Rudolf von Bünau (father)

Rudolf von Bünau
Rudolf von Bünau
Born	19 August 1890 Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg, German Empire
Died	14 January 1962 (aged 71) Kirchheim unter Teck, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1909–45
Rank	General der Infanterie
Commands held	177. Infanterie-Division 73. Infanterie-Division XXXXVII Panzerkorps LII Armeekorps XI. Armeekorps
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Annexation of the Sudetenland Invasion of Poland Battle of France Siege of Sevastopol Battle of the Caucasus Kuban bridgehead Lower Dnieper Offensive Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive Battle of the Dukla Pass Upper Silesian Offensive Vienna Offensive
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Relations	Rudolf von Bünau (son)

Rudolf von Bünau (19 August 1890 – 14 January 1962) was a German general who commanded several Corps during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade, with Oak Leaves, were awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership). At the Enns River, in Austria, von Bünau surrendered to Major General Stanley Eric Reinhart's 261st Infantry Regiment. He was released in April 1947.

His son, also named Rudolf von Bünau, was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 8 August 1943 as Hauptmann and commander of Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 9 (9th Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion). He was killed in action just one week later on 15 August 1943 south of Roslavl and posthumously promoted to Major. His other son, Oberleutnant Günther von Bünau, a recipient of the German Cross in Gold, was also killed in action in 1943.

Member of the Schnez-Truppe

According to documents released by the Bundesnachrichtendienst in 2014, Rudolf von Bünau, led a "group staff" of the Schnez-Truppe, a German secret army established by Nazi veterans in 1949.^[1]

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (9 September 1914)^[2]
  • 1st Class (14 November 1914)^[2]
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (15 January 1935)
• Sudetenland Medal (1 November 1939)
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (1 October 1939)^[2]
  • 1st Class (5 October 1939)^[2]
• Eastern Front Medal (1 August 1942)
• Crimea Shield (15 September 1942)
• Kuban Shield (1 October 1944)
• Order of Michael the Brave 3rd Class (19 March 1943)
• German Cross in Gold on 23 January 1943 as Generalleutnant and commander of the 73. Infanterie-Division^[3]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 15 August 1940 as Oberst and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 133^[4]
  • 766th Oak Leaves on 5 March 1945 as General der Infanterie and commander of XI.Armeekorps^[5]

References

Citations

1. Wiegrefe, Klaus, Files Uncovered: Nazi Veterans Created Illegal Army, SPIEGEL, 14 May 2014
2. Thomas 1997, p. 91.
3. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 67.
4. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 126.
5. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 82.

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. 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.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• 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.
• Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.

External links

• Lexikon der Wehrmacht
• World War 2 Awards.com
• Ritterkreuztraeger 1939–1945
• Rudolf von Bünau @ Axis Biographical Research at the Wayback Machine (archived 16 November 2010)