Maximilian von Edelsheim
{{short description|German general}}
{{refimprove|date=June 2016}}
__NOTOC__
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}}
{{Infobox military person
| name = Maximilian von Edelsheim
| birth_date = {{birth date|1897|7|6|df=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1994|4|26|1897|7|6|df=y}}
| image = MaximilianEdelsheim.jpg
| caption =
| birth_place = Berlin, German Empire
| death_place = Konstanz, Germany
| nickname =
| allegiance = German Empire
Weimar Republic
Nazi Germany
| branch = German Army
| serviceyears = 1914–1945
| rank = General der Panzertruppe
| commands = XLVIII Panzer Corps
| unit =
| battles = World War I
----
| awards = Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
| laterwork =
}}
Maximilian von Edelsheim (6 July 1897 – 26 April 1994) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.
He negotiated the surrender of German forces to the Americans at the bridge at Tangermünde on the Elbe River on or about May 2, 1945. The German 12th Army, under General Walther Wenck had previously done a 180 degree turn away from the Western Allies, resulting from an order to relieve Berlin from the Soviet attack. Disobeying the order, Wenck fought due East, into the Spree Forest region, toward the town of Halbe and linked up with the remnants of the German 9th Army. They then reversed and went west, back to the Elbe. There, Edelsheim crossed the Elbe on a schwimmwagen and negotiated the surrender of all German forces on the West side of the Elbe to the Americans.
Awards
- Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class (27 November 1915) & 1st Class (26 October 1918)Thomas 1997, p. 142.
- Knight, 2nd Class of Order of the Zähringer Lion with Swords 2nd Class (19 September 1939) & 1st Class (14 October 1939)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
- Knight's Cross on 30 July 1941 as Oberstleutnant and commander of Radfahr-Abteilung 1Scherzer 2007, p. 287.
- Oak Leaves on 23 December 1942 as Oberst and commander of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26
- Swords on 23 October 1944 as Generalleutnant and commander of 24. Panzer-DivisionFellgiebel 2000, p. 45.
References
=Citations=
{{Reflist|25em}}
=Bibliography=
{{Refbegin}}
- {{Cite book
|last=Fellgiebel
|first=Walther-Peer
|year=2000
|orig-date=1986
|title=Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile
|trans-title=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
|language=German
|location=Friedberg, Germany
|publisher=Podzun-Pallas
|isbn=978-3-7909-0284-6
}}
- {{Cite book
|last=Scherzer
|first=Veit
|year=2007
|title=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
|trans-title=The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives
|language=German
|location=Jena, Germany
|publisher=Scherzers Militaer-Verlag
|isbn=978-3-938845-17-2
}}
- {{Cite book
|last=Thomas
|first=Franz
|year=1997
|title=Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K
|trans-title=The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K
|language=German
|location=Osnabrück, Germany
|publisher=Biblio-Verlag
|isbn=978-3-7648-2299-6
}}
{{Refend}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{succession box|
before=Generalleutnant Arno von Lenski|
after=Generalmajor Gustav-Adolf von Nostitz-Wallwitz|
title= Commander of 24. Panzerdivision|
years=March 1943 – August 1944
}}
{{succession box|
before=General der Panzertruppe Fritz-Hubert Gräser|
after=Generalleutnant Wolf Hagemann|
title= Commander of XLVIII. Panzerkorps|
years=20 September 1944 – 31 March 1945
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Knight's Cross recipients of the 24th PD}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Subject bar
| portal1=Biography
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edelsheim, Maximilian Reichsfreiherr Von}}
Category:Military personnel from Berlin
Category:Military personnel from the Province of Brandenburg
Category:German Army personnel of World War I
Category:Generals of Panzer Troops
Category:Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Category:Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class
Category:Prussian Army personnel
Category:20th-century Freikorps personnel
Category:German Army generals of World War II
Category:German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States