Ferdinand Maria von Senger und Etterlin
| Ferdinand Maria Johann Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin | |
|---|---|
| Born |
8 June 1923 Tübingen, German Empire |
| Died |
10 January 1987 (aged 63) Ühlingen, Germany |
| Allegiance |
 Nazi Germany West Germany
|
| Rank | General |
| Unit |
24th Panzer Division OKH |
| Commands held |
I Army Corps Joint Force Command Brunssum |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | German Cross in Gold |
| Relations | Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin |
Ferdinand Maria Johann Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin (June 8, 1923 – January 10, 1987) was a soldier in the German Army in both the Wehrmacht of World War II and the postwar Bundeswehr, as well as a civilian jurist in the German Federal service. As an officer in the Bundeswehr, he rose to the rank of general, and completed his military service as commander-in-chief of NATO's Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT). He also authored numerous books on military-related subjects.
Senger und Etterlin was born on June 8, 1923 in Tübingen, Germany, into a family rich in military tradition, with over 250 years of service to various German polities. His father, Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin, who served as a Wehrmacht officer throughout the Second World War, reached the rank of General der Panzertruppe ("General of Armored Troops"), and began his own highly decorated military service before the First World War in service with the Reichswehr. His mother, Hilda Margarethe von Kracht, was the daughter of Prussian general Ernst Alexander von Kracht. Like most of his male forebears, he sought a military career and began it at age 17, by joining the cavalry regiment commanded by his father.
In 1946, he married Ebba von Keudell; they had two children, a boy, Stefan, and a girl, Marina Josepha Anna Sidonie.
Senger und Etterlin started his military career on October 1, 1940 in the replacement section of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, at Göttingen, commanded at the time by his father. On June 21, 1941, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Ferdinand fought on this front as a Lieutenant with the 24th Panzer Division in the German 6th Army, ultimately participating in the Battle of Stalingrad, one of history's bloodiest battles. He was placed in command of a panzer squadron on August 23, 1942, in the later stages of this battle. Not long before the end of the battle, he was wounded and evacuated back to Germany.
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