Walter Hahm

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Lieutenant General Hahm (center) in Uspech, Russia in mid-May 1943

Walter Hahm (born December 21, 1894 in Neudorf-Sulau, today's Sulimierz in Lower Silesia , † August 11, 1951 in Heide (Holstein) ) was a German officer , most recently General of the Infantry of the Wehrmacht in World War II .

Career

Walter Hahm began his military service on August 7, 1914 as a war volunteer with the replacement battalion of the 90th Fusilier Regiment . On August 23, 1914, he was transferred to the 214th Reserve Infantry Regiment, with which he was deployed until the end of January. During this time he was awarded an Iron Cross, 2nd and 1st class.

In Neuflize (France, northeast of Reims ) he completed a junior officer course as a sergeant until the end of March 1915 and was promoted to ensign on April 18, 1915 . Already appointed lieutenant on June 18, 1915 , he became - following a hospital stay from July to September 1915 - adjutant of the 2nd Battalion , 23rd Infantry Regiment (October 1, 1915 to April 24, 1917). The First World War ended with Walter Hahm as regimental adjutant of the 23rd Infantry Regiment (April 24, 1917 to May 26, 1919).

As a member of the Reichswehr , after two assignments as Adjutant of the 2nd Battalion, 16th Reichswehr Infantry Regiment (May 26, 1919 to February 15, 1920) and Adjutant of the 2nd Battalion, 15th Reichswehr Infantry Regiment (15th Reichswehr Infantry Regiment) February 1920 to January 1, 1921) as first lieutenant company officer of Infantry Regiment 7 (January 1, 1921 to October 1, 1926).

This was followed by a transfer to the infantry school (October 1, 1921 to February 14, 1922) as a riding instructor with the 14th mounted battery of Artillery Regiment 3 (October 1, 1923 to September 30, 1925).

After assignments with the 8th (MG) Company, 7th Infantry Regiment (October 1, 1926 - September 1, 1929), as an officer in weapons training in Dresden (October 3, 1927 to February 15, 1928) and MG- Officer with the staff of the 7th Infantry Regiment (September 1, 1929 to February 1, 1932), he was appointed captain on November 1, 1929 .

After taking part in the “Heavy Weapons Shooting Training” course at the Döberitz Army School (October 6, 1931 to October 21, 1931), he became company commander of the 8th MG Company, 7th Infantry Regiment (February 1, 1932 to October 1 1934). His second chief employment was with the III. Battalion of the Görlitz Infantry Regiment (October 1, 1934 to October 15, 1935).

The last peace garrison was Munich , where he was employed as a trainer at the Munich War School (October 15, 1935 to August 26, 1939). Here he was also promoted to major . He experienced the beginning of the war with the Führerreserve at the Army High Command (August 26, 1939 to February 7, 1940).

The western campaign began for Hahm as a lieutenant colonel and commander of the 2nd Battalion, 81st Infantry Regiment (February 7, 1940 to September 20, 1940) in the Reims, Nevers and Dijon area . He was then transferred again to the Führerreserve from September 20 to December 21, 1940.

Lieutenant General Hahm (left) in front of the division command post on May 16, 1943

For the 260th Infantry Division came Colonel Hahm as commander of Infantry Regiment 480 (December 21, 1940 until January 1, 1942). After the battles for the small town of Romanishche and from the Dnepr to the Desna , he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on November 15, 1941.

After the previous commander, General Hans Schmidt , had found a higher position, Colonel Hahm was commissioned on January 1, 1942 with the command of the 260th Infantry Division. On April 1, 1942, he was appointed major general and commander of the 260th Infantry Division. He held this command until February 22, 1944.

On February 22, 1944, he left the division as lieutenant general . Until April 1, 1944, he was again a member of the Führerreserve High Command of the Army.

As commander of the 389th Infantry Division (April 1, 1944 to September 30, 1944) General Hahm fought in Courland and was the 676th soldier of the Wehrmacht to be awarded the oak leaves for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

A renewed transfer to the Reserve Command of the Army High Command (September 30, 1944 to November 20, 1944) and a transfer to Commander-in-Chief West as Commanding General (November 20, 1944 to December 1, 1944) followed.

On December 1, 1944 - during the fighting in the Saar area - initially entrusted with the leadership, he took over the LXXXII as commanding general. Army Corps until April 15, 1945.

For a few days he was still the commanding general of the XIII, who had been pushed back to the Lech . Army Corps before surrendering to the 36th US Infantry Division on May 8, 1945 - as General of the Infantry . He came to the prisoner of war camp in Werl as a British prisoner of war and was released in 1947.

post war period

In the course of the investigation into the Nuremberg trials , General Hahm made an affidavit on June 23, 1946 :

“ I am not aware of an extermination order issued by the 4th Army against the gangs or partisans . On the contrary, on the basis of orders from superior departments, the captured partisans were either sent to the prison camps or used as work departments. In the summer of 1942, the 260th Infantry Division, which I was in charge of at the time, was brought in with a regulation that I had found in prisoner partisans about their fighting style. It contained detailed, precise instructions on attacks on staffs, command posts, transports, towns, and orders for the removal of Russian residents who did not want to cooperate with partisans, and also instructions on camouflaging the partisans or gangs as civilians. "

Hahm died of leukemia on August 11, 1951 in Heide (Holstein) and was buried in a cemetery in Northern Germany. At his own request, he shares the grave with a "simple" soldier.

Awards

Literature / sources

  • Wolf Keilig: The German Army 1939-1945. Structure, deployment, staffing. 3 volumes (loose-leaf work), published by Podzun-Verlag, Bad Nauheim 1956 ff.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ International Military Court in Nuremberg, Volume 42, Affidavit OKW-939, p. 262.
  2. ↑ a b Ranking list of the German Reichsheeres , Mittler & Sohn Verlag, Berlin, p. 152.
  3. ↑ 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. 361.

Web links

Commons : Walter Hahm  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Hahm, Walter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German officer and general of the infantry in World War II
DATE OF BIRTH December 21, 1894
PLACE OF BIRTH Neudorf-Sulau
DATE OF DEATH August 11, 1951
Place of death Heath (Holstein)