Eduard Deisenhofer

Eduard Deisenhofer
Deisenhofer in 1942.
Born	(1909-06-27)27 June 1909
Died	MIA 31 January 1945(1945-01-31) (aged 35) disappeared near Arnswalde, Nazi Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen-SS
Years of service	1930–45
Rank	Oberführer
Service number	NSDAP #250,226 SS #3,642
Unit	SS-VT SS Division Totenkopf SS Division Frundsberg SS Division Götz von Berlichingen
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Eduard Deisenhofer (27 June 1909 – MIA 31 January 1945) was a German commander in the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany. He was an early member in the SS, and served with the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and at the Dachau concentration camp in 1930s. During World War II, Deisenhofer served with several combat divisions on both the Eastern and Western fronts, earning the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He held a PhD in political economy.

Deisenhofer received his PhD as a political economist. During his time at university, he had come into contact with the Nazi Party, and soon applied to join the SA. A few months with the SA, Deisenhofer transferred to the SS, beginning his service on 1 October 1930. Deisenhofer held various low level command positions, including service with the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler in 1934 and at the Dachau concentration camp in 1935. Over the next two years he served in both the Totenkopfverbände units SS Totenkopf Verbande Sachsen and SS Totenkopf Standarte Thuringen.

At the outbreak of war Deisenhofer served in the SS Totenkopf Standarte, which was responsible for the police and security measures during the Invasion of Poland. After the Polish campaign, his unit was absorbed into the newly formed SS Division Totenkopf, where he served as a battalion commander during the Campaign in the West, receiving the Iron Cross First Class for his bravery in combat. In May Deisenhofer was appointed commander of a battalion of the newly formed Dutch and Belgian volunteer formation SS Volunteer Standarte Nordwest.