 27.1.1914 Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
• 8.8.1914 Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant) without Patent
  • 10.11.1914 Patent received
• 1.6.1935 Hauptmann (E) with Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1.5.1934
• 26.10.1936 Hauptmann (active Captain) with Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1.11.1933
• 1.4.1938 Major
• 1.6.1941 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel)
• 20.4.1942 Oberst (Colonel) with Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1.4.1942
• 8.12.1943 Generalmajor (Major General) with Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1.12.1943
• 1.6.1944 Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General)

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 30 December 1914
  • 1st Class on 22 October 1915
• Military Merit Order (Bavaria), 4th Class with Swords (BMV4⚔/BM4⚔) on 23 August 1915
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (1934) with Swords on 9 October 1934
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th Class on 2 October 1936
• Repetition Clasp 1939 to the Iron Cross 1914, 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 25 September 1939
  • 1st Class 28 May 1940
• West Wall Medal (Deutsches Schutzwall-Ehrenzeichen) on 7 August 1940
• Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal on 28 July 1942
• German Cross in Gold on 1 March 1942 as Oberstleutnant and Commander of the Artillerie-Regiment 129/129. Infanterie-Division
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 2 December 1942 as Oberst and Commander of the Artillerie-Regiment 129/129. Infanterie-Division

Gallery

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