Hans-Jürgen Theodor Bernhard von Arnim ( German: Hans-Jürgen Theodor Bernhard von Arnim ; April 4, 1889 - September 1, 1962 ) - Colonel General of the German Army (1942). Member of the First and Second World Wars.
| Hans-Jürgen Theodor von Arnim | |||||||||||||
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![]() Colonel General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim in Tunisia February 12, 1943 | |||||||||||||
| Date of Birth | April 4, 1889 | ||||||||||||
| Place of Birth | Erndorf , province of Silesia , Kingdom of Prussia , German Empire | ||||||||||||
| Date of death | September 1, 1962 (73 years old) | ||||||||||||
| A place of death | Bad Wildungen , Hesse , Germany | ||||||||||||
| Affiliation | |||||||||||||
| Type of army | |||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1907 - 1945 | ||||||||||||
| Rank | |||||||||||||
| Commanded | 17th Panzer Division 39th Panzer Corps Army Group Africa | ||||||||||||
| Battles / wars | World War I | ||||||||||||
| Awards and prizes | German Empire Third Reich | ||||||||||||
Content
- 1 Beginning of a military career
- 2 World War I
- 3 Career between world wars
- 4 World War II
- 5 Awards
- 6 Literature
Beginning of a military career
He entered military service in April 1908 as a fan-cadet (candidate for officer) in the 4th Fortress Guards Regiment. In August 1909, he was promoted to lieutenant. Since October 1913 - battalion adjutant.
World War I
With the outbreak of war, Lieutenant von Arnim - adjutant of the battalion of the 93rd Infantry Regiment, with whom he fights in Belgium and Northern France . August 23, 1914 wounded. In September 1914 he was awarded the Iron Cross of the 2nd degree, later in November 1914 and the 1st degree. From November 1914 to June 1915 - and. about. Adjutant of the 93rd Infantry Regiment.
In January 1915 he received the rank of lieutenant and in November 1915 he was appointed commander of an infantry company of the same regiment. Together with his company for a year, until July 1916, he served in Flanders when he was wounded a second time. Then he was sent to the Eastern Front .
On the Eastern Front, Arnim was an officer for special assignments of the 4th Guards Jaeger Division. January 27, 1917 he was awarded the title of Hauptmann . After receiving the new title, Hans Jürgen von Arnim goes on vacation, and in March 1917 he marries Anna Maria von Dehend. The wedding took place in Berlin on March 26, 1917 .
Soon, Hans Jürgen returned to the Eastern Front in his division, and in July 1917 became a divisional adjutant. However, already in October 1917 he was assigned command of the infantry battalion, with which he fought in the last battles of the First World War on the Western Front . During the First World War, he established himself as an intelligent officer both at work at headquarters and in trenches. In addition to the Iron Cross of both degrees, he was awarded two more orders, received a silver badge for wounding .
Career Between World Wars
After the war ended, he continued his military career and became one of the 4,000 officers of the new, significantly reduced Reichswehr, having received a company of the 29th Infantry Regiment under his command.
From 1920 to 1921 he commanded a battalion in the 2nd Division, and from 1921 to 1922 he was a divisional adjutant. The next two years, von Arnim served in Kassel at the headquarters of the army group. In October 1924 he was transferred to the Imperial Ministry of Defense.
In October 1935, he took command of the 68th Infantry Regiment, part of the newly formed 23rd Infantry Division. In January 1938, he was promoted to major general, and from May 1939, he was an officer in the special assignments of the high command of the ground forces.
World War II
September 12, 1939 takes command of the 52nd Infantry Division , which was under formation. This division did not participate in the Polish campaign at all, and it was only partially involved in the French campaign. Despite this, in December 1939, von Arnim was promoted to lieutenant general.
In October 1940 he was transferred to Munich and appointed commander of the 17th Panzer Division . Until that moment, he had nothing to do with the armored forces.
The 17th Panzer Division was engaged from the first days of the war against the Soviet Union: it crossed the Bug north of Brest-Litovsk and captured Slonim on June 24 . June 26, took part in repelling the Soviet counterattack at the Columns . On June 27, during a battle on the outskirts of this city, General von Arnim was wounded. He was sent to Poland, and then to Berlin for treatment. Arnim returned to his division after a full recovery and leave for injury in September 1941 . He took part in the battles near Kiev, Vyazma and Bryansk. Then, on September 4, 1941, von Arnim was awarded the Knight's Cross .
In November 1941, von Arnim was appointed commander of the 39th Panzer Corps , and in December 1941 he was promoted to general of the tank forces .
Since December 1942 - commander of the 5th Panzer Army (in Africa), with the rank of Colonel General. Since March 1943 - commander of the Army Group " Africa ".
May 12, 1943 captured in Tunisia by British troops. He was released in July 1947 .
Rewards
- Iron Cross (1914) ( Kingdom of Prussia )
- 2nd class (November 2, 1914)
- 1st grade (September 16, 1914)
- Royal Order of the Hohenzollern House Knight's Cross with Swords (September 7, 1918) ( Kingdom of Prussia )
- Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg
- Sign for the wound in silver (1918)
- Honor cross of a war veteran with swords (January 19, 1935)
- Medal "For the length of service in the Wehrmacht" 1st class (October 2, 1936)
- Buckles for the Iron Cross
- 2nd grade (October 8, 1939)
- 1st grade (November 3, 1939)
- German cross in gold (May 18, 1942)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (September 4, 1941)
- Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (May 13, 1943)
- Cuff tape "Africa"
Literature
- Barnett C. Hitler's Generals . - New York, NY: Grove Press, 1989 .-- 528 p. - ISBN 0-802-13994-9 .
- Gerd F. Heuer. Die Generalobersten des Heeres, Inhaber Höchster Kommandostellen 1933-1945. - 2. - Rastatt: Pabel-Moewig Verlag GmbH, 1997. - 224 p. - (Dokumentationen zur Geschichte der Kriege). - ISBN 3-811-81408-7 .
