Werner Ostendorff

Werner Ostendorff, (15 August 1903 - 1 May 1945) was an SS-Gruppenführer (Major General) and one of the youngest divisional commanders in the Waffen-SS. Ostendorff was also a winner of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and German Cross in gold.

Career
NSDAP #: 4 691 488 - (Joined 1 May 1937)

SS #: 257 146 - (Joined, 1 October 1935)

Ostendorff joined the Army on 5 November 1925. Assigned to the 1st Prussian Infantry Regiment, he remained with the unit for his entire Army service. Appointed an officer candidate on 1 April 1926, he was promoted to Gefreiter on 1 August 1927, to Unteroffizier on 1 October 1927, to Fähnrich on 1 August 1928 and to Oberfähnrich on 1 August 1929. A month after being commissioned, Ostendorff was given a platoon command in the II. Bataillon. From mid-November 1933 to the start of the following March he helped form the SA military training school at Gudwallen. He transferred to the Luftwaffe on 1 March 1934. Trained as an observer and pilot, Ostendorff served with the Fliegertruppe Jüterbog as a tactical instructor, and head of the photographic interpretation section until the start of October 1935.

Moving to the SS-Verfügungstruppe, he taught classes at Junkerschule Bad Tölz until 1 April 1938. Ostendorff then transferred to the new SS-Standarte 3 "Der Führer" and led the ''4. Sturm of the I. Sturmbann'' until 1 June 1939. He next transferred to form and lead the SS-Flugabwehr-Maschinengewehr-Abteilung, officially until 10 October 1939.

With the forming of the first SS division on 10 October 1939, that became "Das Reich", he left command of the anti-aircraft unit to Jakob Fick, was selected as the first divisional Ia (Chief of Staff) by Paul Hausser and officially held the post until June 1942. Ostendorff won the Knight's Cross on 13 September 1941 for leading a counter-attack against the village of Ushakovo in the vicinity of Smolensk which dominated the highly important Yelnya-Dorogobuzh road. The village was recaptured and the danger of a Russian breakthrough was eliminated.

He then led Kampfgruppe "Das Reich" in Russia from February to June 1942, during which Siegfried Max Schultz assumed the Ia post duties with those elements being refitted in France. His performance with Kampfgruppe "Das Reich" won him the German Cross in Gold. When Paul Hausser formed the initial SS corps in June 1942, he selected Ostendorff as his Chief of Staff. He officially held the post with SS-Generalkommando (later II. SS-Panzerkorps) until 22 November 1943, when succeeded by Rüdiger Pipkorn. Promoted to Oberführer for his actions at Kharkov, he was next given a divisional command.

Ostendorff was assigned command of the 17. SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Division "Götz von Berlichingen", officially effective 1 November 1943. However, he remained with his corps post into the third week of November. Delays in the raising of the division lasted until early January 1944 when he actually assumed command from Otto Binge who had led the formation staff. During the fighting in Normandy, Ostendorff was badly wounded near Carentan on 16 June 1944 when he was hit in the shoulder by machine gun-fire. Divisional command then passed again to Otto Binge.

Resuming command from then temporary commander Gustav Mertsch on 21 October 1944, he remained as leader of "Götz von Berlichingen" until transferred again in late November 1944. Temporary divisional command passed to Hans Lingner but Ostendorff officially retained full commander status until early December.

Ostendorff was next promoted to Gruppenführer on 1 December 1944 and became the only Chief of Staff for Heinrich Himmler's Heeresgruppe "Oberrhein" from 2 December 1944 to 22 January 1945. His final posting was to "Das Reich" as divisional commander. He succeeded temporary commander Karl Kreutz officially on 10 February 1945, and led the division until grievously wounded by an incendiary shell on 9 March 1945 in the vicinity of Székesfehérvár during fighting in Hungary. Rudolf Lehmann assumed command of "Das Reich". Werner Ostendorff died at a field hospital in Bad Aussee from gas gangrene on 1 May 1945, the same day Berlin fell to the Russians.

Personal life
Werner Ostendorff was a son of the Prussian Regierungsvizepräsident Ernst Ostendorff. Married in October 1935, he and his wife had two sons and a daughter.

Dates of rank

 * Schütze: November 2, 1925
 * Offizieranwärter: April 1, 1926
 * Gefreiter: August 1, 1927
 * Unteroffizier: October 1, 1927
 * Fähnrich: August 1, 1928
 * Oberfähnrich: August 1, 1929
 * Leutnant: June 1, 1930
 * Oberleutnant: July 1, 1933
 * Obersturmführer: October 1, 1935
 * SS-Hauptsturmführer: January 30, 1938
 * SS-Sturmbannführer: June 1, 1939
 * SS-Obersturmbannführer: December 13, 1940
 * SS-Standartenführer: March 1, 1942
 * SS-Oberführer: April 20, 1943
 * SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS: April 20, 1944
 * SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS: December 1, 1944

Notable decorations

 * German Cross in Gold (1942)
 * Eastern Front Medal (1942)
 * Iron Cross (1939)
 * 2nd Class (19 May 1940)
 * 1st Class (23 June 1940)
 * SS-Honour Ring (?)
 * Sudetenland Medal (?)
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
 * Knight's Cross on 13 September 1941 as SS-Sturmbannführer and Ia (operations officer) of the SS-Division "Reich"
 * 861st Oak Leaves on 5 May 1945 as SS-Gruppenführer and Generalleutnant of the Waffen-SS and commander of the 2. SS-Panzer-Division "Das Reich"
 * Pilot's Badge
 * General Assault Badge
 * Wound Badge
 * Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 29 July 1944