Rudolf Schmidt

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Nazi German general

title: "Rudolf Schmidt" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1886-births", "1957-deaths", "military-personnel-from-berlin", "colonel-generals-of-the-german-army-(1935–1945)", "german-army-personnel-of-world-war-i", "german-military-personnel-who-died-by-suicide", "german-people-convicted-of-war-crimes", "german-prisoners-of-war-in-world-war-ii-held-by-the-soviet-union", "prussian-army-personnel", "recipients-of-the-clasp-to-the-iron-cross,-1st-class", "recipients-of-the-knight's-cross-of-the-iron-cross-with-oak-leaves", "military-personnel-from-the-province-of-brandenburg", "reichswehr-personnel", "inmates-of-butyrka-prison"] description: "Nazi German general" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Schmidt" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Nazi German general ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox military person"]

FieldValue
nameRudolf Schmidt
birth_date
death_date
birth_placeBerlin, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
death_placeKrefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
imageBundesarchiv Bild 183-2005-1017-520, Rudolf Schmidt.jpg
captionSchmidt in 1942
allegianceGerman Empire
Weimar Republic
Nazi Germany
branchPrussian Army
Imperial German Army
Reichswehr
German Army
serviceyears1906–1943
rankGeneraloberst
commands1st Panzer Division
XXXIX Panzer Corps
2nd Panzer Army
battles
awardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
relations∞ 1 June 1917 Fridel Leitholf
Hans-Thilo Schmidt (brother)
::

| name = Rudolf Schmidt | birth_date = | death_date = | birth_place = Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire | death_place = Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany | image = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-2005-1017-520, Rudolf Schmidt.jpg | caption = Schmidt in 1942 | nickname = | allegiance = German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany | branch = Prussian Army Imperial German Army Reichswehr German Army | serviceyears = 1906–1943 | rank = Generaloberst | commands = 1st Panzer Division XXXIX Panzer Corps 2nd Panzer Army | unit = | battles =

Rudolf Friedrich Carl Schmidt (12 May 1886 – 7 April 1957) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded the 2nd Panzer Army on the Eastern Front. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. He was the older brother of Hans-Thilo Schmidt, who sold secrets about the Enigma machine to the French.

Career

Schmidt joined the Prussian Army in 1906 and served during World War I. He was retained in the Reichswehr where he served in staff roles. In October 1936 he was promoted to Generalmajor and appointed commander of the 1st Panzer Division. In 1939 Schmidt led the division in the invasion of Poland.

On 1 February 1940 he was appointed commanding general of the XXXIX Panzer Corps. He led the Corps in France and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his role in that campaign on 3 June 1940. He was promoted to General der Panzertruppe and appointed acting commander of the 2nd Army which took part in the Battle of Moscow. On 25 December 1941 he was appointed Commander of the 2nd Panzer Army (replacing the sacked General Guderian).

His brother Hans-Thilo Schmidt sold details of the Germans' Enigma machine and other sensitive military information to the French Deuxième Bureau from 1931 until the German invasion of France in 1940. On 16 March with effect and rank seniority (RDA) from 1 January 1942 (order number 2), Schmidt was promoted to Generaloberst, but on 10 April 1943, he was relieved of his command after the Gestapo arrested his brother for spying for the French, and found letters that Schmidt had written in which he was highly critical of Hitler’s conduct of the war and the Nazi Party. He appeared before a court martial but was acquitted.

According to the order of the Deputy General Command IX Army Corps, Schmidt was discharged from active service with the statutory pension on 6 October with effect from 30 September 1943 (he received transitional allowance and, from 1 January 1944, a pension). Generaloberst (Ret.) Schmidt was never re-activated.

POW

On 16 December 1947 Schmidt was arrested by Soviet soldiers on his way to his home in Weimar. Taken to Moscow, he was initially imprisoned at the Vladimir Central Prison and Butyrka prison. In 1952, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for war crimes by a military tribunal. In march 1953, dictator Stalin died. In September 1955, Chancellor of Germany Adenauer visited Moscow and negotiated with Nikita Khrushchev. On 12 September 1955, he reached an agreement on the return of 10,000 prisoners of war and the establishment of diplomatic relations. On 7 January 1956, Schmidt was released and repatriated to Germany.

Promotions

  • 25 September 1906 Fahnenjunker (Officer Candidate)
  • 18 May 1907 Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
  • 27 January 1908 Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant) with Patent from 22 July 1906
  • 28 November 1914 Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)
  • 18 December 1915 Hauptmann (Captain)
    • 1 July 1922 received Reichswehr Rank Seniority (RDA) from 18 December 1915 (33)
  • 1 February 1927 Major (17)
  • 1 April 1931 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel)
  • 1 October 1933 Oberst (Colonel)
  • 1 October 1936 Generalmajor (Major General)
  • 1 June 1938 Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General)
  • 1 June 1940 General der Panzertruppe (8)
  • 16 March 1942 Generaloberst with effect and RDA from 1 January 1942 (2)

Awards and decorations (excerpt)

References

Citations

Bibliography

  • {{Cite book |last=Scherzer |first=Veit |year=2007 |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 |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 |language=German |location=Jena, Germany |publisher=Scherzers Militaer-Verlag |isbn=978-3-938845-17-2
  • {{Cite book |last=Thomas |first=Franz |year=1998 |title=Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z |trans-title=The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z |language=German |location=Osnabrück, Germany |publisher=Biblio-Verlag |isbn=978-3-7648-2300-9

before=—| after=Generaloberst Hans-Jürgen von Arnim| title=Commander of XXXIX. Panzerkorps| years=1 February 1940 – 10 November 1941 before=Generaloberst Heinz Guderian| after=General der Infanterie Heinrich Clößner| title= Commander of 2. Panzerarmee| years=25 December 1941 – 10 April 1943

| portal1=Biography

References

  1. [https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/gnd137808585.html#dbocontent Schmidt, Rudolf Friedrich Carl], Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB)
  2. Paillole, Paul. (2016). "The Spy in Hitler's Inner Circle". Casemate UK.
  3. German Federal Archives: BArch PERS 6/22653
  4. Irina V. Bezborodova: ''Die Generäle des Zweiten Weltkrieges in sowjetischer Hand 1943—1956'', 1998
  5. ''Rangliste der Königlich Preußischen Armee'', 1914, p. 524
  6. ''Rangliste des deutschen Reichsheeres'', 1926, p. 142
  7. Scherzer 2007, p. 671.

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