Conrad Heuss

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Conrad Heuss (born May 27, 1914 in Heilbronn ; † March 24, 1945 in Danzig -Langfuhr) was a German officer during the Second World War , bearer of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and nephew of the future Federal President Theodor Heuss .

Life

Heuss was born the son of Heilbronn city doctor Ludwig Heuss, a brother of Theodor Heuss, and his wife Hedwig. After graduating from high school in Heilbronn, he joined the Reichswehr as an officer candidate , was a flag junior in Ludwigsburg and completed the war school in Dresden . In 1936 he came back to Heilbronn, where he became a lieutenant in the 14th Panzerjäger Company in Infantry Regiment 34.

After the beginning of the war against the Soviet Union during the Second World War , Heuss came to the outskirts of Moscow in early December 1941 with the 34th Infantry Regiment . As the commander of a battalion, a few days later, on December 13, 1941, he was given the task of securing a road near the village of Gorky intended for the retreat of the 35th Infantry Division. The task, originally planned only until the evening, dragged on throughout the night with several enemy attacks, whereby Heuss' battalion managed to hold the road until the last German troops withdrew. Heuss was then awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on March 27, 1942 for “independent action” and “personal commitment”.

Tomb for Conrad Heuss in the main cemetery in Heilbronn

In 1943 Heuss accompanied the Hitler Youth on a lecture tour , which presented him as a “role model”. In autumn 1943 he became head of inspections at the war school in Potsdam. In 1944 he completed a regimental commander course, then as a lieutenant colonel in command of the Heilbronn Fusilier Regiment 34 of the 35th Infantry Division . He fell on March 24, 1945 in Langfuhr during the battle for Danzig. His tomb is on the Heuss family grave in Heilbronn's main cemetery .

Conrad Heuss has received numerous statements critical of the system. At a ceremony on the occasion of his knight's cross in the town hall of Heilbronn, he is said to have expressed himself critical of the party in May 1942 . In 1943 at the war school in Potsdam he said: “I only know one decent party, and that is the German Democratic Party of Württemberg”. He replied to a general that he was “suitable as a general staff officer like the hedgehog to ass”. In a speech he said that the audience would have to “relearn because we have already lost the war”. With his statements, Heuss aroused the displeasure of party officials, but his award protected him from difficulties.

Awards

literature

  • Uwe Jacobi: The end of the war. Scenes in 1944/45 in Heilbronn, in the Unterland and in Hohenlohe . 2nd Edition. Heilbronner Voice, Heilbronn 1986, ISBN 3-921923-03-4 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Veit Scherzer : Knight's Cross bearer 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. 388.
personal data
SURNAME Heuss, Conrad
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German regimental commander, holder of the Knight's Cross
DATE OF BIRTH May 27, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH Heilbronn
DATE OF DEATH March 24, 1945
Place of death Langfuhr near Danzig