Hasso von Manteuffel

Hasso-Eccard Freiherr von Manteuffel
Freiherr von Manteuffel in May 1944
Born	14 January 1897 Potsdam, Brandenburg German Empire
Died	24 September 1978 (aged 81) Reith, Tyrol Austria
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany (to 1945)  West Germany
Years of service	1908–45
Rank	General der Panzertruppe
Commands held	Panzer-Grenadier-Division Großdeutschland
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Operation Barbarossa Battle of Tunisia Battle of Târgu Frumos Battle of Arracourt Battle of the Bulge Battle of Clervaux Battle of St. Vith Siege of Bastogne
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
Other work	Politician

Hasso-Eccard Freiherr von Manteuffel (14 January 1897 – 24 September 1978) was a German soldier and classical liberal politician of the 20th century.

He served in both world wars, and during World War II was a distinguished general. He was a tank commander noted for his tactical skill and was one of only 27 holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds.

After the war, he was elected to the Bundestag (West German legislature) and was the spokesman for defense of the Liberal Party. A proponent of rearmament, he was responsible for coining the new name for the post-World War II German armed forces, the Bundeswehr.

Early life and interwar career

Helmholtz-Gymnasium Potsdam, formerly Viktoria-Gymnasium, which Manteuffel attended before joining the Cadet Corps.

Manteuffel was born in Potsdam to a Prussian aristocratic family. In 1908, he commenced his career at the Cadet Corps military school. During the First World War Manteuffel joined the Imperial German Army in February 1916 and served with the 5th Squadron of the 3rd Hussar Regiment, attached to the 6th Prussian Infantry Division on the Western Front. Promoted to Lieutenant, he finished the war on the Divisional General Staff.

In January 1919, following the dissolution of the Imperial Army, he joined the Freikorps. After the establishment of the Weimar Republic, he joined the newly created Reichswehr. In October 1935 Manteuffel was appointed commander of a battalion in Heinz Guderian’s 2nd Panzer Division. From 1936 to 1937 he served as a major on the division staff and as a training officer. In February 1937 he joined the Panzer Troop Command of the OKH, and in February 1939 became a senior professor at Panzer Troop School II in Berlin-Krampnitz, remaining there until 1941.

World War II

General der Panzertruppe Hasso von Manteuffel in August 1944

On May 1, 1941, Manteuffel was appointed to command a battalion in the 7th Panzer Division, as part of Panzer Group 3 of the Army Group Centre in Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, being appointed a regimental commander on 25 August 1941. In July 1942, Manteuffel was given command of the 7th Panzer Grenadier Brigade of the 7th Panzer Division.

In early 1943, Manteuffel was sent to Africa, where on 5 February he became the commander of the Division von Broich/von Manteuffel, serving in 5th Panzer Army, attached to Army Group Afrika. Here Manteuffel took part in the Battle of Tunisia. He left the theatre after a collapse from exhaustion on March 31. On 1 May 1943, Manteuffel was promoted to the rank of Major General. Manteuffel assumed command of the 7th Panzer Division on 22 August 1943 and was posted to the Eastern Front, which had by then collapsed following the Battle of Kursk and the resulting Soviet counteroffensive. The division participated in the fighting at Kharkov, Belgorod, and along the Dnieper River. In late November, the division recaptured Zhitomir.

Manteuffel was appointed commander of the elite Großdeutschland Division on 1 February 1944. The division engaged the Red Army west of Kirovograd, then retreated across Ukraine, and reorganized in Romania in late March 1944. In June, Großdeutschland was moved into reserve for a refit. In late July Großdeutschland was ordered to East Prussia, which was under threat from the Red Army following the collapse of Army Group Centre in Operation Bagration. The division took part in stabilizing the front, but failed to break through to the Army Group North in the Courland Pocket.

Manteuffel's leather coat on display at the Bastogne Historical Center

On 1 September 1944, Manteuffel was promoted to General of Panzer Troops (General der Panzertruppen) and given command of the 5th Panzer Army on the Western Front. After combat in Lorraine against the U.S. Third Army, his unit was withdrawn to refit for the upcoming Ardennes Offensive. Although he was assigned to a support role, Manteuffel’s 5th Panzer Army achieved one of the deepest penetrations of Allied lines during the offensive, almost reaching the Meuse River. This penetration included the Battle of Bastogne.

