Desiderius Hampel was a SS-Brigadefuhrer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS during World War II who commanded the 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar and was possibly awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
12 Facts About Desiderius Hampel
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Desiderius Hampel was born 20 January 1895 in the town of Sisak, Austria-Hungary, to Volksdeutsche parents.
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Desiderius Hampel's father was an inspector on the Imperial-Royal Austrian State Railways, and the family often had to move around the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
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Desiderius Hampel escaped from captivity just over a year later and made his way to Vienna and then Budapest.
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Desiderius Hampel then worked in the forestry industry until December 1937 when he rejoined the Royal Hungarian Army and served in Budapest.
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Desiderius Hampel served in Budapest until March 1941, and was then sent to the town of Csepel, in command of the area defences until December 1941 when he was dismissed from the army.
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Desiderius Hampel then joined the Croatian Home Guard with the rank of major and was appointed as the intelligence officer for the IV Army Corps.
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Desiderius Hampel remained in this position until June 1943 when he was moved to command the Training and Reserve Battalion.
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Desiderius Hampel was promoted to SS-Oberfuhrer on 9 November 1944, and on 30 January 1945 he was promoted to SS-Brigadefuhrer and Generalmajor der Waffen-SS.
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Desiderius Hampel was reportedly awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his command of the division near the end of the war in May 1945.
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Desiderius Hampel was slated for extradition to Yugoslavia to face war crime charges, but fled from a British prisoner-of-war camp in Fallingbostel.
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Desiderius Hampel survived the war and died on 11 January 1981 in Graz, Austria.