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Wichard von Alvensleben | |
|---|---|
 von Alvensleben in 1960 | |
| Born | (1902-05-19)19 May 1902 |
| Died | 14 August 1982(1982-08-14) (aged 80) |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Heer |
| Service years | 1939–1945 |
| Rank |  Hauptmann |
| Known for | Liberation of prominent prisoners inSouth Tyrol |
| Conflicts | World War II |
| Awards | Iron Cross 1st Class Infantry Assault Badge |
| Spouses | |
| Other work | agriculturist, estate administrator, and transport operator |
Wichard von Alvensleben (19 May 1902 – 14 August 1982) was a Germanagriculturist,Wehrmacht Officer, andKnight of theOrder of Saint John. He was a member of the aristocraticHouse of Alvensleben, one of the oldest in Germany.
As a captain, Alvensleben commanded the Wehrmacht troops stationed atBozen, in April 1945, whence he led a detachment of infantry toliberate a group of high-status prisoners being held by the SS atNiederdorf in theItalian Tyrol. His brother, SS-ColonelLudolf Jakob von Alvensleben, was commander (SS and Police Leader) of all SS troops in the area (Adria-West) at that time.
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Alvensleben was born on 19 May 1902, inWittenmoor (now part ofStendal) to Ludolf Udo von Alvensleben (1852–1923) and Ida, née von Glasenapp (1866–1924). He was taught in various convent schools atMagdeburg inBrandenburg an der Havel and passed hisAbitur in 1921 at the KlosterschuleRoßleben. After four years of practical training he commenced studies in agriculture, forestry, and law inEberswalde andMunich.
In 1927, Alvensleben married Cora von Erxleben and started to work at his wife's country estates at Tankow-Seegenfelde in the district ofFriedeberg, then in theProvince of Brandenburg, part of the GermanFree State of Prussia, and at Dertzow in the district ofSoldin,New March, also in the Province of Brandenburg, in 1929. In 1936, he bought the forested estate of Viarthlum, in the district ofRummelsburg, in the Free StateProvince of Pomerania. All were in areas transferred toPoland by thePotsdam Agreement in August 1945 following the end of World War II.
Alvensleben had two daughters, born in 1934 and 1936. A deeply religiousChristian, he had become by then a Knight of Justice of theOrder of Saint John.
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In 1939, Alvensleben became an Officer of the German Wehrmacht, earning the rank ofCaptain, and served inPoland,France,Russia,Africa, andItaly. He was wounded in 1941 in Russia and received various decorations, including theWound Badge, theInfantry Assault Badge, and theIron Cross 1st Class.
On 29 January 1945, his wife committed suicide at the arrival of theSovietRed Army at the family estate in Tankow-Seegenfelde.
In late April 1945, a group of 140 high-status prisoners (Prominente) weretransferred to Tyrol, guarded by SS troops. A Wehrmacht colonel among the prisoners contacted senior German army officers, made known the identity of these prisoners, and conveyed the apprehension that they were all to be executed. A regular German army unit under the command of Captain von Alvensleben was assigned by nearby military authorities to protect the prisoners. Outnumbered, the SS guards moved out, leaving the prisoners behind.[1] The prisoners were then set free, with the majority opting for sanctuary for a time inPragser Wildsee under the protection of Alvensleben's troops until a U.S. force arrived to take custody.
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In autumn 1945, Alvensleben was released from U.S. custody and started to work as a transport operator in a sugar refinery inNörten-Hardenberg. In August 1946, Alvensleben married Astrid von Brand (widowed von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt) and in 1952 he became an administrator of the von Brockdorff estateAscheberg nearPlön. In 1956, Alvensleben was involved withDiakonisches Werk, a charity organisation of theLutheran Church atRendsburg. He retired in 1974 and died on 14 August 1982,[2] in Ascheberg.