Rudolf Holste Rudolf Holste ( 9 April 1897 – 4 December 1970 ) was a German officer during World War I and World War II . He was also a recipient of the Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves ( ) . The Knight ' s Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership . Early life . Holste was born in Hessisch Oldendorf , Hesse - Nassau and joined the German Army on 15 August 1914 . He became a Lieutenant ( " Leutnant " ) in the 62nd Reserve Field Artillery Regiment on 18 August 1915 . Promotion . Holste was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel ( " Oberstleutnant " ) on 1 March 1939 , Colonel ( " Oberst " ) on 1 February 1942 , Major General ( " Generalmajor " ) on 1 October 1944 , and Lieutenant General ( " Generalleutnant " ) on 20 April 1945 . World War II . From 1 January to 15 May 1943 , Holste commanded the 14th Panzergrenadier Division in the central sector on the Eastern Front . From 28 February to 29 March 1945 , Holste commanded the 4th Cavalry Division . The division fought in Hungary from February to March . When the division was forced back into Austria , Holste changed commands . From 19 April to 8 May 1945 , Holste commanded the XLI Panzer Corps in the area north of Berlin . Relief of Berlin . On 22 April 1945 , Holste became part of a poorly conceived and incredibly desperate plan that Wilhelm Keitel and Alfred Jodl proposed to German dictator Adolf Hitler . The plan was proposed to Hitler to mollify him . Hitler was in a rage the previous day after he discovered that forces under General Felix Steiner would not be coming to his relief in Berlin . The goal of Keitel and Jodl ' s plan was for the few remaining German forces in central Germany to attack the Soviet forces encircling Berlin . If successful , the German attacks would relieve the city and throw the Soviets forces back . With few other options , Hitler ordered that the desperate plan be implemented . The plan called for General Walther Wenck ' s Twelfth Army on the Elbe and Mulde fronts to be turned completely around . Wenck ' s army was facing the American forces advancing from the West . The Western Front and the Eastern Front were so close that , by simply turning completely around , Wenck ' s army would face the Soviet forces advancing from the East . The Twelfth Army was to attack towards the east and link up just south of Berlin with General Theodor Busse ’ s Ninth Army . Then both armies would strike in a northeastern direction towards Potsdam and Berlin . The plan called for the combined armies to mop up the elite Russian troops that they thereby cut off . Wenck ’ s objective would be the autobahn at Ferch , near Potsdam . Holste also had a part in the plan . He was to attack from the area northwest of Berlin with his XLI Panzer Corps . Holste was an old regimental comrade of Keitel ’ s and he was thought to be extremely reliable . The XLI Panzer Corps would be brought back across the Elbe . Holste was to counterattack between Spandau and Oranienburg . To give Holste as much punch as possible , Steiner was to turn over to Holste his mechanized divisions ( the 25th Panzer - Grenadiers and the 7th Panzer ) . Wenck ' s army did make a sudden turn around and , in the general confusion , surprised the Soviets encircling the German capital with an unexpected attack . Wenck ' s forces attacked towards Berlin in good morale and made some initial progress . But they were halted outside of Potsdam by strong Soviet resistance . Neither Busse nor Holste made much progress towards Berlin . By the end of the day on 27 April , the Soviet forces encircling Berlin linked up and the forces inside Berlin were completely cut off from the rest of Germany . Late in the evening of 29 April , Hans Krebs contacted Jodl by radio from Berlin and made the following demands : " Request immediate report . Firstly of the whereabouts of Wenck ' s spearheads . Secondly of time intended to attack . Thirdly of the location of the Ninth Army . Fourthly of the precise place in which the Ninth Army will break through . Fifthly of the whereabouts of Holste ' s spearhead " . In the early morning of 30 April , Jodl replied to Krebs : " Firstly , Wenck ' s spearhead bogged down south of Schwielow Lake . Secondly , Twelfth Army therefore unable to continue attack on Berlin . Thirdly , bulk of Ninth Army surrounded . Fourthly , Holste ' s Corps on the defensive " . Two days later , on 2 May , the Battle for Berlin came to an end when Helmuth Weidling unconditionally surrendered the city to the Soviets . This last desperate plan to save Berlin was never fully implemented , never had the manpower or equipment it required , never achieved its objectives , and ultimately came to almost nothing . The link up between Wenck and Busse , the Battle of Halbe , did allow a remnant of Busse ' s army and some German civilians to escape to the West . Holste managed to evade capture until 8 May 1945 . Release . In 1947 , Holste was released .