Siegfried Westphal
German general (1902-1982)
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Siegfried Carl Theodor Westphal (18 March 1902 – 2 July 1982) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II.
Nazi Germany
Siegfried Westphal | |
|---|---|
Westphal (background) in a propaganda photo with Erwin Rommel in North Africa in 1941 | |
| Born | 18 March 1902 |
| Died | 2 July 1982 (aged 80) Celle, West Germany |
| Allegiance | Weimar Republic Nazi Germany |
Branch | German Army |
Service years | 1918–1945 |
Rank | General der Kavallerie |
Conflicts | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Upon the outbreak of the war, Westphal, then a major, served as the operations officer 58th Infantry Division.[1]
In 1941, he was promoted to Oberstleutnant and attached to the staff of Erwin Rommel in June of that year.[1] He served as operations officer under Rommel and chief of staff under Kesselring and Rundstedt. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.
Westphal surrendered to the American troops in May 1945 and acted as a witness at the Nuremberg Trials. He was released in 1947. He wrote a book titled The German Army in the West, which was published in 1952. He appears in a number of interview segments of The World at War.
Awards and decorations
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 November 1942 as Oberst i.G. and Chef des Generalstabes of Deutsch-Italienische Panzerarmee [2]