Buschenhagen, Erich Otto Ludwig.

Buschenhagen, Erich Otto Ludwig, born on 08-12-1985 in Strassburg , Elsass, entered the Army Service, on 09-03-1914, as a Fahnenjunker in the Telegraphen-Bataillon Nr. 3, 4 months before the outbreak of World War I. At the beginning of World War I he was on the front with the VIII. Reserve-Korps and received the Iron Cross . Between the both wars he remained in the Reichswehr and was promoted to Oberst and Commander of the 5^th Infantry Regiment, on 01-03-1938 and was proud with this traditional Corps. As Chief of the General Staff XXI Army Corps   General der Kavallerie Maximilian von Weichs,  he participated in the invasion of Poland, he was succeeded by Generaloberst der Infanterie, Kommandeur Heeresgruppe Norwegen, Nikolaus von Falkenhorst.

   He came to Norway, in 1940, as Chief of the Generals Staff AOK Norway, with Generaloberst der Gebirgstruppe, Kommandeur der 3^th Gebirgs Division, Eduard Dietl.    He was transferred again to join the Invasion of Russia, he and Oberst der Wehrmacht, Chef Staf des Führungsstab Nord, Eberhard Hans Kinzel

had secret meetings in Helsinki, Finland with the high command there, to coordinate the comment attack on Russia. Promoted to Generalmajor, he was, because of a possible illness, released of his post and in the Führer Reserve (see Adolf Hitler) (did you know)

   (see William Hitler) until 18-06-1942, as he was assigned to commander of the 15^th Infantry Division  in France, former commanders of the 15^th, were Generalleutnant der Infanterie, Kommandeur XIV Motorized Corps, Friedrich Wilhelm Chappuis

  and Generalleutnant der Artillerie, Kommandeur General VII AK, Ernst Eberhard Hell. In March 1943, as Generalleutnant, he with his division is ordered to Kriwoi Rog in Russia, where he after heavy battles received the Iron Cross in Gold , for his excellent leadership. He got the command of the LII Armeekorps, on 20-11-1943, former commander was General der Infanterie, Präsident des Reichkriegsgerichts. Kommandeur 208^th Infantrie Division, Hans von Scheele,  who was on sick leave and Buschenhagen was promoted to General in February 1944. The 208^th Infantry served in the invasion of Poland of 1939 as a reserve division of Army Group North, under Field Marshal Fedor von Bock and was commanded by General Moritz Andreas , Moritz Andrea died old age 80 on 13-10-1964 in Hanover. During Fall Gelb it was a reserve division allocated to 18^th Army, under Generalfeldmarschall Georg von Küchler and was mainly active in the occupation of northern Belgium. From January 1942 it fought continuously on the Eastern Front. For bravery retreating fighting’s in the region of the bridgehead Dnjestr, Buschenhagen is awarded with the Iron Cross with Eichenlaub  and the Command of the LII Army Corps, he was succeeded again by General der Infanterie, Kommandeur “Kommando von Bünau”, Rudolf von Bünau. Buschenhagen was called in the Wehrmacht reports for the destroying of seven Russion rifle divisions, where the Russians lost thousands of killed soldiers, 2.600 prisoners, 600 guns and grenade throwers and 334 machine guns. Buschenhagen with a separated group of 30 men landed in a small pocket near Barlad on 12-10-1944 and is captured by the Soviets in Moldavië, after the Jassy Kishinev offensivie in August 1944, named after the two major cities Iasi and Chinsinau, in the staging area, was a Soviet offensive against Axis forces. Buschenhagen landed in captivity in the “famous” prison of Butyrka in Moscow, following prison Nr. 1 in Swerdlowsk. However condemned to 25 years imprison, Buschenhagen was released on October 1955. His also imprisoned brother dr. Walter Buschenhagen was already released in 1948. He joined the Bund Deutsche Officers in Russia, with Field Marshal der Panzertruppe, Friedrich Paulus “Der Lord” and General der Artillerie, Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach. Von Buschenhagen was released after the intervention of Konrad Adenauer, the new German chancellor Konrad Adenauer.

   Erich Buschenhagen died at the very old age of 96 on 13-09-1994 in Kronberg/Taunus and is buried with his wife Käte, who died age 79, in 1981, on the village cemetery of Oberstdorf, close to the grave of mountaineer, Andreas “Anderl” Heckmair .