Alfred Wünnenberg (20 July 1891 – 30 December 1963) was a high-ranking commander in the Waffen-SS and the police of Nazi Germany. He commanded the SS Polizei Division between December 1941 and June 1943. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. On 10 June 1943, he was moved to command the IV SS Panzer Corps, where he remained until 31 August. That same year he became chief of the Ordnungspolizei (Orpo; uniformed police). After the war, Wünnenberg was interned in Dachau, Bavaria, but was released in 1947.[1] He was a infantry soldier in the Prussian Army from 1913–1919 and an officer in the Reichsheer from 1921–1930s, and later became an officer and General in the Orpo and Waffen-SS during the 1940s.
Alfred Wünnenberg | |
|---|---|
 Wünnenberg in 1942 | |
| Chief of Order Police | |
| In office 31 August 1943 – 8 May 1945 | |
| Leader | Heinrich Himmler as Chief of German Police Karl Hanke as Chief of German Police |
| Preceded by | Kurt Daluege |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 July 1891 Saarburg, Alsace-Lorraine, German Empire |
| Died | 30 December 1963 (aged 72) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch/service | |
Years of service | 1913–1945 |
| Rank | SS-Obergruppenführer and General of the Waffen-SS and Police |
| Unit | IV SS Panzer Corps SS Polizei Division |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Awards and decorations
edit- Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class (10 February 1915) & 1st Class (9 September 1915)[2]
- Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (18 June 1940) & 1st Class (21 August 1941)[2]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight's Cross on 15 November 1941 as SS-Standartenführer and Oberst of the Schupo, and commander of SS-Polizei-Schützen-Regiment 3[3]
- Oak Leaves on 23 April 1942 as SS-Brigadeführer and Generalmajor of the Police, and commander of SS-Polizei-Division[3]
Ranks in the Orpo and SS
edit- Oberfuhrer (senior colonel or brigadier); 1940–1941
- Brigadefuhrer (brigadier-general or major-general); 1941–1942
- Gruppenfuhrer (major-general or Lt-general); 1942–1943
- Obergruppenführer (Lt-general or general); 1943–1945
See also
editReferences
editCitations
editBibliography
edit- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
- Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9.
