Life

Walther von Hünersdorff was born in 1898 in Cairo. He entered the

Imperial German Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the l ...

in 1915 as a member of 4th Hussar Regiment and participated in World War I. In 1916, he became a First Lieutenant. After the war Hünersdorff stayed in the Reichswehr. When World War II broke out, Hünersdorff served on the staff of the newly-raised 253rd Infantry Division. On 25 October 1939 Hünersdorff was transferred to the II Army Corps, led by Adolf Strauß. On 12 September 1940, Hünersdorff became the chief of staff of the XV Army Corps, led by Hermann Hoth. With the now renamed

Panzergruppe 3 The 3rd Panzer Army (german: 3. Panzerarmee) was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 3rd Panzer Group on 1 January 1942. 3rd Panzer Group The 3rd Panzer Group (german: Panzergruppe 3) was formed on 16 Novembe ...

he participated in Operation Barbarossa. On 7 February 1943 Hünersdorff became commander of the 6th Panzer Division, being promoted to Generalmajor in May. His division participated in the Battle of Kursk. During the battle Hünersdorff and a number of his staff officers were attacked by a group of

Heinkel He 111 The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a "wolf in sheep's clothing". Due to restrictions placed on Germany after th ...

s in a friendly fire accident, wounding Hünersdorff. On the same day Hünersdorff was shot in the head by a Soviet sniper, being gravely injured. He died in a hospital at Kharkov on 17 July 1943. Hünersdorff was posthumously promoted to Generalleutnant.

Awards

* Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (14 May 1940) & 1st Class (27 May 1940)Thomas 1997, p. 311. * German Cross in Gold on 26 January 1942 as '' Oberst im Generalstab'' (in the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...

) with Panzer-Gruppe 3Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 203. * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves ** Knight's Cross on 22 December 1942 as ''Oberst'' and commander of the Panzer-Regiment 11Scherzer 2007, p. 409. ** 259th Oak Leaves on 14 July 1943 as ''

Generalmajor is the Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and Royal Danish Air Force. As a two-star ...

'' and commander of the 6. Panzer-Division

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunersdorf, Walther Von 1898 births 1943 deaths Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) German Army personnel of World War I German Army personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Deaths by firearm in the Soviet Union German Army generals of World War II