Ernst Maisel

Ernst Maisel
Born	16 September 1896 Landau
Died	16 December 1978 (aged 82) Schönau am Königsee
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1915–45
Rank	Generalleutnant
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Generalleutnant Ernst Maisel (16 September 1896 – 16 December 1978) was a German army officer who served in the Deutsches Heer in World War I and the Wehrmacht during World War II.

On 6 April 1942 as an Oberst (Colonel) in Infanterie-Regiment 42 he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. As a Generalmajor he was Chief of the Office Group for Officers’ Education and Welfare of the Army Personnel Office. One of his responsibilities in this appointment was to be court protocol officer of the Army court of honor that investigated army officers suspected of involvement in the 20 July plot. In this capacity on 14 October 1944 he arrived with General Wilhelm Burgdorf at the home of Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel. Burgdorf had been instructed by Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel to offer Rommel a choice - take poison, receive a state funeral, and obtain immunity for his family - or face a treason trial. Rommel drove away with Burgdorf and Maisel and Rommel's family received a telephone call fifteen minutes later saying that he had died.

In the last days of the Third Reich Maisel was appointed commander the 68th Infantry Division with the rank of Generalleutnant. He was taken into captivity by the Americans on 7 May 1945, was released in March 1947 and died aged 82 in 1978.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (6 April 1916)
  • 1st Class (30 July 1918)
• Wound Badge (1914)
  • in Black (23 May 1918)
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Wound Badge (1939)
  • in Silver (1 August 1941)
• Infantry Assault Badge (24 September 1942)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 April 1942 as Oberst and commander of the Infanterie-Regiment 42^[1]

References

Citations

1. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 301.

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.
• 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 Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.