Wolfgang Altenburg (24 June 1928 – 25 January 2023)[1] was a German general. He served as Chief of Staff of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, from 1983 to 1986, and as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 1986 to 1989.[2]

Wolfgang Altenburg
Altenburg in 1983
Born(1928-06-24)24 June 1928
Schneidemühl, Posen-West Prussia, Prussia, Germany (today Piła, Poland)
Died25 January 2023(2023-01-25) (aged 94)
AllegianceNazi Germany
West Germany
Years of service1944–1945
1956–1989
RankGeneral
AwardsGrand Cross with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Commander of the Legion of Merit (US)
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Italy)

Biography

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Altenburg was born in Schneidemühl, Posen-West Prussia (today Piła, Poland) and was conscripted as a Marinehelfer (Navy aide) in 1944 serving at Heligoland. After the end of World War II he completed a professional training in hotel business and volunteered for the Bundeswehr in 1956 at the Artillerytroops.[3]

 
Altenburg talking to members of the Bundestag, 1983.

He transferred to Bremen-Grohn as Platoon Leader in Artillery regiment 3, 1962 becoming Battery Commander of a (nuclear) Honest John-Battery in Rocket artillery battalion 32 in Dörverden. Altenburg passed his general staff training at the Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr from 1962 to 1964, was G1-Personal Staff Officer in 6. Panzer grenadier division, G3-General staff officer in the Panzerbrigade 18 and Commanding Officer of Feld artillery battalion 61 in Albersdorf. 1970–71 he was Public Affairs Officer and Personal Assistant of the Chief of Staff German Army (Inspekteur des Heeres), General lieutenant Albert Schnez. He became the Deputy Director of Nuclear Policy Section at SHAPE in October 1971, when NATO defined the 1969 established "Provisional Political Guidelines for the Tactical Defensive Use of Nuclear Weapons by NATO (PPG's)".

He returned to the German Department of Defense in 1973 as an Oberst and Branch Chief Military Policy Affäirs, commanded in 1975–76 the Panzer grenadier brigade 7 (Hamburg). In April 1978 Altenburg became the Director of the Executive Staff of the Federal Forces and in 1979 the German Representative at the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee in Brussels. In 1981 Altenburg took over the command of the III. Korps at Koblenz and became the Chief of staff of the Federal Forces (Generalinspekteur der Bundeswehr) in 1983, a position he held until 1986. On 1 October 1986, Altenburg became the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee himself.[3] He retired in 1989 and served as chair at several companies. He died on 25 January 2023, at the age of 94.

References

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Military offices
Preceded by Chairman of the NATO Military Committee
1986–1989
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief of Staff of the Federal Armed Forces
1 April 1983 – 30 September 1986
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Generalleutnant Paul-Georg Kleffel
Commanding General, III Corps (Bundeswehr)
1 October 1968 – 30 September 1972
Succeeded by
Generalleutnant Hans-Joachim Mack