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Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin | |
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| Born | (1891-09-04)4 September 1891 |
| Died | 9 January 1963(1963-01-09) (aged 71) |
| Allegiance | German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany |
| Branch | German Army |
| Rank | General der Panzertruppe |
| Commands | 17th Panzer Division XIV Panzer Corps |
| Battles / wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
| Relations | Ferdinand Maria von Senger und Etterlin |
Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin (4 September 1891 – 9 January 1963) was a general in thearmy ofNazi Germany duringWorld War II.
Fridolin Rudolph von Senger und Etterlin was born on 4 September 1891, in Waldshut near the Swiss border. In 1912, he became aRhodes scholar at Oxford and acquired fluency in French and English.World War I interrupted his education in August 1914, and he was commissioned a lieutenant in the reserves. Senger remained in the postwarReichswehr as a cavalry officer. Senger studied for two years at the Cavalry School in Hannover, spent four years with the cavalry inspectorate in Berlin, and by 1938 was promoted Colonel.[citation needed]
Senger took part in theBattle of France in 1940. In October 1942, he was given command of the17th Panzer Division in Southern Russia. In June 1943, during theBattle of Sicily he was German Liaison Officer to the Italian 6th Army (GeneralAlfredo Guzzoni), and commanded the German units on the island until 17 July 1943 when GeneralHans-Valentin Hube assumed control of all Axis troops on the island. In August 1943, Senger took command of the German forces on the islands ofSardinia andCorsica. He conducted the evacuation when the German positions became untenable. On 8 October 1943 he received the command of theXIV Panzer Corps in Italy.
During theBattle of Monte Cassino, Senger fought at theGustav Line, which includedMonte Cassino. The German position was only broken by the Allies in May 1944.[1]
When the German forces in Italy surrendered 4 May 1945, GeneralHeinrich von Vietinghoff feared Italian partisans would attempt to kill him if he made the trip to the Allied headquarters inFlorence, so he sent Senger in his place. Senger came close to being killed by partisans himself on the journey had not a group of American officers intervened. After presenting himself to GeneralMark W. Clark and asking for orders, he was about to depart when a reporter noticed Senger still had his pistol in his holster. Clark called him back and ordered Senger, "Get rid of that gun." Senger removed his belt and flung it at the base of a tree.[2]
After the war he wrote his memoirs, entitledKrieg in Europa (War in Europe) (which were translated into English asNeither Fear nor Hope), and he continued to write on military matters and theory. He was invited to the Königswinter conferences byLilo Milchsack. These annual conferences helped to heal the bad memories after the end of theSecond World War.[citation needed] At the conference he worked with the politicianHans von Herwath, future German PresidentRichard von Weizsäcker and other leading German decision makers as well as British politicians likeDenis Healey,Richard Crossman and the journalistRobin Day.[3]
In 1950, Senger was one of the authors of theHimmerod memorandum which addressed the issue of rearmament (Wiederbewaffnung) of the Federal Republic of Germany after World War II.[4] Senger was introduced byB. H. Liddell Hart to the military historianMichael Howard. Howard, who had fought in Italy during the war, recalls him saying, "May I give you a word of advice? Next time you invade Italy, do not start at the bottom."[5] He was the father ofBundeswehr General and military authorFerdinand Maria von Senger und Etterlin (1923–1987).
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| Preceded by GeneralleutnantRudolf-Eduard Licht | Commander of17th Panzer Division 10 October 1942 – 16 June 1943 | Succeeded by GeneralleutnantWalter Schilling |
| Preceded by General der PanzertruppeJoachim Lemelsen | Commander of14. Armee 15 October 1944 – 24 October 1944 | Succeeded by General der ArtillerieHeinz Ziegler |
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