Ernst-Eberhard Hell

Ernst-Eberhard Hell
Born	25 September 1887 Stade
Died	15 September 1973 (aged 85) Wiesbaden
Buried at	South Cemetery Wiesbaden
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1906–45
Rank	General der Artillerie
Commands held	269. Infanterie-Division 15. Infanterie-Division VII Armeekorps
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Białystok–Minsk Battle of Smolensk (1941) Battle of Moscow Battle of Kursk Cherkassy Pocket First Jassy-Kishinev Offensive Jassy–Kishinev Offensive (August 1944)
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Ernst-Eberhard Hell (19 September 1887 – 15 September 1973) was a German general who held several divisional commands and was later elevated to Corps level during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Ernst-Eberhard Hell was captured by Soviet troops in August 1944 during the Jassy–Kishinev Offensive (August 1944) and was held until 1955.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (11 September 1914)^[1]
  • 1st Class (14 August 1916)^[1]
• Military Merit Order, 4th class with Swords (Bavaria)^[2]
• Military Merit Cross, 3rd class with War Decoration (Austria-Hungary)^[2]
• Silver Liakat Medal with Sabres^[2]
• Ottoman War Medal (Turkish: Harp Madalyası; "Gallipoli Star", "Iron Crescent")^[2]
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (1934)
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (12 May 1940)^[1]
  • 1st Class (17 May 1940)^[1]
• Eastern Front Medal
• German Cross in Gold on 14 June 1942 as General der Artillerie and leader of the VII. Armeekorps^[3]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 1 February 1943 as General der Artillerie and commander of VII. Armeekorps^[4][5]
  • 400th Oak Leaves on 4 June 1944 as General der Artillerie and commander of VII. Armeekorps^[5][6]
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (12 March 1944)^[7]

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
12 March 1944	Unter dem Befehl des Generals der Artillerie Hell haben sich in den erbitterten Abwehrkämpfen die moselländische 34. Infanteriedivision unter Führung des Generalleutnants Hochbaum, die württembergisch-badische 198. Infanteriedivision unter Führung des Generalleutnants von Horn und die württembergisch-badische 4. Gebirgs-Division unter Führung des Generalmajors Braun besonders bewährt.[8]	Under the command of General of Artillery Hell, in the fierce defensive battles, the Moselle 34th Infantry Division under the leadership of Lieutenant-General Hochbaum, the Württemberg-Baden 198th Infantry Division under the leadership of Lieutenant-General von Horn and the Württemberg-Baden 4th Mountain Division under the leadership of Major General Braun, have particularly excelled.

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1997, p. 266.
2. Rangliste des Deutschen Reichsheeres (in German). Berlin: Reichswehrministerium. Mittler & Sohn Verlag. 1924. p. 146.
3. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 176.
4. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 182.
5. Scherzer 2007, p. 378.
6. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 71.
7. Wegmann, Günter (1982). Das Oberkommando der Wehrmacht gibt bekannt... Der deutsche Wehrmachtbericht. Vollständige Ausgabe der 1939–1945 durch Presse und Rundfunk veröffentlichten Texte mit einem Orts-, Personen- und Formationsregister. Band 3: 1944–1945 und Register (in German). Osnabrück: Biblio Verlag. p. 55. ISBN 3-7648-1282-6.
8. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 55.

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.
• Reichswehrministerium, ed. (1930). Rangliste des Deutschen Reichsheeres (in German). Berlin, Germany: Mittler & Sohn Verlag. OCLC 10573418.
• 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.
• Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 3, 1 January 1944 to 9 May 1945] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.

External links

• Lexikon der Wehrmacht
• World War 2 Awards.com
• Ernst-Eberhard Hell @ Axis Biographical Research at the Wayback Machine (archived January 25, 2011)