On 10 March 1945 Manteuffel was made the commander of the 3rd Panzer Army on the Eastern Front, attached to Army Group Vistula. His army was assigned to defend the banks of the Oder River north of the Seelow Heights. On 25 April the Soviet 2nd Belorussian Front broke through Third Panzer Army's line around the bridgehead south of Stettin. The Soviet forces crossed the swampy Randow river valley, forcing Manteuffel to retreat to Mecklenburg. On 3 May 1945 Manteuffel surrendered his troops to the British Army at Hagenow, Germany.

Post-war

At first Manteuffel was a Prisoner of war of the British at various prisoner of war camps, including Island Farm Special Camp 11. In 1946 he was handed over to the Americans and imprisoned at Nürnberg-Langwasser and Marburg in Germany. While held at the latter camp, he took part in the U.S. Army Historical Division project and wrote a monograph on the mobile warfare aspect of the Ardennes Offensive.

After his release in December 1946, he entered politics and was a representative of the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP) in the German Bundestag from 1953 to 1957. In 1957 he joined the German Party. In the early 1950s Manteuffel advised on the redevelopment of the Bundeswehr.

Manteuffel was charged in 1959 for having a deserter shot in 1944. He was convicted and sentenced to two years in prison. This trial was controversial. Supporters argued that these actions did not constitute a violation of the "laws or customs of war" clause in the Nuremberg Principles, the rules governing what constituted war crimes that occurred during the war, since it was legal in the German military and that Allied armies had similar provisions in their military codes at the time. German political leaders lobbied for an overturn of the conviction and he was eventually released after serving four months.

Manteuffel spoke fluent English; he visited the Pentagon in the United States, and, at the behest of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the White House. In 1968 he lectured at the United States Military Academy at West Point, speaking about combat in deep snow conditions and worked as a technical adviser on war films. He also featured in the acclaimed documentary The World at War.

Hasso von Manteuffel died while on a vacation in Reith im Alpbachtal, Austria on 24 September 1978.

Personal life

He married Armgard von Kleist, the niece of Ewald von Kleist, on 23 June 1921. They had two children.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914)^[1]
  • 2nd Class (13 October 1916)^[2]
  • 1st Class (2 May 1917)^[2]
• Austrian Military Merit Cross (3rd Class)^[3]
• Bavarian Military Merit Cross (3rd Class)^[3]
• War Merit Cross (Brunswick)^[1]
• Wound Badge (1918) in Black^[1]
• Panzer Badge in Silver (2nd Class)^[3]
• War Merit Cross (2nd Class)^[3]
• "Afrika" Cuffband
• Wound Badge in Silver^[3]
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (22 July 1941)^[2]
  • 1st Class (1 August 1941)^[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
  • Knight's Cross on 31 December 1941 as Oberst and commander of Schützen-Regiment 6^[4][5][6]
  • 332nd Oak Leaves on 23 November 1943 as Generalmajor and commander of the 7. Panzer-Division^[4][7][8]
  • 50th Swords on 22 February 1944 as Generalleutnant and commander of the 7. Panzer-Division^[4][9][10]
  • 24th Diamonds on 18 February 1945 as General der Panzertruppe and commander-in-chief of 5. Panzerarmee^[4][11][12]
• Eastern Front Medal
• Mentioned four times in the Wehrmachtbericht (8 October 1943; 16 November 1943; 14 March 1944; 8 May 1944)

Wehrmachtbericht references

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
8 October 1943	Die 7. Panzerdivision unter dem Kommando des Generalmajors v. Manteuffel hat sich in den Kämpfen am mittleren Dnjepr in schneidigen Angriffen und zähem Aushalten ruhmvoll bewährt.[13]	The 7th Armoured Division under the command of Major-General von Manteuffel has proved itself gloriously in battle on the middle Dnieper in dashing attacks and tough enduring.
16 November 1943	In den schweren Kämpfen der letzten Wochen haben sich im Kampfgebiet von Kiew die thüringische 7. Panzerdivision unter Führung von Generalmajor v. Manteuffel und auf der Krim die fränkisch-sudetendeutsche 98. Infanteriedivision unter Führung von Generalleutnant Gareis besonders ausgezeichnet.[14]	In the heavy fighting of recent weeks in the combat zone of Kiev, the Thuringian 7th Armored Division, led by Major-General von Manteuffel and on the Crimea, the Franco-Sudeten 98th Infantry Division under the command of Lieutenant-General Gareis have particularly excelled.
14 March 1944	So haben sich in den letzten Tagen die Panzergrenadierdivision "Großdeutschland" unter Führung des Generalleutnants v. Manteuffel und die Truppen des LIX. Armeekorps unter Führung des Generalleutnant Friedrich Wilhelm Schulz besonders hervorgetan.[15]	Thus in the last days, the Panzer Grenadier Division "Großdeutschland" under the leadership of Lieutenant-General von Manteuffel and the troops of the LIX. Army Corps under the command of Lieutenant-General Friedrich Wilhelm Schulz have particularly excelled.
8 May 1944	In diesen Kämpfen hat sich die Panzerdivision "Großdeutschland" unter Generalleutnant v. Manteuffel besonders ausgezeichnet.[16]	In these battles, the Panzer Division "Großdeutschland" under command of Lieutenant-General von Manteuffel has especially excelled.

