Traugott Herr

Traugott Herr
Born	16 September 1890 Weferlingen, Province of Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died	13 April 1976 (aged 85) Achterwehr, Schleswig-Holstein, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1911–45
Rank	General der Panzertruppe
Commands held	13th Panzer Division LXXVI Panzer Corps 14th Army 10th Army
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords

Traugott Herr (16 September 1890 – 13 April 1976) was a German General der Panzertruppe (armoured) troops, who served during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Second World War

Oberst Traugott Herr commanded the 66th Infantry Regiment, part of the 13th Motorized Infantry Division, from 8 September 1939 to 14 October 1940, and led this unit into Poland (September 1939 to May 1940) and France (May 1940 to October 1940).^[1][2] In October 1940, the division was reformed in Vienna as 13th Panzer Division^[2] and was sent to Romania as a training unit.^[3] Herr was given command of 13th Rifle Brigade (13. Schutzen-Brigade), which controlled the division's two infantry regiments, on 14 October 1940.^[4][5]

In May 1941 the regiment returned to Germany to take part in Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, as part of 1st Panzergruppe under Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist in Army Group South.^[2] On 2 October 1941, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his actions in taking Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi and the establishment of a bridgehead at Dnipropetrovsk.^[6] In December 1941, Herr was given acting command of 13th Panzer Division when Major-General (Generalmajor) Walter Duvert fell ill. When Duvert did not recover, Herr's appointment was confirmed on 1 April 1942, along with promotion to Generalmajor (major-general).^[3][2]

On 9 August 1942 he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross for his part of the division's actions in driving into the Caucasus to the Kuban River.^[6] On 31 October 1942, on the Terek River deep in the Caucasus,^[5] Herr suffered a serious head wound, being struck by shrapnel, and was repatriated to Germany to recuperate.^[2] On 29 June 1943 he had somewhat recovered, and was appointed acting commander to form the headquarters of a new LXXVI Army Corps in the rank of Generalleutnant (lieutenant-general), which he received on 1 December 1942 while in hospital.^[7] The corps headquarters was re-designated LXXVI Panzer Corps the following month while still in France, and in August 1943 was sent to Italy. His command was confirmed on 1 September 1943 along with promotion to General der Panzertruppe (General of armoured troops).^[7] In Italy, his unit faced the British Eighth Army in Calabria, and the U.S. Fifth Army in Salerno.^[2]

Herr commanded the corps in the Italian Campaign with only minor breaks (he was on leave from 1 March to 15 April 1944) until 24 November 1944. He also took command of 14th Army for a brief period from late November to mid-December 1944.^[8] On 18 December 1944, he was awarded the Swords to the Knight's Cross for his role in the defense of Italy. He then spent a short time in reserve, undergoing another operation to repair previous damage to his skull in December 1944/January 1945, before returning on 15 February 1945 to take command of 10th Army.^[9] The Allied final and decisive spring 1945 offensive in Italy opened in early April, and Herr defended the Adriatic sector and held his lines until overrun by British forces, and was captured by the British on 2 May 1945.^[2] He was held captive until his repatriation in 1948.^[10]

Herr was born in Weferlingen in the Prussian Province of Saxony. He died in Achterwehr.

Awards

• Wound Badge in Black^[11]
• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (14 September 1914)^[12]
  • 1st Class (21 October 1915)^[12]
• House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords^[11]
• Bavarian Military Merit Cross (3rd Class)^[11]
• Panzer Badge in Silver^[11]
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (24 September 1939)^[12]
  • 1st Class (12 May 1940)^[12]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
  • Knight's Cross on 2 October 1941 as Oberst and commander of 13th Rifle Brigade (13. Schützen-Brigade)^[13][14][15]
  • 110th Oak Leaves on 9 August 1942 as Generalmajor and commander of 13th Panzer Division (13. Panzer-Division)^[13][16][17]
  • 117th Swords on 18 December 1944 as General der Panzertruppe and commanding general of LXXVI Panzer Corps (LXXVI. Panzerkorps)^[13][18][19]
• Mentioned twice in the Wehrmachtbericht on 24 June 1944 and 22 September 1944

Wehrmachtbericht references

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
24 June 1944	Bei den schweren Abwehrkämpfen der letzten Tage haben sich die unter Führung des Generals der Panzertruppen Herr stehenden Divisionen des Heeres und der Luftwaffe, besonders das Grenadierregiment 145 unter Oberst Kühl, hervorragend bewährt.[20]	Divisions of the Army and Air Force standing under the command of General of Panzer troops Herr, particularly the 145 Grenadier Regiment under Colonel Kühl, haven excellently proven themselves.
22 September 1944	In den schweren Abwehrkämpfen am Narew haben sich die Verbände des XXVI. Panzerkorps unter Führung des Generals der Panzertruppen Herr, unterstützt durch Flakartillerie der Luftwaffe sowie durch Heeres- und Marineküstenbatterie, besonders ausgezeichnet. In der Zeit vom 26. August bis 20. September wurden allein von diesem Korps 661 feindliche Panzer vernichtet.[21]	In the fierce defensive battles on the Narew, the units of the XXVI. Panzer Corps under the command of General of Panzer troops Herr, supported by the Air Force anti-aircraft artillery, as well as military and naval coastal batteries, haven distinguished themselves. In the period from 26 August to 20 September the corps alone destroyed 661 enemy tanks.

References

Citations

1. "Schützen-Regiment 66". www.lexicon-der-wehrmacht.de (in German). Retrieved 13 October 2013.
2. Mitcham & Mueller 2012, pp. 171–172.
3. Wendell, Marcus. "13. Panzer-Division". Axis History. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
4. "13. Schützen-Brigade". www.lexicon-der-wehrmacht.de (in German). Retrieved 13 October 2013.
5. , Glantz & House 2009, p. 31.
6. "Traugott Herr". www.lexicon-der-wehrmacht.de (in German). Retrieved 27 January 2016.
7. Wendell, Marcus. "LXXVI Armeekorps". Axis History. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
8. Wendell, Marcus. "14. Armee". Axis History. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
9. Wendell, Marcus. "10. Armee". Axis History. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
10. Exton Bohannon.
11. Berger 1999, p. 123.
12. Thomas 1997, p. 274.
13. Scherzer 2007, p. 385.
14. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 224.
15. Von Seemen 1976, p. 163.
16. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 60.
17. Von Seemen 1976, p. 29.
18. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 46.
19. Von Seemen 1976, p. 19.
20. The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 3, p. 136.
21. The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 3, p. 255.

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.
• Exton, Brett; Bohannon, Shawn. "Some of the prisoners held at Special Camp 11: General der Panzertruppe Traugott Herr". Island Farm Prisoner of War Camp: 198 / Special Camp: XI Bridgend, South Wales. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
• 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.
• Glantz, David M.; House, Jonathan (2009). To the Gates of Stalingrad: Soviet-German Combat Operations, April-August 1942. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-1630-5.
• Mitcham, Samuel W.; Mueller, Gene (2012). Hitler's Commanders: Officers of the Wehrmacht, the Luftwaffe, the Kriegsmarine, and the Waffen-SS. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4422-1154-4.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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

• Traugott Herr @ Special Camp 11