German Waffen-SS officer
Rudolf von Ribbentrop (11 May 1921 – 20 May 2019)[1] was a German Waffen-SS officer who served and was decorated in World War II, and later became a wine merchant. His father was Nazi diplomat and Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop. His autobiography gave further insight to his father and the last days of Adolf Hitler.
Early life
Rudolf von Ribbentrop was born in Wiesbaden as one of 5 children to Joachim von Ribbentrop. His father was appointed as German Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1936 and was accompanied to London by Rudolf. Enrolled into Westminster School, he had to later return to a boarding school in Germany after The Times became aware of his presence.[2]
World War II
On 1 September 1939, when the Second World War started, Ribbentrop joined as a private soldier in the SS-Infantry Regiment Deutschland, with which he served during the Western Campaign, receiving the Iron Cross second class. During Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, his unit was sent to Finland. In February 1943 he was assigned to a Panzer regiment the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler division (LSSAH) and sent to Kharkov in February 1943, where he took part in the Third Battle of Kharkov.[3]
Ribbentrop was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 15 July 1943.[4] On 1 August he was transferred to the newly formed SS Division Hitlerjugend as a training officer and company commander. During battles in Normandy, Ribbentrop was awarded the German Cross in Gold. Following the breakout from Falaise, he saw action during Battle of the Bulge. He surrendered with the division to the U.S. Army on 8 May 1945. Ribbentrop was “taken aback” by the American artillery barrages in Normandy: “The Americans threw everything at us, particularly artillery … it put everything that we had previously undergone into the shade”.[5]
Post-war
Ribbentrop spent over three years in American, British, and French custody. While in custody, he was accused of shooting two Canadian prisoners of war, one of them fatally, during an interrogation in France. However, the charges could not be proven. Ribbentrop was released from Cherche-Midi Prison in July 1948.[6] Afterwards, he became a wine merchant and wrote his memoirs. These gave fresh insight into the career of his father and also an insight in the final days of Adolf Hitler. His work included previously unpublished photographs of his family and Hitler.[7][8]
Germany
