Ernst Maisel

Ernst Maisel
Ernst Maisel
Born	16 September 1896; Landau
Died	16 December 1978 (aged 82); Schönau am Königsee
Allegiance	German Empire; Weimar Republic; Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Army
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 general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II.

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 Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. Burgdorf had been instructed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel to offer Rommel three choices: report to Hitler to exculpate himself[1] or admit guilt, 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 committed suicide shortly thereafter.

In the last days of the war, 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

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 April 1942 as Oberst and commander of the Infanterie-Regiment 42[2]

References

Citations

"Two generals from Hitler's headquarters, Wilhelm Burgdorf and Ernst Maisel, visited Rommel at his home on 14 October 1944. Burgdorf informed him of the charges and offered him three options: he could choose to defend himself personally to Hitler in Berlin,{{refn|"Burgdorf had with him copies of the interrogations of von Hofacker, von Stülpnagel and Speidel, along with a letter written by Keitel ostensibly dictated by Hitler himself. In the letter, the Führer gave Rommel an impossible choice: if he believed himself innocent of the allegations against him, then Rommel must report to Hitler in person in Berlin; refusal to do so would be considered an admission of guilt." Butler, Daniel Allen (2015). Field Marshal: The Life and Death of Erwin Rommel. Havertown, PA / Oxford: Casemate. ISBN 978-1-61200-297-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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.

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[1] "Two generals from Hitler's headquarters, Wilhelm Burgdorf and Ernst Maisel, visited Rommel at his home on 14 October 1944. Burgdorf informed him of the charges and offered him three options: he could choose to defend himself personally to Hitler in Berlin,{{refn|"Burgdorf had with him copies of the interrogations of von Hofacker, von Stülpnagel and Speidel, along with a letter written by Keitel ostensibly dictated by Hitler himself. In the letter, the Führer gave Rommel an impossible choice: if he believed himself innocent of the allegations against him, then Rommel must report to Hitler in person in Berlin; refusal to do so would be considered an admission of guilt." Butler, Daniel Allen (2015). Field Marshal: The Life and Death of Erwin Rommel. Havertown, PA / Oxford: Casemate. ISBN 978-1-61200-297-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

[2] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 301.