Rudolf von Bünau (father)

Rudolf von Bünau (19 August 1890 – 14 January 1962) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. His son, also named Rudolf von Bünau, was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 8 August 1943; he was killed in action just one week later on 15 August 1943 south of Roslavl. His other son, Günther von Bünau was also killed in action in 1943. Rudolf von Bünau would survive the war. He was interned by the Americans until April 1947. Rudolf was killed in a car crash in 1962.

Rudolf von Bünau
Rudolf von Bünau
Born	(1890-08-19)19 August 1890 Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg, German Empire
Died	14 January 1962(1962-01-14) (aged 71) Kirchheim unter Teck, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire  Weimar Republic  Nazi Germany
Service / branch	German Army
Years of service	1909–45
Rank	General der Infanterie
Commands	177. Infanterie-Division 73. Infanterie-Division XXXXVII Panzerkorps LII Armeekorps XI. Armeekorps
Battles / wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Relations	Rudolf von Bünau (son)

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

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class (9 September 1914) & 1st Class (14 November 1914)^[2]
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (1 October 1939) & 1st Class (5 October 1939)^[2]
• 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.
• 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.

Military offices
Preceded by Generalleutnant Otto Ottenbacher	Commander of Division Nr. 177 25 October 1940 – 1 June 1941	Succeeded by Generalleutnant Hermann von Gimborn
Preceded by General der Infanterie Bruno Bieler	Commander of 73. Infanterie-Division 1 November 1941 – 1 February 1943	Succeeded by Generalmajor Johannes Nedtwig
Preceded by Generaloberst Erhard Raus	Commander of XXXXVII. Panzerkorps 25 November 1943 – 31 December 1943	Succeeded by General der Panzertruppe Nikolaus von Vormann
Preceded by General der Infanterie Erich Buschenhagen	Commander of LII. Armeekorps 1 February 1944 – 1 April 1944	Succeeded by General der Infanterie Erich Buschenhagen
Preceded by General der Artillerie Wilhelm Stemmermann	Commander of XI. Armeekorps 20 March 1944 – 16 March 1945	Succeeded by General der Artillerie Horst von Mellenthin
Preceded by General der Artillerie Horst von Mellenthin	Commander of XI. Armeekorps 20 March 1945 – 6 April 1945	Succeeded by General der Infanterie Friedrich Wiese