Hans Källner

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Hans Källner
Generalmajor Hans Källner.jpg
Birth date 9 October 1898(1898-10-09)
Place of birth Kattowitz, Province of Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date ⚔ 18 April 1945 (aged 46)
Place of death near Olmütz, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, German Reich
Allegiance  German Empire
 Weimar Republic
 National Socialist Germany
Service/branch Iron Cross of the Luftstreitkräfte.png Imperial German Army
Freikorps Flag.jpg Freikorps
War Ensign of Germany (1921–1933).png Preliminary Reichswehr
Polizei in der Weimarer Republik.jpg Police
Balkenkreuz.jpg Heer
Years of service 1915–1945
Rank Lieutenant General
Unit Schützen-Regiment 73
19. Panzer-Division
XXIV. Panzerkorps
Battles/wars World War I
World War II
Awards Iron Cross
German Cross in Gold
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Relations ∞ 1926 Luise Schmidt

Hans Gottfried Alfons Källner (9 October 1898 – 18 April 1945) was a German officer, finally Lieutenant General of the Wehrmacht, divisional as well as corps commander and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords in World War II.

Life

Generalmajor Hans Källner II.jpg
Källner, Addendum to the OKW report of 23 August 1944.png
Generalleutnant Hans Källner.jpg

From Easter 1905, Källner attended elementary school in Kattowitz, and then, from Easter 1908, secondary school (Oberrealschule), also in Kattowitz where he achieved his Abitur in June 1915. Only days later, on 6 June 1915, he joined the Replacement Squadron of the Mounted Jäger Regiment No. 11 (German: Jäger-Regiment zu Pferde Nr. 11) under Emmo von Roden. He would receive four and a half months of basic and riding training.

  • 13 October 1915 Assigned to the Cavalry Replacement Regiment of the II Army Corps
  • 27 October 1915 Transferred to the motorized Replacement Squadron/Jäger-Regiment zu Pferde Nr. 11
  • 2 December 1916 Transferred to the Reserve Dragoon Rifle Regiment No. 13
  • 29 April 1918 Transferred to the 2. Masurisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 147
  • 4 June 1918 Appointed Signals Officer on the staff of the II. Battalion/2. Masurisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 147
    • 12 August to 25 August 1918 commanded to the 87th course at the Army Gas School Berlin
    • He experienced the end of the war with his regiment on the Western Front. After the march back home, he was demobilized.
  • 6 January 1919 Discharged from military service
  • 13 February 1919 Joined the Volunteer Dragoon Regiment No. 4 (Freikorps)
    • The regiment was recruited from the personnel of the former Dragoon Regiment “von Bredow” (1st Silesian) No. 4 and served with the Grenzschutz Ost until 1 December 1919
  • 1 May 1920 Again discharged from military service

He then applied for a position in the police service and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant with the Upper Silesian police in Lublinitz on 21 October 1920. He subsequently served in Oppeln, then with the Schutzpolizei (Protection Police) in Kreuzburg and Gleiwitz until 27 July 1926. From 28 July 1926 to 14 July 1935, he was an instructor at the riding school of the Potsdam police administration. On 15 June 1926, he had received permission to marry. From 1 August 1923 to 12 April 1924, he attended the 1. Police Officer Riding Course in Potsdam. On 27 August 1934, he was newly sworn-in as a police officer. On 15 July 1935, he was commanded to the Reiter-Regiment Torgau for probationary army service.

