Siegfried Müeller

Siegfried Müeller (October 26 1920- April 17 1983) often called "Kongo" Müeller was a former German Wehrmacht officer who fought as a mercenary under Major Mike Hoare in the Congo Crisis.

Biography

Siegfried Müeller was born in [Krosno Odrzańskie] now Poland then Weimar Republic in 1920. After Hitler Youth and Reich Labour Service, Müeller joined the Wehrmacht in 1939, fighting in the campaigns in Poland, France, and on the Russian Front. He ended the war as a Lieutenant. He was seriously wounded and captured by the Americans.

Released in 1947, he enlisted in the US Army Civilian Labor Group (CLG), an American Labour Service Unit of Germans; then became a Lieutenant in a CLG security unit. He was denied entry to the Bundeswehr in 1956, but found employment with British Petroleum, clearing mines planted by the Afrika Korps in the Sahara Desert during World War II.

Müeller emigrated to the Republic of South Africa in 1962 and was recruited as a mercenary with the rank of Lieutenant for the Congo Crisis in 1964. At 44, Müeller was the oldest of Mike Hoare's soldiers. [http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.kriegsreisende.de/relikte/kongo-mueller.htm&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=2&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522siegfried%2BMueller%2522%2B%252B%2B%2522africa%2Baddio%2522%26hl%3Den] He was promoted to Captain after a successful operation to seize Albertville (now Kalemie) and led 52 Commando, a sub unit of No 5 Commando comprising approximately 50 soldiers. He was later promoted to Major.

References in popular culture

Major Müeller wore his World War II Iron Cross First Class on his operations in the Congo, which attracted the attention of journalists from "Time" magazine [ [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,940934-2,00.html Moise's Black Magic - TIME ] ] and "Der Spiegel". Admitting that he had had too much to drink, Müeller was interviewed by a DDR film crew for the 1966 documentary "Der Lachende Mann"/"The Laughing Man". Müeller also appeared in the film "Africa Addio" and the 1965 East German documentary "Kommando 52". [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0887919/ Kommando 52 (1965) ] ]

He inspired the character of Heinlein in Wilbur Smith's "Dark of the Sun", though Peter Carsten did not use Müeller's jovial personality in his role.

He died in Boksburg, Gauteng subarb of Johannesburg, South Africa of stomach cancer in April 1983. [ p.23 Chiari, Bernhard & Kollner, Dieter H "A Concise Guide to the History of the Democratic Republic of the Congo" Military History Research Institute ]

External links

Siegfried Müeller at IMDB http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2094403/

References