Georg Keppler

Georg Keppler
Born	7 May 1894 Mainz, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, German Empire
Died	16 June 1966 (aged 72) Hamburg, West Germany
Allegiance	Germany
Years of service	1913–1945
Rank	Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS
Commands held	SS Division Das Reich, SS Division Totenkopf, I SS Panzer Corps, III SS Panzer Corps and the XVIII SS Army Corps
Awards	Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes

Georg Keppler (7 May 1894 – 16 June 1966) was an SS-Obergruppenführer, a Heer and Ordnungspolizei police officer who served in both World War I and World War II. During World War II, Keppler commanded the SS Division Das Reich, SS Division Totenkopf, I SS Panzer Corps, III SS Panzer Corps and the XVIII SS Army Corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Early Life – World War I Service

Georg Keppler was a son of Oberst (colonel) Otto Keppler and was born in the Fortress of Mainz. He joined the Army in 1913 and began his studies at the military academy in Glogau. Following his graduation in May 1914, he was assigned to an artillery regiment and saw action in World War I. Keppler received both classes of the Iron Cross. Following the armistice in 1918, he was discharged from the army and settled in Hanover.

Inter-war Years

Between 1920 and 1934, Keppler was a police officer commanding city and state police units in Hannover, Jena, Gotha and in Munich. He then returned to the German Army; in 1935, he joined the SS-Verfügungstruppe as SS-Sturmbannführer (major). Keppler commanded a battalion of the SS-Standarte 1, which later became the SS VT-Standarte Deutschland.

Following the annexation of Austria in 1938, Keppler moved to Vienna and received command of the SS VT-Standarte 3. In September 1938, this unit was redesignated as the SS-Regiment Der Führer.

World War II service

In October 1939, Der Führer became a component of SS-Verfügungs Division. Keppler continued as its regimental commander throughout the invasion of France, Balkans Campaign and in Operation Barbarossa. In August 1940, Keppler was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. On 15 July 1941, he took over for injured Theodor Eicke as a commander of the SS Division Totenkopf.

Upon Eicke's return on 21 September 1941, Keppler was given command of the SS Mountain Division Nord. In November 1941 Keppler was diagnosed with a brain tumor and spent the remainder of 1941 and the spring 1942 in a hospital. In January 1942, Keppler was promoted to SS-Gruppenführer and three months later was given command of the SS Division Das Reich.

From February 1943, Keppler held a number of administrative positions within the Waffen-SS, first in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and later in Hungary. After his promotion to SS-Obergruppenführer, he was given a field assignment as a commander of the I SS Panzer Corps, which he led from 16 August 1944 until 24 October 1944, during the later stages of the Battle of Normandy.

On 30 October 1944 Keppler returned to the Eastern Front, where he took over the III Panzer Corps. He remained with this unit until 2 April 1945 when he became the last commander of the XVIII SS Army Corps. He surrendered to U.S. Army forces on 22 May 1945. After the war Keppler was interned; he was released in 1948 and settled in Hamburg, where he died on 16 June 1966.

Summary of his military career

Dates of rank

• Fahnenjunker: 28 February 1913
• Leutnant: 6 June 1914
• Oberleutnant: 1917
• Hauptmann der Schupo: 21 June 1920
• Major der Schupo: 1 July 1931
• SS-Sturmbannführer: 10 October 1935
• SS-Obersturmbannführer: 20 April 1937
• SS-Standartenführer: 20 April 1938
• SS-Oberführer: 13 May 1940
• SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS: 9 November 1940. Both ranks were equivalent to a US Brigadier General (Brigade commander).
• SS-Gruppenführer und Generaleutnant der Waffen-SS: 30 January 1942. Both ranks were equivalent to a US Major General (Division commander).
• SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS: 20 April 1944. Both ranks were equivalent to a US Lieutenant General (Corps commander).

Notable decorations

• Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg
• War Merit Cross, 2nd class (Brunswick)
• Iron Cross Second (1914) and First (1914) Classes
• Wound Badge in Black (1914) and Silver (?)
• Clasp to the Iron Cross Second (1940) and First (1940) Classes
• Sudetenland Medal (?) with Prague Castle Bar
• Anschluss Medal (?)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 15 August 1940 as SS-Oberführer and commander of SS-Infanterie-Regiment (motorized) "Der Führer" in the SS-Verfügungs-Division (later "Das Reich")^{[1][2][Note 1]}
• Eastern Front Medal (1942)
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (1934)
• Silesian Eagle, 1st and 2nd class (unofficial)
• SS-Honour Ring and Degen-SS of the Reichsführer-SS

Notes

1. According to Scherzer as commander of SS-Standarte "Der Führer".^[3]

References

Citations

1. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 253.
2. Krätschmer 1999, p. 52.
3. Scherzer 2007, p. 437.

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Krätschmer, Ernst-Günther (1999). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Waffen-SS [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Waffen-SS]. Coburg, Germany: Nation Europa Verlag. ISBN 978-3-920677-43-9.
• 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 Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Williamson, Gordon Williamson (March 1994). The SS: Hitler's Instrument of Terror: The Full Story From Street Fighters to the Waffen-SS . Motorbooks International. ISBN 0-87938-905-2, ISBN 978-0-87938-905-5.
• Yerger, Mark C. (October 1997). Waffen-SS Commanders: The Army, Corps and Divisional Leaders of a Legend : Augsberger to Kreutz. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 0-7643-0356-2, ISBN 978-0-7643-0356-2.