Pfeffer, Max Heinrich Wilhelm.

Pfeffer, Max Heinrich Wilhelm, born on 12-06-1883 Geldern, Rheinland, entered the Army as a Fähnrich on 18-10-1902, age 19 and became a Leutnant on 27-01-1904 in the Field Artillery Regiment 22. On 01-10-1908 he was commanded to the military technical academy. From 1910 he was then used as adjutant of the II Division of his 2nd Westphalian Field Artillery Regiment No. 22. On 27-01-1913 he was promoted to leutnant. Even shortly before the beginning of World War I, he was still the 2nd Westphalian Field Artillery Regiment No. 22 as the battery leader. He was used in this function during the first World War. On 24-12-1914 he was promoted to Hauptmann. He was in the fields of the first war and with the outbreak of World War II he was a Generalleutnant in the Arko 44, an Information Corps to 31-01-1943. Commander of the 297^th Infantry Division , he succeeded Generalmajor der Infanterie, Moritz von Drebber    , Commanding General of the IV Army Corps . Pfeffer lands in Soviet captivity on 31-01-1943 after the surrounding by the Russian Forces for Stalingrad, together with Field Marshal of the Panzer Troops, Friedrich Paulus 

and General der Artillerie, Walther von Seydlitz Kurzbach      

Death and burial ground of Pfeffer, Max Heinrich Wilhelm.

  Officers at the Red Army prisoner assembly center in Stalingrad; far left  Generalmajor Dr. Otto Korfes, 3rd and 4th from left General of the Artillery Max Pfeffer (unshaven) and General of the Artillery Walter von Seydlitz. Pfeffer convicted as a war criminal in the Soviet Union, was in several prisons, and until his death, age 72 on 03-01-1956, in the prison of Woikowo. Pfeffer is buried on the General war cemetery of Cherntsy, Row 1-Grave 1, together with thirteen other Generals, who died in Russin captivity. The photo of Pfeffer is delivered by Rik Rikkers. His wife Irmgard, born Eickenrodt, died already in the summer of 1953. A few of his neighbours are Generalleutnant der Infanterie, Kommandeur of Warschau, Rainer Stahel,  Generalmajor, Commander 290^th Infantery Division, Hans-Joachim Baurmeister, General der Infanterie, Kommandeur 145^th Infanterie Regiment, Karl specht, Generalmajor der Wehrmacht, Grenadier Regiment 70, Louis Tronnier, Generalmajor der Infanterie, Kommandeur der XVIII Gebirgstruppe, Friedrich Hochbaum, Generalleutnant and Commander of the 431st Landesschützen Division Heinrich “Heinz” Thoma, Generalleutnant der Infanterie, Commander of a Field Training Division, Friedrich Bayer, Generalmajor and commander of the 570th Infantry Regiment. Erwin Hans Barends, Generalmajor Walter von Bolstenstern , General der Infanterie, Commander 32^nd Infantry Division and L Army Corps, Hans Boeckh Behrens, Generalleutnant der Infanterie, Commander of the 44^th Infanterie Division Heinrich Deboi, and Generalmajor der Wehrmacht, Pioneer Commander, Wilhelm Runge.  The 44^th Infantry Division had lost 121 killed, 270 wounded and 44 missed, brought in 300 Officers and 25.000 men as prisoners and marched 540 km, in the campaign against Poland a daily average of 29 km. The 44^th Division was rebuilt as Reichsgrenadier-Division Hoch- und Deutschmeister in Belgium when Hitler ordered the Stalingrad divisions should be reconstructed. By the summer of 1943 it was back up to strength and was sent to fight in Italy, where it was heavily engaged at Monte Casino. It withdrew up the Italian peninsular during 1944 and briefly clashed again with American forces attacking the Gotic line. Withdrawn to refit, it was instead sent to oppose the Soviet breakthrough in Hungary. The division joined the efforts to recapture Budapest with the 6^th SS Panzer Army , under SS Obergruppenführer, Josef “Sepp” Dietrich,

  and was subsequently nearly destroyed near lake Balaton. The remnants of the division retreated into Austria, near its home station, until the final days of the war, when it marched west and surrendered to the American forces near Linzsaid. In early 1945 Dietrich said: “We call ourselves the “6^th Panzer Army”, because we’ve only got 6 Panzers left”.

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