Hans Siegel

Siegfried Siegel
Nickname(s)	Hans
Born	25 July 1918 Böckau, Germany
Died	18 April 2002 (aged 83) Andernach, Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen-SS
Years of service	1938–45
Rank	Sturmbannführer (Major)
Unit	Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Iron Cross I Class Iron Cross II Class Panzer Badge in Silver Eastern Front Medal Wound Badge in Silver

Siegfried "Hans" Siegel (25 July 1918 – 18 April 2002) was a Sturmbannführer (Major) in the Waffen-SS during World War II. He received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.

Early life

The only son of Ernst and Liddy Siegel, Siegel was born on 25 July 1918 in Böckau in the Erzgebirge. In his youth he was the leader of the Hitler Youth in his village and later took on the role of social secretary. He also completed voluntary military training at school and at the local sports ground with the 15th SS Totenkopf Standarte.

In 1938, after completing his six-month compulsory labour service, he volunteered to join the SS-VT (SS service number 293261) and was assigned to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Regiment (mot).

World War II

Siegel took part in the Polish Campaign in 1939, in command of the Heavy Granatwerfer (the standard German medium mortar) platoon, 12th (MG) (Machine Gun) Company. He was then selected to become an officer and sent to the SS-Junkerschule at Bad Tölz. Upon graduation in 1940 he was posted to the 4th (MG) Company, SS Training and Reserve Battalion, LSSAH.

In 1941 he was promoted to Untersturmführer (Second Lieutenant) and in December posted to command the 1st platoon, 3rd Battery, 1st SS Sturmgeschütz (Assault Gun, StuG) Battalion, LSSAH, fighting in the Soviet Union in the Taganrog sector beside the Azov Sea.

He took part in the Battle of Kharkov in March 1943, as part of Kampfgruppe (Battle Group) Peiper, which was based on the III. 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment, supported by the 3rd SS Sturmgeschütz Battery, under the command of Karl Rettlinger. Siegel was wounded by a sniper during the attack. He was wounded in the head and back which had his spine resulting in paralysis from his chest to his legs. He was evacuated to Germany and hospitalised for six months; after recovery, he was classified as unfit for front line service.

In the Autumn of 1943 he was given command of the SS Training and Reserve Battalion Truppenübungsplatz in Kraków until January 1944, when he was posted to the Panzer Division Hitlerjugend and given command of the 8th Company, II Battalion.

During the Normandy Invasion Siegel was wounded for the fifth time on 27 June 1944, when his Panzer was hit and he received burns on his face and hands. After a short stay in a field hospital he returned to the division and was given command of the II.Battalion, 12th SS Panzer Regiment after its previous commander Karl Heinz Prinz was killed in action in August 1944.

During the fighting in spring of 1945 in Hungary, he received his ninth wound and was evacuated by rail to St Pölten. After treatment, Siegel returned to the Division and was wounded again on 8 May 1945, after sustaining a shattered left elbow. His arm was amputated in a Soviet hospital.

Post war

After his release from Soviet captivity Siegel returned to Austria, but moved to West Germany to avoid potential prosecution for war crimes. He went on to study at the university of Emden and studied architecture at the university of Stuttgart. After graduating he worked as an architect and formed his own company. Hans Siegel died on 18 April 2002 in Andernach.

Further reading

• 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.
• Mitcham, Samuel W (2007). Retreat to the Reich : the German defeat in France, 1944. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3384-7.
• Fey, Will; Henschler, Henri (2003). Armor Battles of the Waffen-SS. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-2905-5.
• Mitcham, Samuel W (2007). The German Defeat in the East, 1944–45. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3371-7.