References

Citations

1. Rangliste des Deutschen Reichsheeres, p. 182.
2. Thomas 1998, p. 57.
3. Berger 1999, p. 205.
4. Scherzer 2007, p. 526.
5. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 302.
6. Von Seemen 1976, p. 233.
7. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 74.
8. Von Seemen 1976, p. 39.
9. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 42.
10. Von Seemen 1976, p. 16.
11. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 38.
12. Von Seemen 1976, p. 13.
13. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Volume 2, p. 577.
14. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Volume 2, p. 607.
15. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Volume 3, p. 57.
16. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Volume 3, p. 97.

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.
• Brownlow, Donald Grey (1975). Panzer Baron: the military exploits of General Hasso von Manteuffel. North Quincy: The Christopher Publishing House. ISBN 0-8158-0325-7.
• 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.
• Fraschka, Günther (1994). Knights of the Reich. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military/Aviation History. ISBN 978-0-88740-580-8.
• Manteuffel, Hasso von (January 2000). The 7th Panzer Division: An Illustrated History of Rommel's "Ghost Division" 1938–1945. Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 0-7643-1208-1.
• Reichswehrministerium, ed. (1924). Rangliste des Deutschen Reichsheeres (in German). Berlin, Germany: Mittler & Sohn Verlag. OCLC 10573418.
• Searle, Alaric (2003). Wehrmacht Generals, West German Society, and the Debate on Rearmament, 1949–1959. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. ISBN 978-0-275-97968-3.
• 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.
• von Schaulen, Joachim (1983). Hasso von Manteuffel: Panzerkampf in Zweiten Weltkrig. Berg am See.
• Stockert, Peter (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 4 [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 4] (in German). Bad Friedrichshall, Germany: Friedrichshaller Rundblick. ISBN 978-3-932915-03-1.
• 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.
• Von Seemen, Gerhard (1976). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 : die Ritterkreuzträger sämtlicher Wehrmachtteile, Brillanten-, Schwerter- und Eichenlaubträger in der Reihenfolge der Verleihung : Anhang mit Verleihungsbestimmungen und weiteren Angaben [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 : The Knight's Cross Bearers of All the Armed Services, Diamonds, Swords and Oak Leaves Bearers in the Order of Presentation: Appendix with Further Information and Presentation Requirements] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7909-0051-4.
• Williamson, Gordon (2006). Knight's Cross with Diamonds Recipients 1941–45. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-644-7.
• Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, 1. Januar 1942 bis 31. Dezember 1943 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 2, 1 January 1942 to 31 December 1943] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.
• 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

• Hasso von Manteuffel in the German National Library catalogue
• Meyer, Georg (1990), "Manteuffel, Hasso von", Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB) (in German) 16, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, p. 92; (full text online)
• "Hasso von Manteuffel". Lexikon der Wehrmacht (in German). Retrieved 3 April 2013.
• "Ergebenster v. Manteuffel". Der Spiegel (in German) 9. 1950. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
• "Hasso von Manteuffel". Der Spiegel (in German) 47. 1955. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
• "Hasso von Manteuffel". Der Spiegel (in German) 13. 1956. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
• "Hasso von Manteuffel". Der Spiegel (in German) 30. 1957. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
• "Hasso von Manteuffel". Der Spiegel (in German) 32. 1960. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
• "Hasso von Manteuffel". Der Spiegel (in German) 37. 1964. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
• "Hasso von Manteuffel". Der Spiegel (in German) 40. 1978. Retrieved 3 April 2013.