Kinzel, Eberhard “Hans “

Kinzel, Eberhard, born 18-10-1897, in Berlin, Joseph Goebbels was the Gauleiter of Berlin Joseph Goebbels  (did you know), entered the Army on 16-10-1914, age 16, as a war volunteer in the 3^rd Brandenburgisches Infanterie-Regiment “Graf Tauentzien von Wittenburg”. He was wounded  on the battlefield in July 1915, promoted to Lieutenant and received the Ritterkreuz . After the war he joined the Freikorps Ernst von Oven  , von Oven died age 86, on 21-05-1945 in Goslar and later the new Reichswehr. He became a Oberstleutnant in the General Staff  on 01-02-1939 and transferred for years  to the Division „Fremde Heere Ost II . In March 1941 he went to Budapest, Hungary with a letter of Generaloberst der Infanterie, Franz Halder    for the Hungarian Generaloberst Heinrich Werth, Werth died in a Soviet prison in 1952, age 71. A cousin of Ernst von Oven was Wilfred von Oven (born La Paz Bolivia 4 May 1912 – died Buenos Aires, Argentina 13 June 2008) who was between 1943 and the German capitulation in 1945 the personal Press adjutant of Propaganda Minister Goebbels.

 

Wilfried von Oven.               Heinrich Werth.

This letter asked the participation of the Hungarian Army and the right of traverse through Yugoslavia, in a war against Russia, which was expected soon under the command of Field Marshal, Friedrich Paulus

and he took the answer back to Berlin. Kinzel was succeeded by Generalmajor, Nazi Intelligence Service, Reinhard Gehlen  and landed in the infamous Führer Reserve (see Adolf Hitler) (did you know). On 23-05-1942 he was assigned as Chief of the Generalstabes of the XXIX. Armeekorps, under command of General der Infanterie Hans von Obstfelder  and again in the Reserve on 12-11-1942. General der Infanterie Hans von Obstfelder died 20-12-1976 (aged 90). Kinzel received the Ritterkreuz of the Iron Cross on 23-12-1942 for his leading of the Division “Fremde Heere Ost” and promoted to Generalmajor. He became Chief of the General Staff of the Heeresgruppe Nord with the rank of Generalleutnant, on 01-09-1943. The youngest  Generalleutnant in WWII, with 36, was Theodor Tolsdorff.

  Mid July 1944 Kinzel was released of his command and for the third time in the Reserve. Commander of the 570^th Volks Grenadier Division on 01-09-1944, renamed in the 337^th Volks Grenadier Division  until March 1945. His new command was Chief of the General Staff of Heeresgruppe Weichsel. On 20-04-1945, Hitler’s birthday, he became a General of the Infantry as Chief of Staff of the Operation Staff North with Grossadmiral, Karl Dönitz

 . He was a member of the delegation signing the surrender documents, together with Admiral, Hans Georg Friedeburg

  in the headquarters of Bernard Montgomery.

 

Death and burial ground of Kinzel, Eberhard “Hans “.

Kinzel lived a short time with his mistress in a farmhouse, but the threatening of a probably fatal trial, he and his mistress drove to a silent edge of a wood, near Idstedt near Flensburg and committed suicide, on 24-06-1945, age 47.  He committed suicide at the same day as Admiral Hans Friedeburg. “Hans” Eberhard. Kinzel is buried on the war cemetery of Karberg, Fahrdorf, near Schleswig, where General der Fallschirmjäger, Hermann Ramcke   is buried.