Early life Karl von Fischer-Treuenfeld was born into the noble
Prussian family of and was the second son and youngest child of five of
Imperial German Navy officer
Kapitän zur See (Colonel) Alwin Felix Friedrich Oskar von Fischer-Treuenfeld (1842–1923) and his wife Emma Friederike, née Harms (1851–1919). In 1898, he entered the Prussian cadet corps and graduated in 1903 from the
Preußische Hauptkadettenanstalt in
Lichterfelde as a
Fahnenjunker. He was commissioned as a
Leutnant on 18 August 1904 and served with the 4th Guards Artillery Regiment. He transferred to a
Hussar regiment (1. Leib-Husaren-Regiment Nr. 1), studied at the
War Academy until 1914 and then served during the
First World War. He served in staff positions and in field commands (Leib-Hussars Brigade and 232nd Infantry Division) on both the
western front and the
eastern front throughout the war, was promoted to
Rittmeister (25 February 1915) and was twice seriously wounded, earning the
Iron Cross, 1st and 2nd class and the
Wound Badge in silver. He was transferred to the
General staff in December 1915 and later served on the staff of the field army of General
Erich Ludendorff. At the end of the war, he remained in a staff posting with the peacetime
Reichswehr until leaving the military in March 1920 with the rank of
Major. Fischer-Treuenfeld settled in
Hamburg where he became a businessman, and also worked briefly in
Great Britain and the
United States. He also headed the local
Volkische militia. In 1922, he was introduced to
Adolf Hitler by Ludendorff, with whom he remained close friends until the general's death in 1937. He made plans to use his militia force to march on
Berlin in support of Hitler's
Beer Hall Putsch in November 1923. However, this did not come about due to the collapse of Hitler's revolt in
Munich. In 1929, Fischer-Treuenfeld's business failed, which he blamed on the Jews, writing in his autobiography: "As a result, the hate of the Jews and Freemasons that caused the economic disaster … caused my business to collapse". At his request, his name was changed back to “von Treuenfeld” by a decision of the Prussian Ministry of the Interior in Berlin on 27 September 1933. From 1933 to 1939, he was employed by an industrial company in Berlin.
Career in the SS Treuenfeld rejoined the army
reserves in December 1938 but, on 1 May 1939, he left and joined the
Schutzstaffel (SS) with the rank of SS-
Oberführer (SS number 323,792). Despite his service in the elite
paramilitary organisation of the
Nazi Party, Treuenfeld never officially joined the Party. From June 1939 to mid-May 1940, Treuenfeld served as the Inspector for
SS-Junker Schools in the
SS Personnel Main Office at SS headquarters. After 6 months of operational training, he returned as the head of officer training in the newly-formed
SS Führungshauptamt (SS Leadership Main Office) where he remained until April 1941, being promoted to SS-
Brigadeführer and
Generalmajor of the Waffen-SS on 9 November 1940. and
Jozef Gabčík at
Saints Cyril and Methodius Cathedral in
Prague, site of the assault led by Treuenfeld In April 1941, Treuenfeld was appointed the
Befehlshaber (commander) of the Waffen-SS "Northwest" until the command was dissolved at the end of the month. He became the first commander of the
2 SS Infantry Brigade (motorized), which started forming in May 1941 for
Operation Barbarossa, and he remained at its head until 5 July 1941 during its early drive into the northern
Soviet Union. While in Russia, his units conducted rear-area security operations and the killing of Jews and other groups, including
partisans. On 1 September 1941, Treuenfeld was appointed
Befehlshaber of the Waffen-SS for the
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, serving under the Deputy Protector,
Reinhard Heydrich. After the assassination of Heydrich in
Operation Anthropoid on 27 May 1942, the men responsible,
Jan Kubiš,
Jozef Gabčík and others, were betrayed and trapped in the
crypt of
Saints Cyril and Methodius Cathedral in
Prague. Treuenfeld was in command of the Waffen-SS troops that stormed the church on 18 June 1942, only to find that – after holding out for hours – the defenders had committed suicide. A difference in opinion over tactics between Treuenfeld and the
Gestapo led to his replacement. Treuenfeld returned to the
eastern front where he took command of the
1 SS Infantry Brigade (motorized) until the end of the year. He was then appointed as
Befehlshaber of the Waffen-SS in Southern Russia and
Ukraine in February 1943. On 15 November 1943, he took command of the
10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg. Promoted to SS-
Gruppenführer and
Generalleutnant of the Waffen-SS on 30 January 1944, he was relieved of command after receiving another severe wound in the battle of
Tarnopol on 22 April 1944. After recovering, Treuenfeld was appointed
Befehlshaber of the Waffen-SS in
northern Italy under SS-
Obergruppenführer Karl Wolff in June 1944. He then briefly served as the acting commander of
VI SS Army Corps (Latvian) in July. From 1 August 1944 to 10 January 1945, he returned to the
SS Führungshauptamt as the Inspector of Waffen-SS Panzer troops. Briefly placed into the
Führerreserve, by February he was assigned as a formation officer for
Replacement Army recruits where he remained until Germany's surrender on
8 May 1945. ==Death==