Piekenbrock, Hans, born 03-10-1893 in Essen, 
as son of the builder Johann Piekenbrock. He first studied jurisprudence at the University of Freiburg im Breisgau, 
where he was a member of the Corps Rhenania Freiburg 
in 1914. At the outbreak of the World War I, his entry as a volunteer took place in the 2nd Westphalian Hussars-Regiment No. 11 
. In 1915 he was promoted to Leutnant, from 01-12-1923 to Oberleutnant. At warfare he was a regimental adjutant.
After the end of the first war, the Reichswehr 
was taken over, combined with a General Staff training. During the First World War he received the Eisernes Kreuz 1.Klasse 
and 2.Class, the Verwundetenabzeichen Schwarz 
, the Hamburger Hanseatenkreuz 
and the Austrian Military Service War III. Klasse mit Kriegsdecoration. At the end of the World War II he was still nominated for the Eichenlaub, but he was no longer awarded him. Hans Peikenbrock married Renate Haase on 10-07-1924
He was then the first General Staff officer of the 18th Infantry Division 
under command of Generalleutnant Herman Hoth. In 1936 Piekenbrock became the head of Division I (Secret Intelligence Service responsible for the espionage and intelligence collection) of the Abwehr 
in the staff of the deputy Admiral Wilhelm Canaris 
, as an Oberleutnant. Promoted to Oberst on 01-12-1943 On 01-11-1944 Generalleutnant Hans Piekenbrock (left) with major Klaus Sinram 
, who has just been awarded the Knight’s Cross. Major Klaus Sinram survved the war and died, age 70 on 17-04-1986 in Warendorf, It is believed that Piekenbrock resigned from the Abwehr because he did not approve of the Nazi regime and asked to be transferred to the Eastern Front. He was promoted to Generalmajor in April 1943 and in June that year took command of the 208th Infantry Division. On 01-08-1943, Piekenbrock was commander of the 208th Infantry Division 
where he succeeding Generalmajor Georg Zwade 
, which was deployed on the Eastern Front. General Zwade after the capitulation of the German army, fell at the beginning of May 1945 at Belluno in Westallied captivity. He survived the war and died age 75 in 1968 in Rheda.
On 01-03-1944, Piekenbrock was promoted to Generalleutnant. In May 1944 he received the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross 
for the leadership of his division in the Kesselschlacht of Kamenez-Podolski. At times this was with the leadership of the LIX. Armed forces. On 12-05-1945, he fell into Soviet captivity in Czechoslovakia, where he though condemned to 25 years in prison, remained until the autumn of 1955. He was released after the intervention of the new German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.
Death and burial ground of Piekenbrock, Hans “Piki”.
Generalleutnant Hans Piekenbrock, died of a heart attack on the airport of Porz Wahn, Cologne,
where he was waiting for a flight to Spain. He died at the age of 66 on 16-12-1959. He found his last retirement at the Ostfriedhof in Essen.
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