Buried at Berlin, Germany Place of burial Berlin, Germany | Battles/wars World War II Battles and wars World War II | |
 | ||
Born October 20, 1925
Frankfurt (Oder), Germany ( 1925-10-20 ) Allegiance Nazi Germany (to 1945)
West Germany Years of service 1939–1945
1956–1983
1984 Rank Lieutenant (Wehrmacht)
General (Bundeswehr) Died 28 August 2009, Rendsburg, Germany Service/branches German Army (Wehrmacht), German Army (Bundeswehr) | ||
Günter Kießling (20 October 1925 – 28 August 2009) was a German general in the Bundeswehr, who became famous as the subject of what became known as the Kießling (or Kiessling) Affair.
Kießling was born in Frankfurt (Oder) in the Province of Brandenburg. In the Second World War, he was a lieutenant in the infantry and served on the Eastern Front. Some time after the war, he joined the Bundesgrenzschutz and later transferred to the Bundeswehr. Before his early retirement he was Commander of NATO land forces and deputy to the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.
In 1983 Kießling was secretly accused of homosexuality, which, in his position, was regarded as a security risk and led to his premature retirement. The allegations were later found to be without foundation and he was rehabilitated, being briefly reinstated before retiring with full honours
Kießling again achieved public prominence in 1997 when he spoke at the funeral of Josef Rettemeier, a highly decorated World War II soldier and one of the few soldiers to be awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.
Günter Kießling died in Rendsburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, on 28 August 2009.