Philipp Müller-Gebhard

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Birth name	Philipp Valentin Müller
Birth date	15 October 1889
Place of birth	Heidelberg, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire
Death date	2 July 1970 (aged 80)
Place of death	Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	File:War and service flag of Prussia (1895–1918).png Prussian Army File:Iron Cross of the Luftstreitkräfte.png Imperial German Army File:Freikorps Flag.png Freikorps File:War Ensign of the Reichswehr, 1919 - 1935.png Vorläufige Reichswehr File:Polizei in der Weimarer Republik.png Police File:War Ensign of the Reichswehr, 1919 - 1935.png Reichswehr File:Balkenkreuz.png Heer
Years of service	1908–1914 1914–1918 1919 1919–1920 1920–1934 1934 1935–1945
Rank	Generalleutnant
Commands held	169. Infanterie-Division 72. Infanterie-Division
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Battle of Greece Battle of Metaxas Line Operation Barbarossa Siege of Sevastopol (1941-1942) Battle of Kursk Lower Dnieper Offensive Battle of Kiev (1943)
Awards	Iron Cross Order of the Crown of Romania Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross German Cross in Gold
Relations	∞ 1919 Gertrud Gebhard

Philipp Valentin Müller, since 1935 Müller-Gebhard (15 October 1889 – 2 July 1970), was a German officer of the Prussian Army, the Imperial German Army, the Freikorps, the Police, the Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht, finally Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General), division commander and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in World War II.

Life

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File:Philipp Müller-Gebhard, grave.jpeg

After completing his Gymnasium studies with Abitur, Philipp Müller joined the Badische Train-Abteilung Nr. 14 (4. Train-Direktion) in Durlach on 16 July 1908 and was commissioned in 1910. In military contexts, a train is the logistical transport elements accompanying a military force. Often called a supply train or baggage train, it has the job of providing materiel for their associated combat forces when in the field. After the begin of WWI, Müller became Adjutant of the Train-Abteilung of the XIV. Armeekorps. On 16 November 1914, he took command of the machine gun company of the Infanterie-Regiment “Margraf Ludwig Wilhelm“ (3. Badisches) Nr. 111. On 1 December 1914, he was named Adjutant of the I. Bataillon/Infanterie-Regiment “Margraf Ludwig Wilhelm“ (3. Badisches) Nr. 111 and was name regimental adjutant on 22 January 1915.

After being wounded on 20 May 1917 and returning from military hospital, he was transferred to the replacement battalion of his regiment on 14 June 1917. He was commanded to the 56. Infanterie-Brigade on 26 June 1917 and named Adjutant on 3 July 1917. He returned to the replacement battalion on 12 December 1917. After the war and demobilization, he became company leader (Maschinengewehrkompanie) of the 1st Baden Volunteer Battalion with the Freikorps.

On 26 September 1919, now a part of the preliminary Reichswehr, he was commanded to Camp (Lager) Heuberg. On 11 February 1920, he joined the Baden State Police (Landespolizei) in Heidelberg as leader of a 100 man company (Hundertschaftsführer). In 1925, he became head of the police station of the Baden State Police in Pforzheim, in 1929 Police technical director of the Karlsruhe Police School, in 1931 head of the Baden State Police station in Heidelberg and in 1933 Chief of Staff of the Commander of the Baden Police and Gendarmerie. On 1 October 1934, he returned to the army of the Reichswehr and was named commander of the II. Bataillon/Infanterie-Regiment 35 in Tübingen.

Wehrmacht

• 6 October 1936 Commander of the Infanterie-Regiment 13 in Ludwigsburg
• 20 October 1939 Commander of the Ersatztruppen (replacement troops) 2/V
• 10 November 1939 Commander of the 165. Division
• 16 January 1940 Commander of the Division Nr. 165
• 27 April 1941 Commandant of the rear army area 556 (Korück 556)
  • 25 August 1941 at the same time tasked with deputy leadership of the 15th Panzer Division with the German Afrika Korps (Deutsches Afrika Korps)
• 19 September 1941 Officer Reserve (Führerreserve) OKH
• 6 December 1941 Delegated with the leadership of the 72. Infanterie-Division
  • When Franz Mattenklott, commander of the 72. Infanterie-Division, was delegated with the leadership of the XXXXIV. Armee-Korps, Müller-Gebhard was notified, but didn't arrive at headquarters until 18/19 December 1941, Generalleutnant Kurt Himer had taken over temporary deputy leadership of the 72. Infanterie-Division on 14 December 1941.
• 1 January 1942 Commander of the 72. Infanterie-Division
• 17 February 1943 Führerreserve OKH
• 3 May 1943 Commander of the 72. Infanterie-Division
• 1 November 1943 Führerreserve OKH
• 15 February 1944 Entrusted with the management of the commandant of Prag
• 1 March 1944 Commandant of Prag
• 9 May 1945 to 5 June 1947 American POW

