Siegfried Westphal

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (March 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Siegfried Westphal" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2023)

Siegfried Carl Theodor Westphal (18 March 1902 – 2 July 1982) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II.

Key Information

Siegfried Westphal
Westphal (background) in a propaganda photo with Erwin Rommel in North Africa in 1941
Born	18 March 1902 Leipzig, German Empire
Died	2 July 1982(1982-07-02) (aged 80) Celle, West Germany
Allegiance	Weimar Republic Nazi Germany
Branch	German Army
Years of service	1918–1945
Rank	General der Kavallerie
Battles / wars	World War I World War II Battle of France North African Campaign Italian Campaign
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Show more

Upon the outbreak of the war, Westphal, then a major, served as the operations officer 58th Infantry Division.^[1]

In 1941, he was promoted to Oberstleutnant and attached to the staff of Erwin Rommel in June of that year.^[1] He served as operations officer under Rommel and chief of staff under Kesselring and Rundstedt. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.

Westphal surrendered to the American troops in May 1945 and acted as a witness at the Nuremberg Trials. He was released in 1947. He wrote a book titled The German Army in the West, which was published in 1952. He appears in a number of interview segments of The World at War.

• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 November 1942 as Oberst i.G. and Chef des Generalstabes of Deutsch-Italienische Panzerarmee ^[2]