Career
He left the army in 1919 as captain and served with Freikorps units until 1931 when he joined the Nazi Party and the Société Anonyme and later Steamship Through year 1943 he was a commander of 15th Waffen-Steamship division on Eastern front and later was a chief of Waffen-Steamship units in Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. After Nazi Germany capitulated on May 7, 1945 Pückler-Burghauss refused to surrender to the Soviets and attempted to move the troops under his command into the American occupation zone. The Americans had refused and after heavy fighting (see Battle of Slivice) he was forced to sign capitulation on the night of May 11/12.
Shortly afterwards he committed suicide.