Wilhelm Zierenberg history
Written by Rolf Zierenberg
As the war was ending in 1945, Colonel Wilhelm Zierenberg was ordered to have his troops destroy all of the utilities (including…. the power grid, water systems, tunnels, bridges, etc.) at the end of their march, which was the town of Wiesbaden. When Hitler knew that he had lost the war, he didn’t want to leave anything good in Germany. He ordered much of it destroyed. Colonel Zierenberg defied the command of the Nazi regime to destroy all utilities! He said, no, that the people had suffered enough and he would not do it. He knew that this would mean prison or death if the Nazis caught up to them. He also knew the Americans or the Russians were approaching and he hoped that the Americans would get there first, which they did, and he and his men were captured. They were treated well as POWs. His son, Joachim, did not survive the war, in a different area, however. Later he and his troops also continued around parts of Germany and he gathered records and a great pedigree and history of his ancestors and the extended Zierenberg family. I possess a copy of the pedigree and have posted it here on FB. This photo was taken back in September during our visit. It is at the cemetery in the city of Zierenberg, Germany. This is the grave marker and monument to Wilhelm. Attached to the stone is the family crest of our Zierenberg line. “Onkel” Wilhelm is remembered by the town of Wiesbaden and was honored as a hero there. Wilhelm is not my direct ancestor but is a cousin to my Grandfather. I am very grateful he did the right thing in Wiesbaden and to him for preserving our genealogy.