Günter Kießling

Günter Kießling
Kießling in 2007
Born	(1925-10-20)October 20, 1925 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
Died	Rendsburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Buried	Berlin, Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany (to 1945) West Germany
Service/branch	Army (Wehrmacht) Army (Bundeswehr)
Years of service	1939–1945 1956–1983 1984
Rank	Lieutenant (Wehrmacht) General (Bundeswehr)
Battles/wars	World War II

Günter Kießling (20 October 1925 – 28 August 2009) was a German general in the Bundeswehr, who became famous as the subject of what became known as the Kießling (or Kiessling) Affair.

Kießling was born in Frankfurt (Oder) in the Province of Brandenburg. In the Second World War, he was a lieutenant in the infantry and served on the Eastern Front. Some time after the war, he joined the Bundesgrenzschutz and later transferred to the Bundeswehr. Before his early retirement he was Commander of NATO land forces and deputy to the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.

In 1983 Kießling was secretly accused of homosexuality, which, in his position, was regarded as a security risk and led to his premature retirement. The allegations were later found to be without foundation and he was rehabilitated, being briefly reinstated before retiring with full honours

Kießling again achieved public prominence in 1997 when he spoke at the funeral of Josef Rettemeier, a highly decorated World War II soldier and one of the few soldiers to be awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.

Günter Kießling died in Rendsburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, on 28 August 2009.

Further reading

• Günter Kießling: Versäumter Widerspruch. Hase & Koehler, Mainz 1993, ISBN 3-7758-1294-6. Autobiography. (German)

Military offices
Preceded by G Luther	Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe With Sir Peter Terry 1982 – 1984	Succeeded by Hans-Joachim Mack