Heinrich Hoffmann (Major General, 1893)

Heinrich Hoffmann (born December 18, 1893 in Nuremberg ; † March 1, 1967 there ) was a German major general in World War II .

Military career

Bavarian Army and First World War

Hoffmann joined the 10th Field Artillery Regiment of the Bavarian Army in Erlangen on October 1, 1912 and was appointed Fahnenjunker Unteroffizier on February 25, 1913 . He served with this regiment until August 2, 1914 and was promoted to ensign there on May 20, 1913 . From October 1, 1913 to July 31, 1914 he was trained at the Munich War School , upon completion of which he was promoted to lieutenant on August 1, 1914 . From August 2, 1914, he was head of the recruit depot(i.e. training unit) of the 2nd replacement division of his regiment. From January 1, 1915 to January 3, 1916 he served as a battery officer in the 9th Reserve Field Artillery Regiment . Then he was used as an ammunition officer in the 212 Foot Artillery Battalion. On May 27, 1916 he was transferred to the staff of the 9th Reserve Field Artillery Regiment. From November 17, 1916 to January 7, 1917 he was a substitute battery leader in the same regiment, then from January 7, 1917 to the end of the war, he was leader of the 5th battery. On December 14, 1917 he was promoted to first lieutenant .

Interwar period

After the end of the war, Hoffmann became battery chief in the Erlangen Jägerkorps in April 1919 , and when it was dissolved on June 10, 1919, he became an adjutant at the Reichswehr advertising office in Nuremberg. On November 30, 1919, he was released from the Provisional Reichswehr .

On the following day, Hoffmann was hired as a first lieutenant in the Bavarian State Police in Nuremberg-Fürth, of which he was a member until September 30, 1926. At the same time, he began to study political science at the University of Würzburg , which he completed on August 30, 1922 with a doctorate as Dr. rer. pole. completed. On June 10, 1923, he was promoted to police captain and, as such, on October 1, 1926, he was transferred to the Nuremberg-Fürth state police department. From October 18, 1932 to June 3, 1933 he completed the so-called guide assistant training , the camouflaged general staff officer training, in Munich, and from June 4, 1934 he was a trainer at the Bavarian Police Officer School in Munich. On September 1, 1934, he became a police major .

Wehrmacht and World War II

In 1935 the Bavarian State Police was dissolved and incorporated into the Wehrmacht . Hoffmann moved to the Army on October 15, 1935 with the rank of major , where he was assigned to the staff of the 17th Artillery Regiment and promoted to lieutenant colonel on August 1, 1936 . From October 6, 1936 to August 26, 1939 he was in command of the 1st Division of the 51st Artillery Regiment ; in this position he was promoted to colonel on April 1, 1939 .

With the mobilization in the run-up to the German attack on Poland , Hoffmann became commander of the Artillery Regimental Staff 616 (AR Staff 618), which was newly established at that time on August 26, 1939. As such, he took part in the attack on Poland and then in 1940 with Army Group C in the western campaign . During the attack on the Soviet Union ( Operation Barbarossa ) in June 1941, he and his staff were assigned to artillery commander 30 (Arko 30) at the XXXXI. Army Corps , then from October 1941 the XXXX. Subordinated to Army Corps , each of which belonged to Panzer Group 4 . On February 13, 1942 he became commander of the 328 Artillery Regiment in the 328th Infantry Division .

From 20 November to 22 December 1942 Hoffmann was in the leader Reserve of the Army High Command (OKH) . On December 1, 1942, he became major general . From December 22, 1942 to January 3, 1944 he was artillery commander 3 at III. Panzer Corps . Another transfer to the OKH's Führerreserve followed before he became Artillery Commander 107 on March 25, 1944. From July 15 to November 3, 1944 he was again in the Führerreserve. Then he was assigned to the fortress staff of Lieutenant General Otto Lüdecke in the military district of Danzig, where he was fortress commander of Thorn from December 1, 1944 to January 22, 1945 . From January 23, 1945 until the end of the war, he was again in the OKH's Führerreserve.

Hoffmann was a British prisoner of war from May 8, 1945 to 1947 .

literature

• Dermot Bradley (Ed.): The Generals of the Army 1921-1945. The military careers of the generals, as well as the doctors, veterinarians, intendants, judges and ministerial officials with the rank of general. Volume 6: Hochbaum – Klutmann. Biblio Verlag, Bissendorf 2002, ISBN 3-7648-2582-0 , pp. 56-57.