Siegfried Müller (SS officer)

Siegfried Müller was a sturmbannführer (major) in the Waffen-SS during World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.

Early life
Siegfried Müller was born on 18 October, 1914, in Krefeld on the Rhine in Germany to Paul and Wilhelmine Müller. His father was killed in 1916, fighting in World War I before Siegfried had turned two years old. In 1920 his mother was remarried to Heinrich Becker, a locksmith. Müller attended the peoples' school in Krefeld from 1922 until 1927 and then the middle school in Essen (Altstadt), he graduated in 1933, and started as an apprentice with an architect's firm in Essen. In 1935, Müller decided to end his apprenticeship to join the Heer, just after his twenty-first birthday in October, he was posted to the 1st Company, 1st Pioneer (Engineer) Battalion stationed in Königsberg and received his basic training. He was later selected to become an officer and commissioned with the rank of lieutenant in the Reserve in January, 1938. He was then given command of 3rd (mot) Company, 1st Pioneer Battalion. As Müller had volunteered to join the SS in April, 1934, (SS service number 230815), he transferred to the active list in November, 1938, and was posted to the SS Totenkopf Standarte Brandenberg with the rank of untersturmführer (second lieutenant).

World War II
Müller was promoted to obersturmführer in January, 1940, he was awarded his first combat decorations during the Battle of France the Iron Cross II class in May and the I class in June, 1940. His next promotion to hauptsturmführer (captain) was in April, 1941, just before he took part in Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, and like all who suffered in the first Russian winter of the war, he was awarded the Eastern Front Medal followed by the German Cross in Gold in October, 1942, and the Infantry Assault Badge in December, 1942, which was awarded for having taken part in three or more motorized infantry assaults.

Siegfried Müller was awarded the Knight's Cross in December, 1944, for his personal bravery and leadership, by now he had been promoted to sturmbannführer (major) and had been transferred to the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend and was in command of the 25th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment.

After the 227th Grenadier Division was unsuccessful in forcing a breakthrough through the American positions to the west of Hollerath on 16 December, 1944, the next day the 25th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment was tasked to force a breakthrough towards Krinkelt. The US 2nd Infantry Division had moved forward into the area of Rocherath and Krinkelt. In two days of hard fighting in villages and forests the 25th SS Panzergrenadier's succeeded in breaking through the US 99th Infantry Division's positions to retake Rocherath which was defended by the US 2nd Infantry Division, capturing over 450 prisoners of war.

Post war
Siegfried Müller survived the war and returned to being an architect, living under the assumed name of Siegfried Heuser, (Heuser being his mother's maiden name). He died in Hamburg on 7 April, 1974.