Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin Fridolin Rudolf Theodor , Ritter und Edler von Senger und Etterlin ( September 4 , 1891 – January 9 , 1963 ) was a German general during World War II . Biography . Frido von Senger und Etterlin was born in Waldshut , Germany , into an aristocratic Roman Catholic family . He started his military career in 1910 , serving in an artillery regiment . After that he went to Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar . He participated in World War I as a second lieutenant ( from 1914 ) and was promoted to lieutenant in 1918 . World War I After World War I , he continued to serve in the Reichswehr as a squadron commander of 18th Cavalry Regiment . He was promoted to the rank of captain in 1924 , to major in 1932 , lieutenant - colonel in 1936 and to colonel in 1939 , while commanding the 22nd Cavalry Regiment . World War II During the Battle of France , von Senger und Etterlin commanded the " Schnelle Brigade von Senger " ( fast Brigade ) , and was part of the German commission for the French - Italian Armistice of 1940 . On September 1 , 1941 , he was promoted to Generalmajor ( brigadier - general ) . On October 10 , 1942 , von Senger und Etterlin received the command of the 17th Panzer Division in Southern Russia . On May 1 , 1943 , he was promoted to Generalleutnant ( major - general ) . In June 1943 he received the command of the German forces in Sicily during the Battle of Sicily . In August 1943 , he commanded German formations on the islands of Sardinia and Corsica . He conducted the evacuation from all of these islands when the German position there became untenable . On October 8 , 1943 , he received the command of the XIV Panzer Korps in Italy , and on January 1 , 1944 , he was promoted to General der Panzertruppen ( lieutenant - general of armoured troops ) . During the Battle of Monte Cassino , von Senger und Etterlin was responsible for the very successful defence of the Gustav Line , which included Monte Cassino . The German position was only broken by the Allies in May , 1944 . There was an ironic twist to the battle : the monastery overlooking the town of Cassino which was destroyed by Allied bombing belonged to the Benedictines , the order of which von Senger was a lay member . Before the battle Gen . von Senger und Etterlin successfully employed the transportation facilities of , among others , the Hermann Goering Panzer Division , to evacuate the treasures of the monastery . During the several days of this action none of the trucks were attacked . There seems to have been considerable communication between the warring headquarters at this time . Frido von Senger und Etterlin was one of the generals who opposed the principles of Nazism , but he did not take part in the July 20 Plot to kill Hitler . However , his known anti - Nazi feelings resulted in his contribution to the defence of Cassino being played down by the German authorities . After the war he wrote his memoirs , entitled " Neither Fear nor Hope " ( which were translated into English ) , and he continued to write on military matters and theory . He took part in a BBC Radio discussion on the Battle of Monte Cassino with Dan Davin , who had also been a Rhodes Scholar , and Desmond ( Paddy ) Costello , who like Davin had been in Allied corps commander Bernard Freyberg ’ s intelligence team . He was interviewed on the BBC TV programme " Face to Face " in 1960 . Frido von Senger und Etterlin died in Freiburg . He was the father of Bundeswehr General and military author Ferdinand Maria von Senger und Etterlin ( 1923 – 1987 ) .