Date of birth:

January 27th, 1897 (Karlsdorf, Germany)

Date of death:

January 6th, 1942 (Wjasma, Soviet Union)

Nationality:

German

Richard Wilhelm Zeissig was born on January 27th 1897 in Karlsdorf near Goerlitz (Sachsen, Germany). His father was a farmer and Reserve-officer with the Saxen Army (Saechsischen Heer). Richard grew up in Rathen on the banks of the river Elbe and he visited the Gymnasium in Pirnas (Sachsen). He served as a young volunteer in the First World War. On August 15th 1914 he volunteered with the Saxen Infanterie-Regiment 178 and was transferred to the Reserve Infanterie Regiment 242 on September 1st 1914. With this last unit he fought during the First World War. He was promoted to Leutnant on May 2nd 1915. He served on the front in Belgium, France and Galicia and was several times badly wounded. During the First World War he received the Verwundetenabzeichen in Silver, the Ritterkreuz 2e Klasse of the Saxen Albrechtsorden mit Schwertern (21-08-1917), the Saxen Verdienstorden II Klasse (30-04-1918), the Eisernes Kreuz 2e Klasse (08-05-1915) and 1e Klasse (06-03-1918). On March 19th 1937 he finally received the Austrian "Oesterreichische Kriegserinnerungsmedaille" for his duty in the First World War.

After the war he immigrated with his brother Hans and his sister Margarethe to Argentina, where they started a farm in the Chako. He lived in Argentine from 1920 until 1933 and in Chile in 1934.
In Chile he also acted as the Landesgruppenleiter der NSDAP. He returned to Germany in 1935 and became Amtsleiter für Ibero-Amerika with the Leitung der Auslandorganisation der NSDAP in Berlin. In 1938 he left for Czechoslovakia and became Landesgruppenleiter. During military exercises he was promoted to Oberleutnant der Reserve (27-08-1939). He was married with Sigrid von Knauer, daughter of Generalmajor Hans von Knauer and had a son (Hilmar – 1938) and daughter (Gesine – 1940).

At the beginning of the Second World War he returned to the German Army as a volunteer with the rank of Oberleutnant der Reserve. He became Kompanieführer with the 2.Kompanie/ Infanterie-Regiment 67 in the campaign against France. During the campaign he was promoted to Hauptmann der Reserve. After the campaign he became the Landesgruppenleiter der NSDAP in France. In the beginning of the campaign against the Soviet-Union he once again went into the army as Kompagnieführer of his old unit (2.Kompanie/ Infanterie-Regiment 67) and later as Kommandeur of the II.Batallion/I.R. 67. With his unit he was one of the first to reach the outskirts of Moscow. On December 27th 1941, he was severely wounded when his bunker was hit by a tank grenade. When he was transported from the front towards a field hospital he once again got wounded. He died of his wounds on January 6th 1942 in the Feldlazerett at Wjasma. He was buried on the Kriegsfriedhof in Wjasma.
After his death he was posthumously promoted Major (retroactive with the date1-1-1942) and received the Deutsches Kreuz im Gold and the Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten.

His complete unit history during WW2 was:
27.08.1939 - 31.01.1940: 2/Inf. Ers.Btl.67
01.02.1940 - 18.07.1940: I./I.R.67 (2.Kp)
20.06.1941 - 26.06.1941: Reg.Stab/I.R.67
27.06.1941 - 11.07.1941: Btl. Führer I/I.R.67
12.07.1941 - 27.12.1941: Reg.Stab/I.R.67

Do you have more information about this person? Inform us!

• Photo: Hilmar R. Zeissig
• - PATZWALL, K. & SCHERZER, V., Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941-1945, Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, 2001.
  - Hilmar R. Zeissig
  - Decoration documents, photos and other documents
  - Vorläufiges Besitzzeugnig DKiG
  - German Crosses today