Hans-Georg Schmidt von Altenstadt

Hans-Georg Schmidt von Altenstadt
Birth name	Johann-Georg Ulrich Eduard Schmidt von Altenstadt
Birth date	21 August 1904(1904-08-21)
Place of birth	Danzig-Langfuhr, West Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date	25 July 1944 (aged 39)
Place of death	Bad Tölz, Bavaria, German Reich
Allegiance	Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	Reichswehr Heer
Years of service	1923–1935 1935–1944
Rank	Major General
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Iron Cross German Cross in Gold

Johann-Georg Ulrich Eduard Schmidt von Altenstadt (known as Hans-Georg; 21 August 1904 – 25 July 1944) was a German officer of the Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht, finally Major General of the Heer in World War II. It is said, he knew of the treasonable plans by Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, but these post-war theories remain unproven.

Chronology

Cause of death (Soldbuch)

Left: Johann-Georg's birth certificate; right: military career of brother Lieutenant Colonel Siegmund Schmidt von Altenstadt with family coat of arms (1713).

Bundesarchiv files (excerpt)

Generalleutnant Gerhard Feyerabend and Generalmajor Hans-Georg von Altenstadt have found their final resting place in Rottach-Egern, where their grave was well looked after by their wives and widows until their death. Schmidt von Altenstadt is listed as Oberst (colonel), this is probably due to the fact, that he was buried before the promotion to Generalmajor was made official in October 1944. Maybe the widow, due to war turmoil, was or could not be informed.

• Easter 1923 Abitur (Gymnasium)
• 1 April 1923 joins in Potsdam the 4. (Preußisches) Reiter-Regiment (1. Kavallerie-Division) of the Reichswehr
• 1 May 1927 6. Eskadron / 4. Preußisches Reiter-Regiment
• 1 May 1928 to 1 May 1929 2. Eskadron / 4. Preußisches Reiter-Regiment
• 1 May 1931 to 1 May 1932 1. Eskadron / 4. Preußisches Reiter-Regiment
• 3 January 1939 to 5 November 1939 Generalstab XVIII Armeekorps Salzburg
• September 1939–November 1939 Poland Campaign as quartermaster (Quartiermeister) of the XVIII. Armeekorps
• November 1939–July 1940 Western Front as Erster Generalstabsoffizier (Ia; UK = GSO II) of the 18. Infanterie-Division
• July 1940–June 1943 Department head (Abteilungschef) in the General Staff of the Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH)
• 10 July 1940 General staff officer in the staff of the 18. Infanterie-Division
• October 1942–November 1942 Eastern Front as temporary regimental commander of the 18. Infanterie-Division
• August 1943–January 1944 Chief of the General Staff (UK = GSO I) of the LI Gebirgs-Armeekorps in Italy
• 6 October 1943 to 20 January 1944 Generalkommando LI. Gebirgskorps
• 22 January 1944 to 25 July 1944 Chief of the General Staff of the XIV. Panzer-Korps in Italy

Death

After the retreat of the 10th Army and 14th Army (Generaloberst Eberhard von Mackensen) as part of the Heeresgruppe C (Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring) northwards following the Battle of Monte Cassino (through Tuscany to Bologna), the XIV. Panzer-Korps was to protect the Gothic Line (German: Gotenstellung). On 11 June (other sources claim 16 June) 1944, he was severly wounded due to a car accident, other sources claim as a result of a low-flying enemy attack. He was brought to the Feldlazarett (field hospital), but transferred to the Teillazarett Schwaighof, which was a part (branch) of the Reserve-Lazarett Tegernsee. He arrived on 18 June 1944. His family lived nearby and he was visited daily. There was a sudden deterioration in the general condition, and von Altenstadt was transferred to the better equipped Bad Tolz military hospital (Reservelazarett), where he died on 25 July 1944 at 0830 Hours due to "fulminant pulmonary embolism".

Family

von Schmid auf Altenstatt

Lord of the manor (Estates Altenstatt/Altenstadt and Sigritz) Johann Fabricius (d. 1570), originally from the Habsburg Netherlands (HRE) and married to Johanna Klara von Schaumburg, served Roman-German Emperor Maximilian II as an officer against the Turks and was given a coat of arms by the Imperial Letters Patent of 2 November 1564. His sons Georg, Johann the Elder and Johann the Younger were ennobled on 10 December 1577. They were granted a swan coat-of-arms where the swan is in an attack position on the shield; this is repeated in miniature "above the crown". The Fabricius family reverted around 1638 to the surname of von Schmid (later Schmidt) and on 23 February 1713, were granted the additive "auf Altenstatt" (later auf Altenstadt) for Johann Georg von Schmid (1661–1732), Banco Publico in Nuremberg, written von Schmidt auf Altenstadt around mid-18th century.

At the end of the 19th century, Major General Johann Eduard Friedrich von Schmidt auf Altenstadt requested a name change for the Prussian line to "Schmidt von Altenstadt", this was granted by Kaiser Wilhelm II onboard the imperial yacht S.M.J. "Hohenzollern" anchored off Olden on 10 August 1899.

