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((Short description|German army general (1892-1955)))
((Use dmy dates|date=October 2020))
((more citations needed|date=April 2016))
((Infobox military person
| name          = Rainer Stahel
| birth_date    = ((Birth date|1892|1|15|df=y))
| death_date    = ((death date and age|1955|11|30|1892|1|15|df=y))
| birth_place   = [[Bielefeld]], [[German Empire]]
| death_place   = [[Ivanovo]], [[Russian SFSR]], [[Soviet Union]]
| image         = Rainer-Stahel.jpg
| caption       = Stahel in uniform
| allegiance    = ((flag|German Empire)) (1914–1918) <br/>((flagicon|Finland)) [[Finland]] (1918–1933)<br/>((flag|Nazi Germany)) (1933–1945)
| branch        = [[German Army (Wehrmacht)|Army]]
| serviceyears  = 1911–1945
| rank          = Generalleutnant
| commands      = [[22nd Flak Brigade]]
| unit          = 
| battles       = [[World War I]]<br/>[[Finnish Civil War]]<br/>[[World War II]]
| awards        = [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords]]
| laterwork     = 
))
'''Rainer Joseph Karl August Stahel''' (sometimes wrongly written as ''Reiner''; 15 January 1892 – 30 November 1955) was a German military officer and war criminal. He is best known for his [[Vilnius Offensive|retreat from Vilna]] and the command of the garrison of [[Warsaw]] during the [[Warsaw Uprising]] of 1944. Arrested by the [[NKVD]] in Romania, he spent the rest of his life in Soviet captivity.

==Early life==
Stahel was born in [[Bielefeld]]. On 1 April 1911, he joined the 1. Lothringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 130 of the [[Prussian Army]].

== World War I ==
He fought with the [[German Army (German Empire)|German Army]] during [[World War I]]. By the end of the war, he had moved to Finland and joined the Finnish Army participating in the [[Finnish Civil War]]. 

== Interwar ==
In 1933 he went to [[Nazi Germany]] where he worked at the [[Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany)|Ministry of Aviation]].

== World War II ==
Stahel participated in the [[German invasion of the Soviet Union]] as commander of Flakregiments 34 (June 1941), Flakregiment 99 (April 1942) and [[4th Luftwaffe Field Division (Germany)|4th Luftwaffe Field Division]] (September 1942). During the [[Battle of Stalingrad]], Stahel conducted defensive actions at the head of ''Kampfgruppe Stahel''. On 21 January 1943, he was promoted to major general and then transferred to Air Fleet 4.

At the end of May 1943, he was appointed commander of the new [[22nd Flak Brigade]] in Italy and entrusted with protecting the [[Strait of Messina]]. Following the German retreat from Sicily and [[Armistice of Cassibile|Italy's surrender]], Stahel was made the military commander of [[Rome]] in September 1943.

=== 1944 ===
In July 1944, he commanded the Vilnius garrison in the [[Vilnius offensive]] and was able to postpone the seizure of that city by the [[Red Army]]. For his efforts, on 28 July 1944, he was awarded the [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross#Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern)|Swords to the Knight's Cross]] and promoted to the rank of [[lieutenant general]].

==== Warsaw uprising ====
Stahel was transferred to Warsaw, where he was to defend the city against the advancing [[Red Army]].<ref name="Bartoszewski">((Cite book | publisher = Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego, Świat Książki | isbn = 978-83-7391-679-1 | author = Władysław Bartoszewski | author-link = Władysław Bartoszewski |author2=Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego |author2-link=Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego | title = Dni walczącej stolicy : kronika Powstania Warszawskiego
| year = 2004 | location = Warszawa | url=http://czytelnia.onet.pl/0,1190728,do_czytania.html|language=pl))</ref> However, the Soviet offensive was halted. Instead, on August 1, the [[Warsaw Uprising]] was started by the Polish [[Home Army]]. On the uprising's first day, Stahel was surrounded in his headquarters in the [[Saxon Palace]], and he lost control of the situation.<ref name="Bartoszewski" /> On August 4, command over Nazi forces in Warsaw was given to [[Waffen-SS]] commander [[Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski]] and Stahel's pocket was subordinated to the new commander. By August 7, the [[Dirlewanger Brigade]] reached Stahel's positions in the city centre, although he did not resume his command over the city's garrison.

