Rudolf von Ribbentrop

Not to be confused with his father, Joachim von Ribbentrop, the Nazi Foreign Minister.

Rudolf von Ribbentrop (11 May 1921 – 20 May 2019)^[1] was a German Waffen-SS officer who served and was decorated in World War II, and later became a wine merchant. His father was Nazi diplomat and Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop. His autobiography gave further insight to his father and the last days of Adolf Hitler.

Rudolf von Ribbentrop
Born	11 May 1921 Wiesbaden, Weimar Republic
Died	20 May 2019(2019-05-20) (aged 98) Ratingen, Germany
Allegiance	Germany
Service / branch	Waffen-SS
Years of service	1939–45
Rank	Hauptsturmführer
Unit	Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler SS Division Hitlerjugend
Battles / wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross German Cross in Gold Cross of Liberty, 4th class (Finland)
Relations	Joachim von Ribbentrop (father)
Other work	Author

Early life

Rudolf von Ribbentrop was born in Wiesbaden as one of 5 children to Joachim von Ribbentrop. His father was appointed as German Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1936 and was accompanied to London by Rudolf. Enrolled into Westminster School, he had to later return to a boarding school in Germany after The Times became aware of his presence.^[2]

World War II

On 1 September 1939, when the Second World War started, Ribbentrop joined as a private soldier in the SS-Infantry Regiment Deutschland, with which he served during the Western Campaign, receiving the Iron Cross second class. During Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, his unit was sent to Finland. In February 1943 he was assigned to a Panzer regiment the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler division (LSSAH) and sent to Kharkov in February 1943, where he took part in the Third Battle of Kharkov.^[3]

Ribbentrop was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 15 July 1943.^[4] On 1 August he was transferred to the newly formed SS Division Hitlerjugend as a training officer and company commander. During battles in Normandy, Ribbentrop was awarded the German Cross in Gold. Following the breakout from Falaise, he saw action during Battle of the Bulge. He surrendered with the division to the U.S. Army on 8 May 1945. Ribbentrop was “taken aback” by the American artillery barrages in Normandy: “The Americans threw everything at us, particularly artillery … it put everything that we had previously undergone into the shade”.^[5]

Post-war

Ribbentrop spent over three years in American, British, and French custody. While in custody, he was accused of shooting two Canadian prisoners of war, one of them fatally, during an interrogation in France. However, the charges could not be proven. Ribbentrop was released from Cherche-Midi Prison in July 1948.^[6] Afterwards, he became a wine merchant and wrote his memoirs. These gave fresh insight into the career of his father and also an insight in the final days of Adolf Hitler. His work included previously unpublished photographs of his family and Hitler.^[7][8]

Works

• My Father Joachim von Ribbentrop: Hitler's Foreign Minister, Experiences and Memories. Pen & Sword Books. 2019. ISBN 9781526739254.

References

1. "Rudolf von Ribbentrop - Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek". www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
2. "Rudolf von Ribbentrop, decorated officer in the Nazi Waffen-SS and son of Hitler's trusted foreign minister – obituary", Daily Telegraph, 2019, retrieved 17 March 2023
3. "Obituary Rudolf von Ribbentrop", The Times, 2019, retrieved 17 March 2023
4. 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: Scherzers. p. 626. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
5. • Trigg, Jonathan (2020). To VE-Day through German Eyes: The Final Defeat of Nazi Germany. Stroud UK: Amberley. p. 147. ISBN 978-1-4456-9944-8.
6. Ribbentrop, Rudolf von (2019-07-30). My Father Joachim von Ribbentrop: Hitler's Foreign Minister, Experiences and Memories. Pen and Sword. p. 516. ISBN 978-1-5267-3926-1.
7. "Rudolf Von Ribbentrop, Son of Top Nazi Diplomat, Dies at 98", New York Times, 2019, retrieved 17 March 2023
8. "Obituary Rudolf von Ribbentrop", Independent.ie, 2019, retrieved 17 March 2023