Carl Hilpert

Carl Hilpert
Generaloberst Carl Hilpert
Born	12 September 1888 Nuremberg, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire
Died	1 February 1947 (aged 58) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Army
Years of service	1907–45
Rank	Generaloberst
Commands held	XXIII Corps 16th Army Army Group Courland
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Carl Hilpert (12 September 1888 – 1 February 1947) was an officer in the German Army during World War II.

Hilpert was born in Nuremberg, Bavaria.

During the last stages of World War II, Hilpert commanded the German troops which had been surrounded by the Soviet Army in the Courland Pocket. On 7 May 1945, Head of State (Staatsoberhaupt) and German President (Reichspräsident) Karl Dönitz ordered Colonel-General (Generaloberst) Carl Hilpert, to surrender Army Group Courland. Hilpert was the army group's last commander-in-chief.^{[Note 1]} Hilpert surrendered himself, his personal staff, and three divisions of the XXXVIII Corps to Marshal of the Soviet Union Leonid Govorov. Hilpert sent the following message to his troops:

To all ranks! Marshal Govorod (sic) has agreed to a cease-fire beginning at 14:00 hours on 8 May. Troops to be informed immediately. White flags to be displayed. Commander expects loyal implementation of order, on which the fate of all Courland troops depends.^[1]

He died two years later as prisoner in Moscow on 1 February 1947.

Command history

• Commanding Officer - Tübingen Regiment - 1935
• Commanding Officer - 35th Regiment - 1935 to 1937
• Chief-of-Staff - IX Corps - 1937 to 1939
• Chief-of-Staff - Army Detachment A - 1939
• Chief-of-Staff - Frontier Section South, Poland - 1939 to 1940
• Chief-of-Staff - 1st Army, France - 1940
• Chief-of-Staff - Army Group D, Occupied France - 1940 to 1942
• Chief-of-Staff - Commander in Chief West, Occupied France - 1941 to 1942
• In reserve - 1942
• Acting General Officer Commanding - LIX Corps - 1942
• General Officer Commanding - XXIII Corps - 1942 to 1943
• General Officer Commanding - LIV Corps - 1943
• General Officer Commanding - XXVI Corps - 1943
• General Officer Commanding - I Army Corps - 1 January to 20 January 1944
• General Officer Commanding - I Army Corps - 1 May to 1 August 1944
• Acting General Officer Commanding - 16th Army, Eastern Front - 1944 to 1945
• Acting Commander-in-Chief - Army Group North, Eastern Front - 1945
• Acting Commander-in-Chief - Army Group Courland, Eastern Front - 1945
• General Officer Commanding - 16th Army, Eastern Front - 1945
• Commander-in-Chief - Army Group Courland, Eastern Front - 15 March to 8 May 1945
• Prisoner of war - 1945 to 1947

Awards and decorations

• Military Merit Order, 4th class with Swords (Bavaria)
• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (7 October 1914)^[2]
  • 1st Class (18 October 1916)^[2]
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Anschluss Medal
• Sudetenland Medal
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (20 April 1940)^[2]
  • 1st Class (16 June 1940)^[2]
• Eastern Front Medal
• German Cross in Gold on 19 February 1943 as General der Infanterie and commanding general of the XXIII Armeekorps^[3]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 22 August 1943 as General der Infanterie and commander of the LIV. Armeekorps^[4][5]
  • 542nd Oaks Leaves on 8 August 1944 as General der Infanterie and commander of the I. Armeekorps^[4][6]
• Mentioned twice in the Wehrmachtbericht (18 August 1944 and 9 May 1945)
• Ärmelband Kurland

Notes

1. May 12, 1945 (From the Soviet Information Bureau Our Victory) part of the RIA Novosti 60 anniversary of surrender project notes that Hilpert was commander of the XXXVIII Corps, it explains why only 3 divisions surrenderd with him

References

Citations

1. Hans Dollinger The Decline and Fall of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan -, Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number 67-27047, Page 290
2. Thomas 1997, p. 280.
3. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 186.
4. Scherzer 2007, p. 391.
5. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 227.
6. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 86.

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• Schaulen, Fritjof (2003). Eichenlaubträger 1940 – 1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe I Abraham – Huppertz [Oak Leaves Bearers 1940 – 1945 Contemporary History in Color I Abraham – Huppertz] (in German). Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 978-3-932381-20-1.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.

External links

• Generaloberst Carl Hilpert at the Wayback Machine (archived October 29, 2009)