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| 1896 births | |
| 1966 deaths | |
| german generals | |
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| german natives of east prussia | |
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Felix Martin Julius Steiner ( May 23 1896 – May 12 1966 ) was a German Heer and Waffen-SS officer who served in both World War I and World War II . Steiner ranks as one of the most innovative commanders of the Waffen-SS . He skilfully commanded the SS-Deutschland Regiment through the invasions of Poland , France and the Low Countries . He was then chosen by Himmler to oversee the creation of, and then command the volunteer SS Division, SS-Division (mot) ''Wiking'' . In 1943 , he was promoted to command of a Corps, and by the end of the War he was in command of the 11.SS-Panzer-Armee . His failure to attack the Russians advancing on Berlin earned Hitler's contempt in the last weeks of the war. Imprisoned until 1948 , he was cleared of all charges of War Crimes and after writing several apologist works, died on May 12 , 1966 . CAREER Felix Martin Julius Steiner was born on May 23 , 1896 in Stallupönen , East Prussia . In 1914 , on the eve of war, Steiner joined the Prussian Officer Corps as a cadet. During the course of the war, he earned the Iron Cross first and second class and finished the war as an Oberleutnant . After the war, Steiner led a unit of Freikorps in the East Prussian city of Memel . He rejoined the army in 1922 and by 1933 had attained the rank of Major. After the NSDAP (Nazi Party) takeover, Steiner joined the Reichswehr staff and began work developing new training techniques and tactics. During this time he was exposed to the training and doctrines of the Schutzstaffel and Sturmabteilung . He was intrigued by the training techniques of the SS-Verfügungstruppen (SS-VT; The precursors of the Waffen-SS), which placed emphasis on unit cohesion and trust, with an informal relationship between the enlisted and commissioned ranks. In 1935, Steiner took command of a Batallion of SS-VT troops, and within a year had been promoted to SS-Standartenführer and was in command of the SS-Deutschland Regiment. The outbreak of war saw Steiner as an SS-Oberführer and still in charge of the SS-Deutschland. He led his regiment well through Fall Weiss and Fall Gelb , earning the Knight's Cross on 15 August 1940. WIKING DIVISION After the early war campaigns, Steiner was chosen by SS-Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler to oversee the creation of, and then command the new volunteer SS Division, SS-Division (mot) ''Wiking''. The Wiking was made up of Non-German volunteers, and at the time of its creation consisted mostly of Dutch , Walloons , and Scandinavians . In the Wiking Division, Steiner created a capable formation from disparate elements, and he commanded them competently through the many battles in the east from 1941 until his promotion to command of the III.(Germanische) SS-Panzerkorps . As is common on the Eastern Front, where individual acts were buried in the widespread brutality, the Wiking's combat record is clear of any specific War Crimes prosecutions, although several are alleged. Steiner commanded the III.(Gem)SS Pz Korps through the setbacks and subsequent retreat in the east, until in 1945 he was given command of the newly formed '' Paper Tiger '', the XI. SS Armee. END OF THE WAR - PEACETIME Steiner had always been one of Hitler 's favourite commanders, who admired his 'get the job done' attitude and the fact that he owed his allegiance to the Waffen SS, not the Prussia n Officer Corps. However, when Hitler was besieged in Berlin , he ordered Steiner's Army to attack and relieve Berlin. With few working tanks and roughly a division's worth of infantry, Steiner chose the life of his men over the life of the Nazi leadership, and declined to attack. After the surrender, Steiner was incarcerated until 1948. He faced charges at the Nuremberg Trials, but they were all dropped and he was released. He dedicated the last decades of his life to writing his memoirs and several books about the war. These books have been viewed as '' Apologist ''. Steiner died on 12 May 1966 . PROMOTIONS
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