Wehrmacht

  • 1 August 1935 Officially taken-over by the Wehrmacht
  • 2 August 1935 Newly sworn-in as an officer with the Reiter-Regiment Torgau (as of 15 October 1935 reclassified as Kavallerie-Regiment 10)
  • 15 October 1935 Appointed commander of the 2nd Squadron/Reiter-Regiment 2
  • 12 October 1937 Appointed commander of the II. Battalion/Kavallerie-Regiment 4 in Allenstein
  • 26 August 1939 Appointed commander of the (mounted) Reconnaissance Battalion (Aufklärungs-Abteilung 11) of the 11th Infantry Division
  • 12 August 1941 Führerreserve (Leader Reserve) and assigned to the Army Group Center for use as commander of a rifle regiment
  • 28 August 1941 Appointed commander of the Rifle Regiment 73 (Schützen-Regiment 73; renamed to Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 73 on 13 July 1942)
    • 16 October 1941 severely wounded
  • 1 July 1942 Appointed commander of the 19th Rifle Brigade (19. Schützen-Brigade)
    • 5 July 1942 renamed to 19. Panzer-Grenadier-Brigade; responsible as command staff for the Panzergrenadier Regiments 73 and 74 of the 19th Panzer Division and was tactically subordinate to it.
  • 28 October 1942 The order was issued to disband the brigade. This disbandment was halted by Army High Command 4 on 9 November 1942, and the entire staff (Brigade-Stab z. b. V. 19) was deployed as Colonel Källner's assault group (Stoßgruppe Källner; sometimes referred to as "Kampfgruppe Källner"), mainly with the reinforced Jäger Battalions 10 and 11. Assault Group Källner, SS Combat Group Z (SS Cavalry Regiment Group under August Friedrich Zehender), parts of the 40. Infanterie-Division and other units were subordinated to the XXXXVII. Panzerkorps (2nd Panzer Army/Army Group Center) in the area between Orel and Rzhev.
    • 7 April to 19 April 1943 also delegated with the leadership of the 208. Infanterie-Division
  • 24 April 1943 Führerreserve (OKH)/Army High Command Leader Reserve
    • 3 May to 29 May 1943 Commanded to the 4th Divisions Leader Course in Berlin
  • 30 July 1943 Commanded to the Special Staff at the Chief of the General Staff of the Army
  • 18 August 1943 Delegated with the leadership of the 19. Panzer-Division for the fallen commander Gustav Richard Ernst Schmidt
  • 1 November 1943 Officially appointed commander of the 19. Panzer-Division[1]
    • On 24 December 1943, the Soviet winter offensive east of Zhitomir commenced. The 19. Panzer-Division was soon forced to pull back after the Soviets achieved a breakthrough in sector of the neighboring unit. In three days of bitter fighting that followed, the division managed to prevent a further Soviet breakthrough and destroy about 50 enemy tanks and 20 guns despite bad weather and inadequate logistical support. The division was later able to rejoin the new German defensive front near Zhitomir. Källner would be awarded the Oak Leaves in February 1944 for his leadership during this battle. In the following weeks, he led his division in the "mobile pocket" of Kamenez-Podolsk. Eight months after the Oak Leaves, he was awarded the Swords for his leadership of the division north of Warsaw in August and September 1944. During this time, his division succeeded in enabling other German forces to build a new defensive line on the western bank of the Vistula.
    • 28 March 1944 fallen ill; 6 April to 15 May 1944 treatment in the Karlsbad reserve spa military hospital
    • June 1944 return to the 19. Panzer-Division
  • 20 March 1945 Delegated with the deputy leadership of the XXIV. Panzerkorps
  • 3 April 1945 Delegated with the leadership of the XXIV. Panzerkorps

Addendum to the Wehrmacht report

"In addition to the Wehrmacht report of 22 September 1944, it is hereby reported: In Transylvania, an alarm battalion under the command of Captain Arnhardt distinguished itself through exceptional steadfastness. On the lower Narew River, the 49th Jäger Regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel von Salisch and the 259th Assault Gun Brigade under the command of Major Tolckmitt performed outstandingly in both attack and defense. In the heavy defensive battles on the Adriatic coast, the units of the LXXVI Panzer Corps under the command of General der Panzertruppe Herr, supported by Luftwaffe Flak artillery as well as army and naval coastal artillery, particularly distinguished themselves. Between 26 August and 20 September, this corps alone destroyed 661 enemy tanks. Near Warsaw, the Lower Saxon 19th Panzer Division under the command of Oak Leaves recipient Lieutenant General Källner distinguished itself through outstanding steadfastness and successful counterattacks."