Descent

Hans-Georgs great-grandfather was Kapitän der Artillerie Johann Georg Eduard Schmidt von Altenstadt (1796–1850), his grandfather was Generalmajor Johann Eduard Friedrich Schmidt von Altenstadt (1836–1925), finally commander of the 15. Kavallerie-Brigade in Köln, who would become a wealthy landowner (Groß-Medunischken in Kreis Angerapp, that his wife Anna Theodora, née von Bujack (18481910), brought into the marriage), after his retirement in 1888.

Hans-Georg was the son of lord of the manor (estates Groß Sunkeln, later Groß Medunischken, 1938 to 1945 renamed Großmedien) Ulrich Friedrich Philipp Schmidt von Altenstadt (1872-1949), who served in the Prussian Army, was adjutant to Lieutenant Colonel (later Generalfeldmarschall) August von Mackensen (de) when he was commander commander of the 1. Leib-Husaren-Regiment Nr. 1 in Danzig, was retired as Rittmeister, returned to duty for WWI and served as Major. His mother was Helene "Hella" Wilhelmine, née von Rümker (1874-1946). Johann had three brothers:

• Heinrich Johann Siegmund Ulrich (b. 19 August 1899 in Kokoschken, Kreis Danziger Höhe; d. 25 October 1962 in Göttingen), veteran of WWI, estate tenant and Lieutenant Colonel of the Wehrmacht
• Johann Friedrich Franz (b. 5 June 1903 in Danzig-Langfuhr), estate tenant
• Johann Heinrich Wolfgang Adolf (b. 26 May 1912 at Estate Groß Medunischken), Panzer officer of the Wehrmacht

Marriage

On 2 January 1930, 1st Lieutenant Schmidt von Altenstadt married Danish woman Lillian/Lilian Thordsen (who is said to have been a member of the Vril Society), lived in Gattendorf near Hof, Bavaria and would have three daughters together:

• Anneliese (b. 17 October 1930 in Potsdam)
• Hella Elisabeth (b. 8 June 1934 in Potsdam)
• Friederike (b. 23 January 1942)

His widow would marry after the war Generalleutnant Gerhard Fritz Franz Feyerabend (1898–1965), who had returned from Russian war imprisonment in July 1947. It was now that Feyerabend should learn, that his wife (∞ 18 July 1924) Erna, née Reschke (b. 16 June 1901 in Bratricken) and their 9-year-old daughter Marie-Luise (b. 9 May 1935), who had lived on the family estate (Gut Dopsattel, Landkreis Königsberg) were raped and murdered by the Russians on 30 January 1945 after the invasion of East Prussia.

The new couple lived together in Bavarian Rottach-Egern near the house of General der Panzertruppe Gerhard Helmut Detloff Graf von Schwerin (since July 1958, Feyerabend was the treasurer and auditor of the Evangelische Kirchenbauverein Rottach-Egern am Tegernsee e. V.), where both of Lily's husbands were laid to rest in the same grave of the cemetery (Kißlingerstraße 45).

Promotions

Reichswehr

• 1 April 1923 als Fahnenjunker (Officer Candidate)
• 1 August 1924 Fahnenjunker-Gefreiter (Officer Candidate with Lance Corporal rank)
• 1 November 1924 Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier (Officer Candidate with Corporal/NCO/Junior Sergeant rank)
• 1 October 1925 Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
• 1 August 1926 Oberfähnrich (Senior Officer Cadet)
• 1 December 1926 Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant)
• 1 February 1929 Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)
• 1 November 1934 Rittmeister

Wehrmacht

• 1 June 1940 Major i. G. (Major in General Staff)
  • 18 March 1941 received new Rank Seniority as Major i. G. from 1 December 1939
• 1 March 1942 Oberstleutnant i. G. (Lieutenant Colonel in General Staff)
• 1 January 1943 Oberst i. G. (Colonel in General Staff)
• September 1944 Generalmajor (Major General, retroactively) with Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1 July 1944

Awards and decorations

• German Reich Sport Badge (Deutsches Reichssportabzeichen) in Silver
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th and 3rd Class on 2 October 1936
• Anschluss Medal on 21 August 1939
• Sudetenland Medal with the Prague Castle Bar on 9 September 1939
• Iron Cross (1939), 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 29 September 1939
  • 1st Class on 18 May 1940
• Bulgarian Order of Bravery, IV Grade, I Class, also known as 4th Class, 1st Grade (IV. Klasse, I. Stufe) with Swords on 22 September 1941 as Major i. G.
• Order of the Star of Romania, Knight's Cross with Swords on 26 March 1942 as Major i. G.
• German Cross in Gold on 8 May 1944 as Oberst im Generalstab in the Generalkommando XIV. Panzer-Korps/10. Armee/Heeresgruppe C

Writings

• Unser Weg zum Meer: Kriegserlebnisse einer deutschen Infanterie-Division, Verlag „Die Wehrmacht“, Berlin 1940