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Klaus von Bismarck

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Allegiance
  
Nazi Germany

Service/branch
  
German Army

Name
  
Klaus Bismarck

Years of service
  
1934–45


Klaus von Bismarck

Born
  
6 March 1912estate Jarchlin, Farther Pomerania (
1912-03-06
)

Rank
  
Oberstleutnant of the Reserves

Battles/wars
  
Second World WarInvasion of PolandBattle of FranceOperation BarbarossaDemyansk PocketCourland Pocket

Other work
  
Head of Social Welfare for Evangelical Church of WestphaliaArtistic director of WDR

Died
  
May 22, 1997, Hamburg, Germany

Awards
  
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Battles and wars
  
Invasion of Poland, Battle of France, Operation Barbarossa, Demyansk Pocket, Courland Pocket, World War II

Commands held
  
Grenadier-Regiment 4

Klaus von Bismarck (6 March 1912 – 22 May 1997) was the Director General of the Westdeutscher Rundfunk (West German Broadcasting) from 1961 to 1976, and the President of the ARD from 1963 to 1964. He was also the President of the German Evangelical Church Assembly from 1977 to 1979 and a member of its presidium from 1950 to 1995, as well as President of the Goethe Institute, 1977 to 1989.

During World War II, Bismarck served as an officer in the Wehrmacht during the Second World War. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. According to his memoirs published in 1992 he refused to obey Hitler's Commissar Order to execute all captured Russian political Commissars attached to the Russian Army whilst serving as an adjutant on the Russian front in 1941. (Gitta Sereny, 'Albert Speer - his battle with truth, Macmillan 1995)

He is a relative of Otto von Bismarck, Germany's first Chancellor, and was the son of Gottfried von Bismarck (1881–1928), Lord of Jarchlin and Kniephof, family estates located in Pomerania. Bismarck received an honorary Doctor of Theology degree (Dr. h. c. theol.) from the University of Münster.

Awards and decorations

  • Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (9 October 1939) & 1st Class (18 June 1940)
  • Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 31 December 1941 as Oberleutnant and leader of the II./Infanterie-Regiment 4
  • 669th Oak Leaves on 26 November 1944 as Major and commander of Grenadier-Regiment 4
  • Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (3 October 1973)
  • Grand Federal Cross of Merit with Star (1982)
  • Grand Federal Cross of Merit with Star and Sash (2 June 1989)
  • Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (1989)
  • References

    Klaus von Bismarck Wikipedia


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