Hans-Jürgen Bernard Theodor von Arnim (; 4 April 1889 – 1 September 1962) was a German general in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

who commanded several armies and was the last commander of Axis forces in North Africa. He was a recipient of the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), 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. While it was order of precedence, lower in preceden ...

Early life

Hans-Jürgen Bernhard Theodor von Arnim was born in the town of Ernsdorf in Prussian Silesia on April 4, 1889. His father, Hans von Arnim (1861–1931) was a General in the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

and Jürgen would follow in his father's footsteps and join the army in 1907. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he fought on both the Western and Eastern fronts and after the war, he remained in the

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' (; ) was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first two years of Nazi Germany. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...

World War II

When

Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

and the Nazis come to power in 1933 Von Arnim was still in the

and continued to serve in the

as a major general. Arnim commanded the 52nd Infantry Division in both the Battles for

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. In October 1940, Arnim was given command of the 17th Panzer Division. Von Arnim took part in

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...

, the invasion of the Soviet Union, and on 1 October 1941, took command of XXXIX Panzer Corps until November 1942. On 20 February 1943 he was appointed commander of the

5th Panzer Army 5th Panzer Army () was the name of two different German armoured formations during World War II. The first of these was formed in 1942, during the North African campaign and surrendered to the Allies at Tunis in 1943. The army was re-formed in F ...

under

Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel (; 15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944), popularly known as The Desert Fox (, ), was a German '' Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal) during World War II. He served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of ...

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

, whom he replaced as commander of the Army Group Africa on the 10th March 1943. He surrendered to British forces on 12 May 1943 as a consequence of the successful allied Operation Strike. Von Arnim was sent to Britain where he was held and interrogated (as well as bugged) at both Latimer House and Trent Park. He was then interned along with 24 other German general officers at Camp Clinton, Mississippi, and was released on 1 July 1947. He died in 1962 in

Bad Wildungen Bad Wildungen () is a state-run spa and a small town in Waldeck-Frankenberg district in Hesse, Germany. It is located on the German Timber-Frame Road. Geography Location Bad Wildungen lies in the eastern foothills of the Kellerwald range in the ...

, West Germany. File:The Campaign in North Africa 1940-1943- Personalities NA2876.jpg, May 1943, Tunisia following the surrender of Axis forces, leaving for England File:Mugshot Hans-Jürgen von Arnim.jpg, Mug shot while in American captivity

Mistreatment of Jews in Tunisia

The Jewish population of Tunisia was used for forced labour by Arnim to prepare defences against Allied attacks, and the Jewish community was ruthlessly plundered for gold.''General von Arnim had arrived to take over the forces in Tunisia, now designated the Fifth Panzer Army. Arnim prepared defences against renewed Allied attacks and Tunisian Jews were rounded up for forced labour. The Jewish community was also ruthlessly plundered for gold''. The Second World War Antony Beevor, Little Brown and Company, New York 2012

Promotions

*Fahnenjunker-Gefreiter (25 May 1908) *Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier (18 July 1908) *Fähnrich (19 November 1908) *Leutnant (19 August 1909) *Oberleutnant (27 January 1915) *Hauptmann (27 January 1917) *Major (1 April 1928) *Oberstleutnant (1 April 1932) *Oberst (1 July 1934) *Generalmajor (1 January 1938) *Generalleutnant (1 December 1939) *General der Panzertruppe (17 December 1941) *Generaloberst (4 December 1942)

Awards

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

(1914) 2nd Class (16 September 1914) & 1st Class (2 November 1914) * Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords (7 September 1918) *

Wound Badge The Wound Badge () was a German military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was first awarded to soldiers of the Imperial German Army, German Army who were wounded during World War I. Between the worl ...

in Silver (6 August 1918) *

Hanseatic Cross The Hanseatic Cross () was a military decoration of the three Hanseatic city-states of Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck, who were members of the German Empire during World War I. Each republic established its own version of the cross, but the design ...

Hamburg Version *

Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (), commonly referred to as the Hindenburg Cross or the German WWI Service Cross, was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, President of the German Weimar Republic, by an order dated 13 July ...

(15 November 1934) *

Wehrmacht Long Service Award The Wehrmacht Long Service Award () was a List of military decorations of the Third Reich, military service decoration of Nazi Germany issued for satisfactory completion of a number of years in military service. History On 16 March 1936, Adolf ...

1st to 4th Class (2 October 1936) *

on 4 September 1941 as commander of the 17th Panzer Division

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arnim, Hans-Jurgen Von 1889 births 1962 deaths German Army personnel of World War I Colonel generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) Hans-Jurgen Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross People from Dzierżoniów German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States Nazi war criminals