| Rudolf Bamler | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 May 1896 |
| Died | 13 March 1972 (aged 77) |
| Place of birth | Osterburg (Altmark), Saxony-Anhalt |
| Place of death | Groß Glienicke |
| Allegiance |
 German Democratic Republic |
| Service/branch | |
| Years of service | 19..-1945; 1950-1953 |
| Rank |
Generalleutnant of the Wehrmacht |
| Commands held | 12th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
| Awards | |
Rudolf Bamler (6 May 1896 in Osterburg (Altmark), Province of Saxony - 13 March 1972 in Groß Glienicke) was a German Wehrmacht leader before and during the Second World War. Although Bamler was a member of the Nazi Party[1] he would later serve as a leading member of the East German security forces.
Abwehr[edit | edit source]
Operations security propaganda poster
Bamler was attached to the Abwehr as the head of section III (counterespionage) and here he helped to encourage closer co-operation with the Gestapo and Sicherheitsdienst (SD).[2] This role also meant that Bamler maintained a network of informers across German society rivalled only by that of the SD.[3] Although he had a difficult personal relationship with his superior Wilhelm Canaris the two co-operated closely in supporting Canaris' friend Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War.[4]
World War II[edit | edit source]
Following the outbreak of the Second World War Bamler was appointed Chief of Staff of Wehrkreis VII (Munich) before a transfer to the same role in XX (Danzig).[5] Bamler was then made Chief of Staff to the XXXXVII Panzer Corps in 1940.[5] From 1942 to 1944 he was Chief of Staff to the German Army in Norway under General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst, having risen to the rank of Lieutenant General.[6]
Eastern Front[edit | edit source]
Bamler was then moved to the Eastern Front and from 1 to 27 June he was commander of the 121st Infantry Division, before being replaced by Helmuth Prieß.[7] He was simultaneously commander of the 12th Infantry Division, with Gerhard Engel his replacement.[8]
Bamler's commands ended as he had surrendered to the Red Army on 27 June 1944.[5] However embittered by what he saw as the sacrifice of his division Bamler defected to the Soviet Union that had captured him.[5]
Later years[edit | edit source]
Bamler settled in East Germany and worked as a Stasi police officer there from 1946 until his retirement in 1962.[5] He also held the rank of Major General in the Kasernierte Volkspolizei.[9]
References[edit | edit source]
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- ↑ Michael Mueller, Geoffrey Brooks, Canaris: The Life and Death of Hitler's Spymaster, Naval Institute Press, 2007, p. 95
- ↑ George C. Browder, Foundations of the Nazi Police State: The Formation of Sipo and SD, University Press of Kentucky, 2004, p. 180
- ↑ Peter Padfield, Himmler, Cassell & Co, 2001, p. 215
- ↑ John H. Waller, The Unseen War in Europe: Espionage and Conspiracy in the Second World War, I.B.Tauris, 1996, p. 16
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Samuel W. Mitcham, The German Defeat in the East, 1944-45, Stackpole Books, 2007, p. 39
- ↑ Hans Fredrik Dahl, Quisling: A Study in Treachery, Cambridge University Press, 1999, p. 343
- ↑ Samuel W. Mitcham, German Order of Battle Volume One, Volume 3, Stackpole Books, 2007, p. 173
- ↑ Mitcham, German Order of Battle Volume One, Volume 3, p. 52
- ↑ Walter Henry Nelson, Germany Rearmed, Simon and Schuster, 1972, p. 246
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