Seckendorff, Freiherr von, Erich Erwin Heinrich August Veit.

Seckendorff, Freiherr von, Erich Erwin Heinrich August Veit, born 21-06-1897 in Görz, with one brother, to Meinhard Christoph Hermann Friedrich Egon Graf von Seckendorff and Freiin Armgard Sarah Korinna born Freiin von Seckendorff.

Erich joined the Royak Prussian Army Service on 02-08-1914 as a Fahnjunker and became a Fähnrich on 15-02-1915 and was promoted to Leutnant on 15-07-1915. The son of Egon Freiherr von Seckendorff who died 11-11-1924, age 68 in Obernzenn, came here to the Rhenish Dragoon Regiment “Freiherr von Manteuffel” No. 5. On 02-12-1914, he married Anna Mathilde von Keller. His son Meinhard Erich Peter Freiherr von Seckendorff was born on 06-07-1944. As Leutnant, von Seckendorff was then used as an squadron officer in the Rhenish Dragoon Regiment “Freiherr von Manteuffel” No. 5. In the First World War, both Iron Crosses  were awarded to him. After the war he on 01-10-1919 was transferred as a ieutnant in the Reichswehr. He now came to the Cavalry Regiment 1. Also in the 100,000 man transition army in the spring of 1920, he was still used there. In the formation of the 100,000-man Army of the Reichswehr he was then taken into the 1st (Preuß.) Cavalry Regiment. In this he was then used as a squadron officer. On 01-04-1921 he was transferred to the 16th Cavalry Regiment. There, too, he was further used as squadron officer. At the latest from the spring of 1924 he was employed in the 2nd (Preuß.) Squadron of the 16th Horseman Regiment in Hofgeismar. His seniority was set to 01-04-1925. On 01-10-1929 he was then commanded to the cavalry school Hanover. On 01-11-1930, he was appointed as the successor of then Hauptmann Gustav Fritz Julius von Vaerst to the head of the 3rd (Preuß.) Squadron of the 16th Regiment Cavalry in Erfurt. As such, he was promoted to Hauptmann on 01-04-1931. In the expansion of the Reichswehr to the Wehrmacht he was transferred on 01-10-1934 to the regimental staff of the Equestrian Regiment Erfurt. At the disarming of the associations on 15-10-1935, he was then transferred to the staff of the Kradschützen Battalion 1. There Erich was promoted on 01-01-1936 to Major..Gustav von Vaerst ended the war as a General der Panzertruppen and died 10-10-1975, age 81 in Stockheim.

On 12-10-1937, he was then appointed commander of the IV Division of Cavalry Rifle Regiment 4 in Iserlohn. On 01-03-1939, he was promoted to Oberstleutnant. Due to the renaming of his unit he was appointed on 01-04-1939 commander of the Kradschützen Battalion 6 in Iserlohn. At the beginning of World War II, he came as such in the association of the 1st Light Division in the Polish campaign used. In mid-October 1939, the division was reclassified to the 6th Panzer Division  under command of Generalmajor Friedrich-Wilhelm von Loeper  and then relocated to the Western Front. Generalmajor von Loeper survived the war and died 07-10-1983, aged 95, in Bückeburg. Von Seckendorff’s battalion was then used in the Western campaign in the spring of 1940 of the 6th Panzer Division. At the end of July 1940 he lost his command. For this he was then appointed commander of the new Rifle Regiment 114. On 04-09-1940, he was awarded for his previous activity still with the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.  With his regiment he was now in East Prussia. At the beginning of summer 1941, he led his regiment in the 6th Panzer Division in the Eastern campaign during the attack on northern Russia. From the autumn of 1941 he was then used in the middle section of the Eastern Front. On 01-02-1942, he was promoted to Oberst. In early February 1942, he gave his leadership over the Rifle Regiment 114 to Oberst Hellmut Zollenkopf.  Von Reckendorff remained officially until 16-04-1943 still the commander. In 1943 he was appointed commander of the Armored Troop XI in Magdeburg. In January 1944 he was appointed by the renaming of his staff to the commander of the Armored Force X / XI. In the late summer of 1944 he was then appointed commander of the 113th Panzer Brigade on the training area Wildflecken. After just a few days, his brigade was transported to the Kolmar-Belfort area.

Death and burial ground of Seckendorff, Freiherr von, Erich Erwin Heinrich August Veit.

On 21-09-1944, his brigade became the LVIII. Panzer Corps supplied south of Arracourt. In the following heavy fighting he fell in action on 23-09-1944, age 47 in Lagarde, France. Posthumously he was promoted to Generalmajor on 01-10-1944. Erich Freiherr von Seckendorff lies buried in Bad Windsheim-Obernzenn , Bavaria.

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