Family

Philipp was the son of hotel owner Philipp Adalbert Müller and his wife Eva, née Bundschuh (d. 1935). His older brother Richard was KIA in November 1914. Richard was married to Hedwig Gebhard (b. 24 June 1892), Gertrud Müller's (née Gebhard) sister.

Marriage

On 10 April 1919, Captain Müller married Gertrud Gebhard (1898–1984). On 22 February 1935, they took on the double-barrelled surname "Müller-Gebhard". They had two children: Their daughter was born 1919, son Wolfgang was born on 14 March 1921. Wolfgang Müller-Gebhard was an officer (Oberleutnant) of the Wehrmacht, was severely wounded in WWII and died on 21 December 1944 in the military hospital (Lazarett) in Leutschau (Levoča). He found his final resting place at the German War Cemetary in Preschau (Prešov); Final grave location: Block 2, Row 12, Grave 275. His parents' gravestone in Ludwigsburg (Neuer Friedhof Ludwigsburg) also bears his name in memory.

Promotions

• 16.7.1908 Fahnenjunker (Officer Candidate)
• 22.5.1909 Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
• 27.1.1910 Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant) with Patent from 29.1.1908
• 27.1.1915 Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)
• 18.4.1917 Hauptmann (Captain)
• 20.2.1920 Polizei-Hauptmann (Police Captain)
• 1.4.1929 Polizei-Major (Police Major )
• 1.1.1934 Polizei-Oberstleutnant (Police Lieutenant Colonel)
• 1.10.1934 Major of the Reichswehr with Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1.8.1933
  • 17.5.1935 received new RDA from 1.8.1930
• 1.6.1935 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel) with RDA from 1.4.1934
• 1.4.1936 Oberst (Colonel)
• 1.1.1940 Generalmajor
• 1.1.1942 Generalleutnant

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 14 October 1914
  • 1st Class on 6 June 1915
• Baden Order of the Zähringer Lion (Orden vom Zähringer Löwen), Knight's Cross 2nd Class (BZ3b⚔/BZL3b⚔) on 19 August 1915
• Military Merit Cross (Austria-Hungary), 3rd Class with the War Decoration (ÖM3K) on 4 April 1918
• Wound Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen 1918) in Black
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords on 28 September 1934
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th to 1st Class on 2 October 1936
• West Wall Medal (Deutsches Schutzwall-Ehrenzeichen) on 28 February 1940
• Repetition Clasp 1939 to the Iron Cross 1914, 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 25 October 1939
  • 1st Class on 19 May 1942
• Medal for the Italo-German campaign in Africa (Medaille für den italienisch-deutschen Feldzug in Afrika) on 27 May 1942
• Eastern Front Medal on 5 or 17 August 1942
• Crimea Shield (Krimschild) on 23 August 1942
• Romanian Commemorative Medal for the Crusade Against Communism on 28 September 1942
• Order of the Crown of Romania (Orden der Krone von Rumänien), Grand Officer's Cross with Swords on the ribbon for “Military Virtue” (bravery ribbon) on 4 December 1942
• Africa Cuff Band (Ärmelband „Afrika“) on 16 May 1944
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 3 September 1942 as Generalleutnant and commander of 72. Infanterie-Division
• German Cross in Gold on 10 February 1944 as Generalleutnant and commander of 72. Infanterie-Division/8. Armee/Heeresgruppe Süd

Further reading

German sources

• Walther-Peer Fellgiebel: Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile (in German), Podzun-Pallas, Wölfersheim 2000, ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6
  • English: The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches, expanded edition, 2000
• Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit. Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, 2001. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.
• Veit Scherzer: Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives, Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, Jena 2007. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.