Arthur Hauffe (20 December 1892 – 22 July 1944) was a German general during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and commanded the XIII Army Corps. He was recipient of the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
The Knight' ...
of
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
.
Role in Romania during World War II
While Hauffe was chief of the German Army Mission in Romania, he signed on 30 August 1941 with General
Nicolae Tătăranu of the Romanian War Headquarters the "Agreement for the Security, Administration, and Economic Exploitation of the Territory between the Dniester and the Bug and the Bug-Dnieper." Paragraph 7 of the agreement dealt with the
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
in the camps and ghettos of Bessarabia and Bukovina and the Jewish inhabitants of Transnistria: "The evacuation of the Jews across the Bug is not possible now. They must therefore be concentrated in labor camps and used for various work until, once the operations are over, their evacuation to the East will be possible." The agreement made clear that the ultimate goal was to “cleanse” the relevant territories of their Jewish inhabitants.
Role in German defeats in the northern Ukraine
Hauffe was General of Infantry during the
Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive. The Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive was a major
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
operation to force the German troops from Ukraine and Eastern Poland which was launched in mid-July 1944. During this military engagement, General Hauffe failed to prepare for the withdrawal of his troops when they were threatened by encirclement. He also failed to show up at headquarters during the final phase of the offensive from 20 July 1944 to 22 July 1944 thus forcing Lieutenant General
Wolfgang Lange to assume command of the XIII Army Corps. His inaction led to the encirclement of his troops in the
Brody
Brody ( uk, Броди; russian: Броды, Brodï; pl, Brody; german: Brody; yi, בראָד, Brod) is a city in Zolochiv Raion of Lviv Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is located in the valley of the upper Styr River, approximately ...
pocket, where they were destroyed. He was captured by Soviet troops on 22 July 1944 and died later the same day when he stepped on a
land mine
A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...
.
Awards
*
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
The Knight' ...
on 25 July 1943 as ''
Generalleutnant
is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries.
Austria
Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of O ...
'' and commander of 46. Infanterie-Division
[Fellgiebel 2000, p. 179.]
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
* Mitcham Samuel W. (2007). "The German Defeat in the East, 1944-45." United States: Stackpole Books. .
External links
Final Report of the International Commission on the Holocaust in Romania
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hauffe, Arthur
1892 births
1944 deaths
Military personnel from Chemnitz
German Army generals of World War II
Generals of Infantry (Wehrmacht)
German Army personnel of World War I
Reichswehr personnel
Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class
People from the Kingdom of Saxony
Recipients of the Gold German Cross
Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
German Army personnel killed in World War II
German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union
German people who died in Soviet detention
Landmine victims