Schwandner, Maximillian, born 20-02-1881, in Weißenburg / Bayern 
joined the Royal Bavarian Army 
as a Fahnenjunker, ron 15-07-1900. The son of the postmaster Adolf Schwandner, Maximillian joined the 7th Royal Bavarian Infantry Regiment “Prince Leopold of Bavaria”. under command of General der Infanterie Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria 
Schwandner was promoted to Fahnenjunker on 08-02-1901. After attending military school, he was promoted to lLeutenant on 12-03-1902. As such, he was then deployed as a company officer in the 7th Royal Bavarian Infantry Regiment “Prince Leopold of Bavaria”. In 1909, he was appointed battalion adjutant in his regiment. On 09-03-1911, he was promoted to first lieutenant. In the autumn of 1912, he was transferred to the Bavarian War Academy. With the outbreak of World War I, he was transferred to the front in early August 1914 as regimental adjutant of the 7th Royal Bavarian Infantry Regiment “Prince Leopold of Bavaria”. On 22-08-1914, he was transferred to the 11th Royal Bavarian Reserve Infantry Brigade as an adjutant. On 16-12-1914, he was promoted to Hauptman . From 15-02-1916, Maximillian was then deployed as a company commander in the Royal Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 1. After a month, on 15-03-1916, he moved to the General Staff of the 1st Royal Bavarian Reserve Division. On 25-12-1916, he was then transferred to the General Staff of the 30th Reserve Division. On 10-05-1918, he was transferred to the General Staff of Army Department A. He was awarded both Iron Crosses 
in the First World War. After the war, from the end of December 1918, he was transferred to the 7th Royal Bavarian Infantry Regiment “Prince Leopold of Bavaria” as a company commander. On 01-06-1919, he was commissioned into the Reich Army as a Hauptman. He was then assigned to the General Staff by the Infantry Commander of the Reichswehr Brigade 24. In the 200,000-man transition army in the spring of 1920, he was deployed to the Reichswehr Infantry Regiment 47. When he was transferred to the 100,000-man army, he was then assigned to the 21st (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment. On 01-10-1922, he was transferred to the General Staff of the Artillery Commander VII in Munich. There he was promoted to Major on 01-04-1923. His seniority in rank was set at 01-07-1921. On 01-02-1926, he took over as commander of the training battalion of the 21st (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment 
in Erlangen. On 01-02-1928, he was promoted to Oberstleutnant. On the same day, he took over command of the 1st Battalion of the 19th (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment in Munich. On 01-02-1929, he was transferred to the staff of the 7th Division of the Reichswehr, also in Munich, as senior quartermaster. On 01-05-1930, he was on the staff of the 19th (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment, also in Munich. On 01-02-1931, he was promoted to Oberst. On the same day, he took over command of the 20th (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment in Regensburg, succeeding Oberst Ritter Friedrich von Kieffer. 
On 0102-1933, he handed over his command to Oberst Fritz Willich 
and was appointed Infantry Leader II in Schwerin, succeeding General Major Karl-Ulrich Neumann-Neurode. 
As such, he was promoted to General Major on 01-10-1933. On 01-10-1934, when the Reichswehr was expanded, Schwandner was appointed commander of the Reichswehr office in Hamburg. On 01-05-1935, he was promoted to General.Leutnant This automatically made him commander of the 20th Infantry Division 
on 15-10-1935. He was also responsible for the conversion to the 20th Infantry Division (motorized). On 10-11-1938, he gave up his command and was transferred to the General Command of theunder command of General der Infanterie Eugen Ritter von Schobert
as General z.b.V. Schobert commanded the 11th Army during Operation Barbarossa, 
the invasion of the Soviet Union. Schobert died when his observation plane crashed in a Soviet minefield.
When mobilized, Schwandner was apparently ill and unfit for duty. At the beginning of March 1940, he was appointed General z.b.V. I. On 01-06-1940, he handed over his command to Lieutenant General z.V. Franz von Roques. In return, he was appointed Commanding General of the Deputy General Command of the X Army Corps in Hamburg on 01-06-1940. At the same time, he was appointed commander of Military District X. On 01-09-1940, he was given the rank of General of the Infantry. On 25-10-1940, he took over as commander of the Higher Command LIX. On 01-12-1940, he was promoted to General of the Infantry. On 28-12-1941, he relinquished his command. On 30-08-1942, he was discharged from the army. His son Eduard was killed as a Oberstleutnant and 1st General Staff Officer (Ia) of the 17th Infantry Division on 27-08-1943. In August 1945, he was arrested by the American occupying forces. The married retired General was released from captivity in mid-March 1947. His wife’s name was Helene, born Bayerlein who died on 05-01-1961, age 77.
Death and burial ground of Maximillian Schwandner.
General Schwandner died 11-04-1972, in Sonthofen at the old age of 91 and is buried with his wife, at the old Stadtfriedhof/ town cemetery of Bayreuth. Erlanger Streat 42, 95444 Bayreuth. Wolfgang Linke from Germany was so kind to sent me the grave photo’s with great thanks.
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