===== Suppression of Warsaw uprising =====
[[File:Reiner Stahel NKVD.jpg|thumb|right|Rainer Stahel after arrest by [[NKVD]] 1944]]
Despite his relatively limited role in suppressing the Warsaw uprising of 1944, Stahel was responsible for a series of crimes committed against Warsaw's [[Civilian|civilians]]. On August 2, he ordered the killing of all men identified as actual or potential insurgents and taking civilian [[Hostage|hostages]] to be used as human shields when assaulting insurgent positions.<ref>Antoni Przygoński, ''Powstanie warszawskie w sierpniu 1944'', Warszawa: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1988, page 241.</ref> Testimonies of the soldiers of the [[562nd Grenadier Division (Wehrmacht)|562nd Grenadier Division]]'s Grenadier Regiment East Prussia 4 who arrived in Warsaw on August 3 show that Stahel gave them the order to "kill all men encountered, remove women and children, and burn houses."<ref>Adam Borkiewicz, ''Powstanie warszawskie 1944: zarys działań natury wojskowej'', Warszawa: PAX, 1962., page 108</ref> Moreover, Stahel ordered the [[execution]] of Polish prisoners held in [[Mokotów Prison|Mokotów prison]]<ref>Lesław M. Bartelski, ''Mokotów 1944'', Warszawa: Wydawnictwo MON, 1971, page 277.</ref> and officially sanctioned [[looting]], allowing German soldiers to take anything they wanted from houses on fire.<ref>''Protokół przesłuchania komendanta garnizonu Warszawa gen. Reinera Stahela'', Moscow: 25/08/1945 r.,  http://ipn.gov.pl/portal/pl/719/10337/Nieznane_dokumenty_z_Powstania_Warszawskiego.html ((Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100216142239/http://www.ipn.gov.pl/portal/pl/719/10337/Nieznane_dokumenty_z_Powstania_Warszawskiego.html |date=16 February 2010 )).</ref>

==== Romania ====
[[File:Reiner Stahel.jpg|thumb|right|Grave in Cherntsy]]
On August 25, he was dispatched to [[Bucharest]] to replace General [[Alfred Gerstenberg]], where the German headquarters anticipated similar [[urban warfare]]; his troops attempted to occupy Romania's capital Bucharest, but they were repulsed by troops loyal to King [[Michael I of Romania|Michael I]]. On the same day, Romania declared war on the Axis. He was captured together with General Gerstenberg by Romanian soldiers at [[Gherghița]] on August 28. In the following days, the Red Army entered the city almost unopposed.<ref>((cite web|url=https://www.memoria.ro/marturii/perioade_istorice/perioada_celui_de-al_doilea_razboi_mondial/serata_de_adio_s-a_contramandat/844/|title=Serata de adio s-a contramandat|author=Nicolae Jurca|language=ro|website=memoria.ro|access-date=18 February 2024))</ref>

On 20 September 1944, Stahel was arrested by the [[NKVD]] together with Field Marshal [[Ion Antonescu]]. Interrogated on his part in the Warsaw Uprising, he was imprisoned in the Soviet Union. The exact date of his death is a subject of controversy.

==Death==
According to initial Soviet sources, Stahel died on 30 November 1952 in [[Vladimir, Russia|Vladimir]] [[Vladimir Central Prison|central transfer prison]]. However, recent sources confirm that Stahel died in 1955 in the [[Voikovo prison camp|Voikovo officer prison camp]] of a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] when he was informed of his possible transfer to Germany. This date is also confirmed by the gravestone in Russia (General Cemetery of the Chernzy/Cherntsy War Cemetery).

