Eberhardt Bohnstedt
German and Salvadoran general
Generalmajor Eberhardt Bohnstedt | |
|---|---|
 Bohnstedt in Heer uniform. | |
| Born | 22 July 1886 Kassel, German Empire |
| Died | 3 October 1957(1957-10-03) (aged 71) Wiesbaden, West Germany |
| Allegiance |  German Empire (1905–1918) Weimar Republic (1918–1933) Nazi Germany (1933–1935) El Salvador (1938–1939) Nazi Germany (1939) |
| Service/branch |  Deutsches Heer (1905–1918) Reichswehr (1918–1935) Heer (1935) Army (1938–1939) Heer (1939) |
| Years of service | 1905–1935, 1938–1939 |
| Rank |  Generalmajor |
| Commands held | 7th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | World War I
World War II
|
Eberhardt Julius Georg Waldemar Bohnstedt, also sometimes spelt Eberhard,[1] (22 July 1886 – 3 October 1957) was a German general and commander of the 7th Infantry Division in 1939. He is most well known for being the director of the Military School in El Salvador from 1938 to 1939. He retired from military life in 1939. He was the older brother of Wilhelm Bohnstedt.
Early life
Eberhardt Bohnstedt was born in Kassel, German Empire, on 22 July 1886.[2][3][4] In 1905, he joined the German Army as a Lieutenant as a part of the 12th Grenadier Regiment.[2][3]
World War I
Bohnstedt attended the War Academy from 1912 to 1914, and after which, he served in World War I as a Hauptmann in the General Staff of the 242nd Infantry Division.[2][3] He participated in the German spring offensive and the Hundred Days Offensive.[3]
Interwar period
Bohnstedt was allowed to continue service in the Reichswehr following the war and served in the General Staff of the 3rd Division until 1923, when he was transferred to the 2nd Cavalry Division until 1924, the 12th Infantry Regiment until 1925, and then returned to the 3rd Division until 1929.[3] In 1930, he transferred to the 6th Infantry Regiment and then to the 7th Infantry Regiment in 1932. He was promoted to Generalmajor in 1935, but retired shortly after his promotion.[2][3]
On 24 April 1938, Bohnstedt came out of retirement and was appointed to be the director of the Military School in El Salvador by President Maximiliano Hernández Martínez.[1][5][6][7][8] In El Salvador, he was promoted to the rank of General.[6][8] He helped contribute to the fascist sympathies being held by the Salvadoran Army at the time, despite him being selected for his military expertise and not his political positions.[7][9] Bohnstedt resigned his position in early September 1939 due to pressure from the United States on El Salvador to remove Germans and Italians from high ranking positions in their military.[10][11]
World War II
He returned to Germany and took command of the 7th Infantry Division from 30 September to 1 December 1939, after which he again retired from military life.[2][3][4][12]
Personal life
Bohnstedt married a woman named Kate.[3] He had a brother, Wilhelm, who commanded the 32nd Infantry Division during World War II and who was a fellow recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.[3]
Death
Bohnstedt died in Wiesbaden, West Germany, on 3 October 1957, at the age of 71.[2][3][4] He is buried in the South Cemetery of Wiesbaden.[4]
Military ranks
- Leutnant – 18 August 1905[2][3]
- Fahnenjucker – 1 April 1909[3]
- Oberleutnant – 18 February 1913[2][3]
- Hauptmann – 12 December 1914[2][3]
- Major – 1 February 1925[2]
- Oberstleutnant – 1 February 1930[2]
- Oberst – 1 October 1932[2]
- Generalmajor – 1 July 1935[2][3]
- General – 24 April 1938 (
El Salvador)[6]
Commands held
- 12th Grenadier Regiment[3]
- 242nd Infantry Division[3]
- 3rd Division[3]
- 2nd Cavalry Division[3]
- 12th Infantry Regiment[3]
- 3rd Division[3]
- 6th Infantry Regiment[3]
- 7th Infantry Regiment[3]
- Military School of El Salvador[1][5][6]
- 7th Infantry Division[2][3]
Awards and decorations
Nazi Germany 
House of Hohenzollern
Knight's Cross of the House Order of Hohenzollern
Knight's Cross of the Albert Order
Knight's Cross of the Military Merit Order
References
Citations
- ^ a b c "Galeria Ex-directores" [Gallery of Ex-Directors]. Escuela Militar (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 5 August 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Bohnstedt, Eberhardt". Retrieved 28 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "Bohnstedt, Eberhard". World War II Military Graves. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d "GEN Eberhard Julius Georg Waldemar Bohnstedt". Find a Grave. 5 January 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- ^ a b "Army Shifts in Salvador; German Officer Named to Direct Country's Military Academy". The New York Times. 25 April 1938. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d Carmello 1976, p. 161
- ^ a b Loveman and Davies 1997, p. 111
- ^ a b Williams and Walter 1997, p. 25
- ^ Carmello 1976, p. 162
- ^ Carmello 1976, pp. 168–169
- ^ Williams and Walter 1997, p. 51
- ^ Keilig, Wolf (1 January 1983). Die Generale des Heeres [The Generals of the Armies] (in German). Podsun-Pallas. ISBN 3790902020.
Bibliography
- Carmelo Francisco esmeralda Astilla (1976). The Martinez Era: Salvadoran-American Relations, 1931–1944. Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
- Loveman, Brian; Davies, Thomas M., eds. (1997). The Politics of Antipolitics: The Military in Latin America. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0842026118. ISSN 1043-657X. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- Williams, Philip; Walter, Knut (15 December 1997). Militarization and Demilitarization in El Salvador's Transition to Democracy. University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 0822971860. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by General der Infanterie Eugen Ott | Commander of 7. Infanterie-Division 30 September 1939 – 1 December 1939 | Succeeded by |
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