Siegfried Müller ( SS officer ) Siegfried Müller was a " sturmbannführer " ( major ) in the Waffen - SS during World War II . He was awarded the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II . Early life . Siegfried Müller was born on 18 October 1914 , in Krefeld on the Rhine in Germany to Paul and Wilhelmine Müller . His father was killed in 1916 , fighting in World War I before Siegfried had turned two years old . In 1920 his mother was remarried to Heinrich Becker , a locksmith . Müller attended the peoples ' school in Krefeld from 1922 until 1927 and then the middle school in Essen ( Altstadt ) , he graduated in 1933 , and started as an apprentice with an architect ' s firm in Essen . In 1935 , Müller decided to end his apprenticeship to join the Heer , just after his twenty - first birthday in October , he was posted to the 1st Company , 1st Pioneer ( Engineer ) Battalion stationed in Königsberg and received his basic training . He was later selected to become an officer and commissioned with the rank of lieutenant in the Reserve in January , 1938 . He was then given command of 3rd ( mot ) Company , 1st Pioneer Battalion . As Müller had volunteered to join the SS in April , 1934 , ( SS service number 230815 ) , he transferred to the active list in November , 1938 , and was posted to the SS " Totenkopf " Standarte Brandenberg with the rank of " untersturmführer " ( second lieutenant ) . World War II . Müller was promoted to " obersturmführer " in January , 1940 , he was awarded his first combat decorations during the Battle of France the Iron Cross II class in May and the I class in June , 1940 . His next promotion to " hauptsturmführer " ( captain ) was in April , 1941 , just before he took part in Operation Barbarossa , the invasion of the Soviet Union , and like all who suffered in the first Russian winter of the war , he was awarded the Eastern Front Medal followed by the German Cross in Gold in October , 1942 , and the Infantry Assault Badge in December , 1942 , which was awarded for having taken part in three or more motorized infantry assaults . Siegfried Müller was awarded the Knight ' s Cross in December , 1944 , for his personal bravery and leadership , by now he had been promoted to " sturmbannführer " ( major ) and had been transferred to the 12th SS Panzer Division " Hitlerjugend " and was in command of the 25th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment . After the 227th Grenadier Division was unsuccessful in forcing a breakthrough through the American positions to the west of Hollerath on 16 December 1944 , the next day the 25th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment was tasked to force a breakthrough towards Krinkelt . The US 2nd Infantry Division had moved forward into the area of Rocherath and Krinkelt . In two days of hard fighting in villages and forests the 25th SS Panzergrenadier ' s succeeded in breaking through the US 99th Infantry Division ' s positions to retake Rocherath which was defended by the US 2nd Infantry Division , capturing over 450 prisoners of war . Post war . Siegfried Müller survived the war and returned to being an architect , living under the assumed name of Siegfried Heuser , ( Heuser being his mother ' s maiden name ) . He died in Hamburg on 7 April 1974 .