Rudolf von Ribbentrop

Rudolf von Ribbentrop (11 May 1921 – 20 May 2019) was a German Waffen-SS officer who served and was decorated in World War II, and later became a wine merchant. His father was Nazi diplomat and Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop. His autobiography gave further insight into his father and the last days of Adolf Hitler.

Early life Rudolf von Ribbentrop was born in Wiesbaden as one of five children to Joachim von Ribbentrop. His father was appointed as German Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1936 and was accompanied to London by Rudolf. Enrolled in Westminster School, he later returned to a boarding school in Germany after The Times learned of his presence.

World War II On 1 September 1939, when World War II started, Ribbentrop joined as a private soldier in the SS-Infantry Regiment Deutschland, with which he served on the Western Front, receiving the Iron Cross second class. During Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, his unit was sent to Finland. He was assigned to a Panzer regiment the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler division (LSSAH) and sent to Kharkov in February 1943, where he took part in the Third Battle of Kharkov.

Ribbentrop was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 15 July 1943. On 1 August he was transferred to the newly formed SS Division Hitlerjugend as a training officer and company commander. During battles in Normandy, Ribbentrop was awarded the German Cross in Gold. Following the breakout from Falaise, he saw action during the Battle of the Bulge. Ribbentrop was wounded several times during the war, including during the fighting in Normandy. He surrendered with the division to the U.S. Army on 8 May 1945. Ribbentrop was “taken aback” by the American artillery barrages in Normandy: “The Americans threw everything at us, particularly artillery … it put everything that we had previously undergone into the shade”.

Post-war Ribbentrop spent over three years in American, British, and French custody. While in custody, he was accused of shooting two Canadian prisoners of war, one of them fatally, during an interrogation in France. However, the charges could not be proven. Ribbentrop was released from Cherche-Midi Prison in July 1948. Afterwards, he became a wine merchant and wrote his memoirs, which gave fresh insight into his father's career and the final days of Adolf Hitler. His work included previously unpublished photographs of his family and Hitler.

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