Kurt von Hopffer

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Kurt Hopffer , since 1914 Knight von Hopffer (born February 2, 1892 in Bamberg , † June 2, 1916 near Verdun ) was a Bavarian officer in the First World War .

Life

origin

He was the son of the later Bavarian major general Wilhelm Hopffer (born April 20, 1856 in Memmingen ) and his wife Emmy, née von Rücker.

Military career

After graduating from the Wilhelmsgymnasium in Munich, Hopffer joined the 1st Infantry Regiment "König" of the Bavarian Army on October 1, 1911 as a flagjunker . After graduating from the Munich War School , he was promoted to lieutenant on October 25, 1913 .

As a platoon leader, Hopffer advanced with his regiment after the outbreak of the First World War on August 8, 1914 and took part in the battles near Badonviller , the Vezouze , near Saarburg and the Battle of Lorraine and the subsequent battles in front of Nancy - Epinal . During the Battle of the Somme , the III. Battalion , as its adjutant Hopffer, reached the Dompierre - Foucaucourt road on October 2, 1914 through the forest west of Fay . Due to thick fog, the connection between the individual companies in the forest was broken and Hopffer tried in vain to restore it. After the 10th Company had encountered violent resistance and remained lying down, Hopffer jumped up with drawn saber and shouting hurray and stormed out of the protective edge of the forest, whereupon the men of the 10th Company followed him with their side guns and the enemy trenches and the heights to the west conquered behind the street. The other companies also resumed their attack efforts by shouting the hurray. Thanks to Hopffer's independent approach, the battalion's goal was achieved with the introduction of numerous prisoners.

King Ludwig III. then awarded Hopffer the Knight's Cross of the Military Max Joseph Order . Associated with this was the elevation to the personal nobility and inclusion in the nobility register as a knight of Hopffer .

After position battles of the Somme Hopffer fought in October 1915 in the Third Battle of Artois and was in position battles in Artois . He then took part in the Battle of Verdun , leader of the 9th Company since May 17, 1916 . During the fighting for Fort Douaumont on June 1, 1916, Hopffer was seriously wounded by gunfire in the left arm and chest. He died the next day and was buried in the forest cemetery in Munich.

reception

The ZDF TV documentary With Jubel in die Hell on the occasion of the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, uses Hopffer's diaries and letters to the family to trace his soldier's fate.

literature

  • Rudolf Kramer, Otto Freiherr von Waldenfels: VIRTUTI PRO PATRIA. The Royal Bavarian Military Max Joseph Order. Self-published by the Bavarian Military Max Joseph Order. Munich 1966, pp. 78, 328.
  • Bavaria's Golden Book of Honor. Bavarian War Archives . Publisher Joseph Hyronimus. Munich 1928. p. 31. Reprint at PHV-Verlag. Offenbach 2000. ISBN 3-934743-15-3 . Scan of the page with Hopffers entry

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Annual report on the K. Wilhelms-Gymnasium in Munich 1910/11.
  2. ^ Review of the film in the features section of the FAZ from March 25, 2014.
personal data
SURNAME Hopffer, Kurt von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hopffer, Kurt Ritter von; Hopffer, Kurt (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bavarian officer, knight of the Military Max Joseph Order
DATE OF BIRTH February 2, 1892
PLACE OF BIRTH Bamberg
DATE OF DEATH June 2, 1916
Place of death at Verdun