# Theodor Tolsdorff

Theodor Tolsdorff (3 November 1909 – 25 May 1978) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was one of 27 recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. Charged with the killing of Franz Xaver Holzhey [de] in the closing days of the war, Tolsdorff was convicted in 1954 but acquitted in 1960 in trials that drew substantial public interest and media coverage.

## Early life

Tolsdorf was born on 3 November 1909, in the family estate in Lehnarten in the Province of East Prussia, a state of the German Empire. Today it is Lenarty in the administrative district of Gmina Olecko, within Olecko County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. He was the youngest of four children and only son of Theodor Tolsdorff, who had served in the military during World War I as a Hauptmann (captain) in the artillery.
Tolsdorff was five years old in 1914 when his mother briefly evacuated the estate following the invasion of East Prussia by the Russian First Army, led by Paul von Rennenkampf. He attended the Gymnasium (advanced secondary school) in Königsberg, present-day Kaliningrad, and following the death of his father on 19 October 1919 took over the family estate and became a farmer. He continued his education to become an administrator of his 695 hectares (1,720 acres), including 95 ha (230 acres) of forest, sized estate in Lehnharten.
On 1 October 1934, at the age of 24, he joined the 1st Infantry Regiment (Infanterie-Regiment 1) of the 1st Infantry Division as a volunteer in Insterburg. Tolsdorff was promoted to Feldwebel (sergeant) on 1 February 1936. On 1 June 1936, Tolsdorff was promoted from the ranks to Leutnant (second lieutenant) and to Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) on 1 October 1938. He was given command of 14th anti tank company (14.(Panzerjäger-)Kompanie) of the newly formed 22nd Infantry Regiment (Infanterie-Regiment 22) in the 1st Infantry Division on 1 April 1939.

## World War II

As commander of a company, Tolsdorff participated in the German invasion of Poland in 1939 and was awarded both classes of the Iron Cross. Tolsdorff participated in the Battle of France in 1940.
Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, began on 22 June 1941. In November, Tolsdorff was wounded while leading an attack. He was promoted to Hauptmann (captain) on 1 December 1941 and awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 4 December 1941, while in the hospital. He returned to the front in April 1942 and participated in the heavy fighting for Shlisselburg. Tolsdorff was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 15 September 1943.
In June 1944, Tolsdorff participated in the fighting against the Soviet Vilnius Offensive. He was promoted to Oberst (colonel) and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern) on 18 July 1944. Afterwards, he was appointed commander of the new 340th Volksgrenadier Division. In mid-November, the unit moved to the Aachen-Jülich area on the west to fight U.S. forces trying to cross the Rhine. In December, the unit was withdrawn to prepare for the Ardennes offensive. The division fought as part of the 5th Panzer Army under command of Hasso von Manteuffel. On 18 March 1945, Tolsdorff received in Berlin the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. He was promoted to Generalleutnant (lieutenant general) and appointed commander of the LXXXII Army Corps, which was stationed in Bavaria.
On 8 May, he surrendered in Austria to Lt. Carwood Lipton and Robert F. Sink of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. Tolsdorff's convoy of 31 vehicles drove down from the mountains loaded with his personal baggage, liquor, cigars, cigarettes, and his girlfriends. Private Edward Heffron took Tolsdorff's Luger pistol and a briefcase containing Iron Cross medals and a stash of pornographic pictures.

## Criminal charges, trials, conviction, and acquittal

Tolsdorff was married to Eleonore, née van der Berk (6 September 1921 – 15 April 1996). The marriage produced two sons. His youngest son Jürgen died in 1957, in an accident. His older son, Peter, became a doctor and settled in Bad Honnef.
On 9 May 1947, Tolsdorff was released from American captivity. He took various jobs, such as truck driver in the firm belonging to his father-in-law, bus driver on the route Diepholz to Hanover, and construction worker. He was arrested on 7 December 1952.
In 1954, he faced charges for the execution of Franz Xaver Holzhey, an army captain and First World War veteran, on 3 May 1945. Holzhey, without orders, had put up a red cross sign near the command post. The Landgericht (court) in Traunstein had initially sentenced Tolsdorff to three and a half years. The Federal Court of Justice of Germany overturned the decision in 1959 and ordered a retrial. On 24 June 1960, Tolsdorff was declared not guilty and cleared of all charges.
The same year, Tolsdorff was hired by Deutsche Asphalt GmbH, presently owned by Strabag Group, and held a position of manager until 1969, when he took over the branch office in Dortmund. Tolsdorff retired on 31 December 1974. Following a serious accident, he died on 25 May 1978 in Dortmund.

## Summary of career
### Awards

* Iron Cross (1939)
** 2nd Class (22 September 1939)
** 1st Class (23 October 1939)
* Infantry Assault Badge in Silver
* Wound Badge (1939) in Gold
* Tank Destruction Badge
* German Cross in Gold on 23 August 1942 as Hauptmann in the I./Infanterie-Regiment 22
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
** Knight's Cross on 4 December 1941 as Oberleutnant and chief of the 14./Infanterie-Regiment 22
** 302nd Oak Leaves on 15 September 1943 as Major and commander of the I./Füsilier-Regiment 22
** 80th Swords on 18 July 1944 as Oberstleutnant and commander of Grenadier-Regiment 1067 and leader of the Kampfgruppe Tolsdorff
** 25th Diamonds on 18 March 1945 as Generalmajor and commander of the 340. Volksgrenadier-Division

### Promotions

| 1 June 1936: | Leutnant (second lieutenant) |
| 1 October 1938: | Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) |
| 1 December 1941: | Hauptmann (captain) |
| 1 January 1943: | Major (major) |
| 1 March 1944: | Oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel) |
| 1 August 1944: | Oberst (colonel) |
| 30 January 1945: | Generalmajor (major general) |
| 1 April 1945: | Generalleutnant (lieutenant general) |