MIA Project

Siegfried Moldenhauer (1915-1998)

Volksgrenadier Regiment 48, 12. Volksgrenadier Division

Siegfried Moldenhauer was a professional soldier, the type of officers guiding his men from the front, inspirational, without having chosen his country’s political course and finding himself caught up in a total war. He commanded men in an inferno of steel and flames, motivated by duty and the survival of his comrades.

Born in 1915 near Königsberg, East Prussia, Siegfried Moldenhauer reported for military service in 1933 at age 18. In 1936, he joined the Grenadier Regiment 48 and made his way as NCO first serving as squad and later as platoon leader during the Blitz Krieg. His leadership during the campaign to the West was recognized and the young Moldenhauer was sent home to attend the officer-candidate course. He was commissioned 2Lt in October 1940 and started the campaign on the Eastern Front as platoon leader. Rapidly gaining experience and decorations, he rose in the ranks, 1^st Lt in 1942, Captain in 1943.  The 12. Infanterie Division suffered extreme losses in the East but Moldenhauer was still leading his men. Assuming command of infantry companies, heavy weapons companies, later as a Captain acting I and II. Batt commander and even Regimental Commander according to circumstances. He was awarded the Knight’s Cross in January 1944 for extraordinary heroism. Promoted to Major on 01 July 1944, he received the Close Combat Clasp in Gold on 13 October 1944 and was added to the Honor Roll of the German Army on 25 November. Despite his award of the Close Combat Clasp in Gold and the corresponding Führer order that should have released him from front-line duty, Moldenhauer remained in command of his battalion and fought with the division west of Aachen in the Fall of 1944. He was leading his battalion on December 16, 1944 when the 12. VG Division attacked the crossroad of Losheimergraben and the 99^th Division.

The ashtray displayed here and named to Siegfried Moldenhauer, was presented to him on July 01, 1944 by the men of his Regiment for his nomination to the rank of Major. The item was recovered on the battlefield, presumably where his personal belongings were abandoned when he was evacuated on December 17, 1944.

Tasked to open Rollbahn C, the most important of the 4 German penetration routes through the 99^th Division, the 12^th Volksgrenadier Division was no last ditch division. Though renamed “Volksgrenadier”, the 12. Infanterie Division saw action from the early days of the Blitzkrieg to the West followed by a long stay on the Eastern Front. All the regiment commanders and most of the battalion commanders were holders of the mighty Knight’s Cross, the equivalent of the US Medal of Honor, as well as many other prestigious combat decorations.

Rollbahn C was going through the 1/394 and the crossroad of Losheimergraben. On the German battle map, the capture of the crossroad was scheduled within the first 8 hours of the battle. The men of the 1^st Bn, 394^th Infantry hold it for one and a half day, largely disrupting the 1.SS Panzerkorps time table. The German attack on the crossroad was based on two flank attacks. The north wing was the objective of the 48^th Grenadier Regiment commanded by Oberst (LtCol) Wilhelm Osterhold. Leading the attack was his 1^st Battalion, commanded by Major Siegfried Moldenhauer, himself holder of the Knight’s Cross and with a large combat experience gained in Russia. The Gods of War sometimes have a special treatment for the fighters. In the early stage of the attack Moldenhauer’s men were caught by short fire of their own artillery causing many casualties, including the Battalion commander. Severely wounded by shell fragments, Major Moldenhauer was evacuated. He never came back to his old unit and hopefully survived the war.

We were fortunate to accompany Will Cavanagh to meet a group of returning veterans of the 48^th VG Regt in 1991. Among the group were Leutnant Steinhofel, the CO of the 7. Komp, Oberst Osterhold, the iconic commander of the Regiment and … Major Moldenhauer. Listening to their stories and recollections is beyond description. In the course of the conversation with Major Moldenhauer, we learned that shortly before he was wounded, he came across a group of US dugouts.

“- … we soon reached a group of US dugouts. In a large one, probably a CP, we came across US rations and cigarettes, which were always welcome. I noticed a box with bottles filled with a brown liquid. I tasted one and it was absolutely awful … it was my first encounter with Coca Cola! “  Everybody in group laughed at the good story. Moldenhauer continued “… But the real funny thing is that after the war, I worked for and eventually retired from the board of directors of Coca Cola Germany…”

Meeting and talking with such a character was a very impressive experience. Tall, straight, head held high, Moldenhauer remained very accessible and kind enough to corresponded with us, answer some questions until he passed away in Lübeck, Germany, on August 26, 1998.

At war’s end, the 12. VG Division counted one Knight’s Cross with Swords recipient, eight Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves recipients and 24 Knight’s Cross recipients. It was one of the most decorated infantry units of the entire German Army.