Hans Gollnick

Hans Gollnick
Born	22 May 1892 Gut Gursen in West Prussia
Died	15 February 1970 (aged 77) Hamburg
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1913–45
Rank	General der Infanterie
Commands held	36. Infanterie-Division 36. Panzer Grenadier Division
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Charge at Krojanty Tartu Offensive
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Hans Gollnick (22 May 1892 – 15 February 1970) was a German general during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub). 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.

Career

Gollnick was born at Gut Gursen in West Prussia as the son of Paul Gollnick, lord of the manor of Gursen, and Elisabeth Peglow descendant from the Ducal house of Pomerania.

Gollnick entered military service on 22 March 1912, and served in World War I as a Leutnant. At the beginning of World War II, Gollnick was commander of Infanterie-Regiment 76 in the Skirmish of Krojanty. During the war, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in 1942, and promoted to General on 1 October 1943. In January 1945 he escaped to Denmark, and was a British POW from January 1946 for a month until 5 February.

Gollnick died in Hamburg.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (11 October 1914)^[1]
  • 1st Class (24 November 1916)^[1]
• Wound Badge (1918) in Black
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award, 4th to 1st class
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (15 September 1939)^[1]
  • 1st Class (5 October 1939)^[1]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 21 November 1942 as Generalmajor and commander of the 36. Infanterie-Division (mot.)^[2][3]
  • 282nd Oak Leaves on 24 August 1943 as Generalleutnant and commander of the 36. Panzergrenadier-Division^[2][4]
• Eastern Front Medal
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 26 February 1945

Hans Gollnick was recommended for the Swords to the Knight's Cross for his defensive efforts in East Prussia in April 1945. However, the request was not processed before the war ended.^[5]

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
26 February 1945	Im Samland haben Verbände des Heeres, unter Führung des Generals der Infanterie Gollnick, mit wirkungsvoller Unterstützung durch die Luftwaffe und Einheiten der Kriegsmarine, in sechstägiger Angriffsschlacht starke Teile von 2 Sowjetarmeen geschlagen, den Gegner im entschlossenen und schwungvollen Angriff nach Nordosten zurückgeworfen und damit die unterbrochene See-, Straßen- und Bahnverbindung zur Festung Königsberg wieder hergestellt.[6]	In Samland units of the Army, under the command of General of Infantry Gollnick, with effective support from the Air Force and units of the Navy, in a six-day offensive battle have defeated two strong Soviet armies and repulsed the enemy in decisive and sweeping attack to the northeast, and thus restored the broken maritime, road and rail link to the fortress Königsberg.

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1997, p. 207.
2. Scherzer 2007, p. 341.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 199.
4. Fellgiebel 2000, pp. 71, 478.
5. Berger 1999, p. 392.
6. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 462.

Bibliography

• Berger, Florian (1999). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges [With Oak Leaves and Swords. The Highest Decorated Soldiers of the Second World War] (in German). Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-0-6.
• 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.
• Prerdovich (1978). Generalität des deutschen Heeres.
• 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.
• 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

• "Hans Gollnick". Lexikon der Wehrmacht (in German). Retrieved 9 January 2014.