Arnold Huebner

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Arnold Huebner (born June 14, 1919 in Schubin ; † February 1, 1981 in Gelsenkirchen ) was a German soldier and knight's cross holder in World War II .

Life

Since after the First World War the area around Bromberg became part of the re-established state of Poland , Huebner's family left their home shortly after his birth and settled in Westerholt . After graduating from school, Huebner began an apprenticeship as an electrician in Gelsenkirchen-Buer on August 1, 1935 . After successfully passing the journeyman's examination , Huebner went to the Reich Labor Service on April 1, 1939 . Immediately after the outbreak of the Second World War , Huebner reported to the air force . After his basic training he was transferred to Flak-Ersatzabteilung 11 in Stettin . On September 1, 1940, Huebner was promoted to private and on September 5, transferred to the 1st Flak Regiment 33 . In February 1941, Huebner and his unit were relocated to Tripoli (then Italian Libya ) as part of the German Africa Corps . In the weeks and months that followed, Huebner and his battery took part in the fighting in Libya and Egypt . For his use in the fighting in mid-June 1941 around the so-called Höhe 208 between Capuzzo and Sidi Azeiz on the Halfayapass , Huebner was personally awarded the Iron Cross First Class by the commanding general of the German Africa Corps, Erwin Rommel , on June 17, 1941 .

During the British offensive in November 1941, the Huebner unit was involved in heavy fighting with British armored units on the Halfaya Pass . The I. Division of Flak Regiment 33 was almost completely wiped out and had to be withdrawn from the North African theater of war. Huebner survived and was initially given home leave, which he spent with his parents in Bromberg, where they had returned after the German occupation of Poland. At Rommel's suggestion, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on March 7, 1942 for his services in the fighting of November 1941 .

After his home leave he was sent to the anti-aircraft artillery school in Stolpmünde for a course on anti-tank combat . However, due to his experience at the front, Huebner was soon released from the course. Because of an accident, Huebner first came to the hospital and after his recovery was transferred as a trainer to Flak Replacement Department 9 . There he became a commissioned officer appointed and after laying the department in the area Tours in France for Wachtmeister ( Sergeant transported). After the Allied landing in Normandy on June 6, 1944, Huebner and his gun were assigned to various units and participated in the fighting against the Allied troops. In the summer of 1944, Huebner was withdrawn from the front. He completed an armorer course in Halle (Saale) and decided to pursue an officer career. As an officer candidate he came to the Kitzingen War School at the end of 1944 and was assigned to Flak Substitute Department 39 in Koblenz in early 1945 . In February 1945 Huebner was relocated to Nuremberg with a battery from the Flak Department . Here the officer cadet organized the all-round defense of the city by the flak on behalf of the city ​​commandant . After Nuremberg was enclosed by American troops, Huebner managed to break out of the besieged city with part of his battery. He joined another anti-aircraft battery near Ingolstadt and, as an artillery observer, directed its fire during the defense of the Danube crossing in this area. The further withdrawal of the German troops led Huebner via Freising and Erding . In Bavaria Arnold Huebner finally came on May 5, 1945 in US captivity . Huebner only found out after the end of the war that he had been appointed lieutenant in the reserve on May 1, 1945 .

After his release, Huebner settled in western Germany and worked as a master electrician in Gelsenkirchen-Buer, where he lived until his death in 1981.

Arnold Huebner and Günter Halm were the only team ranks to be awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on the North African theater of war.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Veit Scherzer : Knight's Cross bearers 1939-1945. The holders of the Iron Cross of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and armed forces allied with Germany according to the documents of the Federal Archives. 2nd Edition. Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, Ranis / Jena 2007, ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2 , p. 407.