Erhard Raus

Erhard Raus

A view of Raus showing his Knights Cross with Oak Leaves
Born 8 January 1889
Wolframitz, Margraviate of Moravia, Austria-Hungary now Olbramovice, South Moravian Region, Czech Republic
Died 3 April 1956(1956-04-03) (aged 67)
Vienna, Austria
Allegiance  Austria-Hungary (to 1918)
Austria First Austrian Republic (to 1938)
 Nazi Germany
Service/branch Heer
Years of service 1909–45
Rank Generaloberst
Commands held 6th Panzer Division
XI Corps
3rd Panzer Army
Battles/wars

World War I

World War II
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Erhard Raus (8 January 1889 – 3 April 1956) was an Austrian Generaloberst (Colonel General) during World War II. He commanded the 6th Panzer Division during the early years of the war on the Eastern Front before taking Army and Army Group commands. Raus was one of three Austrians who rose to the rank of Colonel General within the German Wehrmacht. The other two were Alexander Löhr and Lothar Rendulic.

World War II

On 7 September 1941, Raus was appointed the acting commander of the 6th Panzer Division. On 15 September, the 6th Panzer Division, minus its artillery, was transferred to Army Group Centre to take part in Operation Typhoon – the attempt to capture Moscow.[1] On 11 October he was awarded the Knights Cross.[2] Raus's unit was transferred to the LVI Panzer Corps and formed part of the spearhead striking for Moscow. During this drive, his unit working in combination with other panzer divisions, helped close the Vyazma encirclement.[3]

In early April, the 6th Panzer Division was transferred to France to refit and rest; Raus was appointed the commander of the division on 29 April.[2] In mid-November 1942, the division left France for the Soviet Union.[4]

Following the failure of Operation Citadel (the Kursk offensive), 8th Army gave Raus the mission of organizing the withdrawal of all Axis units in its sector (13 divisions) from the east side of the river to the west.[5] On 10 December 1943 he was appointed acting commander of the Fourth Panzer Army. Several days later he moved the divisions across the river as well as thousands of plundered cattle and horses.[6] Raus commanded the 1st Panzer Army, the 3rd Panzer Army (1944) and the XI SS Panzer Corps (1945). He was dismissed from command in the spring of 1945.

Later life

After his release from American captivity, Raus lived in Bad Gastein. He subsequently wrote and co-wrote a number of books and publications focusing on strategic analysis of the tank tactics used by his forces on the Eastern Front. Raus spent the last year of his life in Vienna General Hospital, where he died of lung disease on 3 April 1956. He was buried there with full military honors on 6 April.[7]

Awards

Works

Commands

Military offices
Preceded by
Generalleutnant Franz Landgraf		 Commander of 6th Panzer Division
29 April 1942–7 February 1943[2] 		Succeeded by
Generalleutnant Walther von Hünersdorff
Preceded by
—		 Commander of XI Corps (known as Provisional Corps Raus until 10 May 1943)
10 February 1943–5 November 1943[2] 		Succeeded by
—
Preceded by
General of Panzer Troops Heinrich Eberbach		 Commander of XLVII Panzer Corps
5 November 1943–30 November 1943[2] 		Succeeded by
General of Panzer Troops Hermann Balck
Preceded by
Generaloberst Hermann Hoth		 Commander of 4. Panzer-Armee
10 November 1943–21 April 1944][2] 		Succeeded by
General of Panzer Troops Walter Nehring
Preceded by
Generalorberst Hans Hube		 Commander of 1. Panzerarmee
21 April 1944–July, 1944[13] 		Succeeded by
—
Preceded by
General of Panzer Troops Erhard Raus		 Commander of Armeegruppe Raus
July, 1944–August, 1944[13] 		Succeeded by
Generaloberst Gotthard Heinrici
Preceded by
Generaloberst Georg-Hans Reinhardt		 Commander of 3. Panzer-Armee
16 August 1944–10 March 1945[13] 		Succeeded by
General Hasso-Eccard von Manteuffel

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Raus, Erhard. Panzer Operations p. 84
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Raus, Erhard. Panzer Operations p. 352
  3. ↑ Raus, Erhard. Panzer Operations p. 93
  4. ↑ Raus, Erhard. Panzer Operations p. 138
  5. ↑ Raus, Erhard. Panzer Operations p. 249
  6. ↑ Raus, Erhard. Panzer Operations p. 254
  7. ↑ Heuer 1988, p. 157
  8. 1 2 Thomas 1998, p. 184.
  9. ↑ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 367.
  10. 1 2 Scherzer 2007, p. 615.
  11. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 350.
  12. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 71.
  13. 1 2 3 Raus, Erhard. Panzer Operations p. 353

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. 
  • Heuer, Gerd F.: Die Generalobersten des Heeres. Inhaber höchster deutscher Kommandostellen 1933–1945. Rattstatt: Moewig 1988. ISBN 3-8118-1408-7
  • Tsouras, Peter G. Panzers on the Eastern Front: General Erhard Raus and His Panzer Divisions in Russia, 1941–1945. 
  • 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 (2005). Eichenlaubträger 1940 – 1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe III Radusch - Zwernemann [Oak Leaves Bearers 1940 – 1945 Contemporary History in Color III Radusch – Zwernemann] (in German). Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 978-3-932381-22-5. 
  • 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 (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9. 
  • Panzer Operations: The Eastern Front Memoir of General Raus, 1941–1945 (with Steven H. Newton)
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