Death

General Källner was considered particularly resilient, steadfast, and daring. As such, he usually led his units "from the front." During one of his visits to the front to assess the situation and motivate his men, Källner was hit by enemy fire and killed in action on 18 April 1945 near Sokolnitz, southeast of Brünn and south of Ölmütz. Hans Källner rests at the German War Cemetery in Brünn (Brno); final resting place: Block 79B, Row 32, Grave 1478.

Family

Hans was the son of teacher und deputy headmaster (Konrektor) Friedrich Källner (d. 11 June 1926) and his wife Helene, née Ulke. On 24 July 1926 in Potsdam, 1st Lieutenant of the Police Källner married his Protestant fiancée Luise "Lisa" Elisabeth Schmidt (b. 19 September 1903), daughter of Royal Prussian State Master Forester (staatlicher Forstmeister) in Kreuzburg (Upper Silesia). They would have one son:

  • Hans-Klaus (b. 30 June 1927 in Potsdam)

Promotions

  • 6 June 1915 Kriegsfreiwilliger (War Volunteer)
  • 28 April 1916 Gefreiter (Private E-2/Lance Corporal)
  • April 1917 Unteroffizier (NCO/Corporal/Junior Sergeant)
  • September 1917 Vizewachtmeister (Vice Sergeant/Vice Staff Sergeant/Junior Sergeant-Major)
  • 16 October 1917 Leutnant der Reserve (2nd Lieutenant of the Reserves)

Police

  • 21 October 1920 Polizei-Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant of the Police)
  • 24 May 1924 Polizei-Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant of the Police) with effect from 1 May 1924
  • 1 November 1929 Polizei-Hauptmann (Captain of the Police)

Wehrmacht

  • 1 August 1935 Rittmeister with Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1 October 1932 (112)
  • 2 August 1936 Major with effect and RDA from 1 August 1936 (12)
  • 31 October 1939 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel) with effect and RDA from 1 November 1939 (9)
  • 15 February 1942 Oberst (Colonel) with effect and RDA from 1 March 1942 (80)
  • 8 November 1943 Generalmajor (Major General) with effect and RDA from 1 November 1943 (8)
  • 20 July 1944 Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General) with effect and RDA from 1 June 1944 (8)

Awards and decorations

Sources

  • German Federal Archives: BArch PERS 6/657 and PERS 6/299956

References

  1. ↑ "In Kyiv, the division crossed the river and then marched south into the Dnieper Bend. At the turn of the year 1943/44, the division was withdrawn from the front and transferred to the area west of Kyiv to participate in the Christmas Offensive near Brusilov. Suffering heavy losses, the division was forced to retreat to the Zhytomyr area. Subsequently, the division was deployed in the Shepetovka area and, in March 1944, along with the 1st Panzer Army, became trapped in the Kamianets-Podilskyi Pocket. In June 1944, the division moved to Denmark for refitting. After the start of the Soviet summer offensive against Army Group Center and the collapse of the German front, the still not fully reconstituted division was loaded onto trains in mid-July 1944 and transferred to the Arys training area in East Prussia. From there, it marched to the Grodno-Białystok area. This was followed by deployment at the Soviet Warka bridgehead south of Warsaw. After the attempt to..." After attempting to force the bridgehead, the division became embroiled in the fighting around Warsaw (Warsaw Uprising). Following the suppression of the uprising, the fighting in this area subsided. On 11 January 1945, the Soviet winter offensive began, against which the 19th Panzer Division was powerless. An attempt was made to establish a defensive line on the Warta River using the remnants of the division and Panzer Corps Großdeutschland. The division was then to be replenished in Lusatia. However, the remnants of the division were immediately deployed against the Soviet Oder bridgehead near Steinau. Subsequently, the division's remnants moved to Breslau to prevent the city from being encircled. After the city was finally surrounded, the division was forced to retreat through Central Silesia until it reached the Moravian Gate at the end of March 1945. By mid-April 1945, the division was near Moravská Ostrava and then in the Brno area. At the end of the war, the last remnants of the division were fighting in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Bohemia and Moravia."
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