==Awards and decorations==
* [[Iron Cross]] (1914), 2nd and 1st Class 
** 2nd Class on 12 October 1914
**1st Class on 24 March 1915<ref name="Thomas p340">Thomas 1998, p. 340.</ref>
* Jäger Cross (''Jägerkreuz'') of the [[27th Jäger Battalion (Finland)]]
* [[Order of the Cross of Liberty]], 3rd and 2nd Class 
** 3rd Class on 8 May 1918
** 2nd Class with Swords on 29 May 1918
* Finnish Commemorative Medal for the War of Freedom 1918 with battle clasp “Karjalan R.” (Vapaussodan – ''Karjalan rintama'')
* [[Wound Badge]] (1918) in Black
* Bronze Cross for Merit of the Civil Guard (Cross of Merit of the Protection Corps; Suojeluskunta Rautainen ansioristi)
* [[The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918]] with Swords
* [[Wehrmacht Long Service Award]], 4th and 3rd Class
* [[Anschluss Medal]] on 11 February 1939
* War Merit Cross (1939), 2nd Class with Swords on 8 March 1941
* Repetition Clasp 1939 to the Iron Cross 1914, 2nd and 1st Class
** 2nd Class on 10 July 1941
** 1st Class on 19 September 1941<ref name="Thomas p340"/>
* [[Anti-Aircraft Flak Battle Badge]]
* [[Eastern Medal|Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal]]
* [[Order of the White Rose of Finland]], Commander's Cross
* Reference in the ''[[Wehrmachtbericht]]'' on 14 July 1944
* [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords]]
** Knight's Cross on 18 January 1942 as ''[[Oberstleutnant]]'' and commander of Flak-Regiment 34.<ref name="Scherzer p716">Scherzer 2007, p. 716.</ref>
** Oak Leaves on 4 January 1943 as ''[[Oberst]] and commander of a [[Luftwaffe]]-[[Kampfgruppe]] "Stahel"<ref name="Scherzer p716"/>
** Swords on 18 July 1944 as ''[[Generalmajor]]'' and commander of Fester Platz Wilna<ref>Fellgiebel 2000, p. 44.</ref>

==References==
<!--This article uses the Cite.php citation mechanism. If you would like more information on how to add references to this article, please see http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cite/Cite.php -->

===Citations===
((Reflist|25em))

===Bibliography===
((refbegin))
* ((Cite book|title=Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives|last=Scherzer|first=Veit|publisher=Scherzers Militaer-Verlag|year=2007|isbn=978-3-938845-17-2|location=Jena, Germany|language=German|trans-title=The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives))
* ((Cite book|title=Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z|last=Thomas|first=Franz|publisher=Biblio-Verlag|year=1998|isbn=978-3-7648-2300-9|location=Osnabrück, Germany|language=German|trans-title=The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z))
((refend))

((Authority control))
((Subject bar
| portal1=Biography
| commons=y
| commons-search=Category:Rainer Stahel
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((DEFAULTSORT:Stahel, Rainer))
[[Category:1892 births]]
[[Category:1955 deaths]]
[[Category:Nazi Party officials]]
[[Category:German Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Luftwaffe World War II generals]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Liberty, 2nd Class]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Liberty, 3rd Class]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Bielefeld]]
[[Category:Military personnel from the Province of Westphalia]]
[[Category:German people who died in Soviet detention]]
[[Category:Warsaw Uprising German forces]]
[[Category:Prussian Army personnel]]
[[Category:Finnish Army personnel]]
[[Category:Lieutenant generals of the Luftwaffe]]
[[Category:Holocaust perpetrators in Poland]]
[[Category:People of the Finnish Civil War (White side)]]
[[Category:German expatriates in Finland]]
[[Category:Nazis who died in prison custody]]

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