Hans Voigt

Hans Voigt
Birth date	21 February 1896
Place of birth	Hanover, Province of Hanover, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date	26 April 1969 (aged 73)
Place of death	Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, West Germany
Place of burial	Main Cemetery Frankfurt am Main
Allegiance	German Empire Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	Imperial German Army Freikorps Reichswehr Heer
Years of service	1914–1945
Rank	Major General
Commands held	Panzer Regiment 4 Commandant of the Fortress Arnswalde Voigt Division Group Combat Commandant Stargard/Pomerania Combat Commandant of Pölitz and the Langenberg Bridgehead Commander of the Sassnitz Defense Area and Island Commandant Rügen Island Combat Commandant Rügen
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Poland Campaign Battle of France Vistula–Oder Offensive East Pomeranian Offensive Defence of the Reich (Reichsverteidigung)
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Relations	∞ 1929 Ursula Büttler

Rudolf Ludwig Otto Hans Voigt (21 February 1896 – 26 April 1969) was a German officer, finally Major General of the Wehrmacht and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in World War II.

Life

Hans attended the elementary school of the Realschule I in Hanover and then the Realgymnasium of the Bismarckschule, also in Hanover, where he achieved his Abitur in March 1914. In April 1914, he began his law studies at the University of Leipzig. He joined the Royal Prussian Army as a war volunteer on 2 August 1914 during the mobilization for World War I. He was assigned to the Replacement Squadron of the 2nd Hanoverian Dragoon Regiment No. 16 in Lüneburg.

• 2 September 1914 Sworn-in
• 27 December 1914 Transferred to the 1st Machine Gun Platoon/Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 259 in the Munster camp
• 1 February 1915 Administratively transferred to the Schleswig-Holsteinisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 163 while remaining with the Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 259
  • 19 February 1915 Suffering from frostbitten feet; remained with the troops for the time being
  • 25 February to 22 April 1915 military hospital
• 23 April 1915 Transferred to the 2nd Replacement Machine Gun Company/X Army Corps
• 20 June 1915 Transferred to the Replacement Mountain Machine Gun Battalion No. 1
• 30 October 1915 Transferred back to the 2nd Replacement Machine Gun Company/X Army Corps
  • 14 November 1915 Commanded to the machine gun training course in Döberitz
• 27 December 1915 Transferred to the Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 259 and appointed platoon leader in the 1st Machine Gun Company
  • 3 January to 15 April 1916 deputy leader of the 1st Machine Gun Company
  • 23 February 1916 wounded, right forearm; remained with the troops
  • 20 January to 1 February 1917 Commanded to the Army Mortar School Kaunas
  • 5 February to 21 February 1917 Commanded to the Assault School of the 78th Reserve Division
  • 28 February to 10 May 1917 Commanded to the Field War School Kaunas
• 4 May 1917 Transferred to the Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 440
  • 29 May to 13 June 1917 deputy leader of the 6th Company
  • 13 June to 17 July 1917 deputy leader of the 2nd (Machine Gun) Company
• 14 April to 19 July 1918 Military hospital (fever, anemia and nervous exhaustion)
• 20 July 1918 Transferred to the I. Replacement Battalion/Oldenburgisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 91
• 6 August 1918 Transferred to the 1st Replacement Machine Gun Company/X Army Corps
• 28 September 1918 Transferred to the 1st (Machine Gun) Company/Infanterie-Regiment "von Grolman" (1. Posensches) Nr. 18
• 1 October 1918 Appointed leader of the 1st (Machine Gun) Company/Infanterie-Regiment "von Grolman" (1. Posensches) Nr. 18
  • 1 to 20 January 1919 also adjutant of the I. Battalion
• 23 February to 24 July 1919 Leader of the Neidenburg Machine Gun Border Guard Command (Freikorps)
• 1 August 1919 Transferred to the Machine Gun Company/Infanterie-Regiment 82
• 19 September 1919 Appointed leader of the 1st (Machine Gun) Company/Infanterie-Regiment 82
• 31 October 1919 Newly sworn-in
• 21 December 1919 Appointed leader of the 4th (Machine Gun) Company/Infanterie-Regiment 120
• 29 April 1920 Transferred to the Machine Gun Company/Reichswehr-Schützen-Regiment 40
• 1 October 1920 Transferred to the Infanterie-Regiment 1 and appointed company leader
• 1 October 1921 Transferred to the 1. (Preußisches) Artillerie-Regiment in Königsberg
• 1 April 1922 Transferred back to the Infanterie-Regiment 1 in Königsberg
• 17 May 1922 Appointed platoon leader in the 12th (Machine Gun) Company/III. Battalion/Infanterie-Regiment 1 in Insterburg (later Gumbinnen)
• 1 September 1924 Appointed adjutant of the III. Battalion/Infanterie-Regiment 1
• 1 October 1927 Transferred to the 13th (Mortar) Company/Infanterie-Regiment 1 in Königsberg
• 1 April 1929 Transferred to the staff of the I. Battalion/Infanterie-Regiment 1
• 10 May 1929 Received permission to marry
• 1 July 1929 Transferred back to the 13th (Mortar) Company/Infanterie-Regiment 1
• 1 October 1929 In the staff of the Training Battalion/Infanterie-Regiment 1
• 1 February 1930 Appointed commander of the 4th (Machine Gun) Company/I. Battalion/Infanterie-Regiment 1 in Königsberg
  • 1 October 1932 also appointed regimental Machine Gun Officer
• 1 May 1934 Transferred to the 1st Department/Motor Vehicle Training Command (2nd Tank Regiment) in Ohrdruf
  • 2 August 1934 newly sworn-in
  • 30 January to 15 February 1935 commanded for instruction to the staff officer of the motorized combat troops

Wehrmacht

• 3 May with effect from 15 May 1935 Commanded to the Reiter-Regiment Breslau
• 27 May with effect from 1 June 1935 Temporarily delegated with the leadership of the Reiter-Regiment Breslau
  • The regiment was converted into Panzer Regiment 2 on 15 October 1935.
• 15 October 1935 Appointed commander of the II. Battalion/Panzer-Regiment 2
  • For the autumn exercises of 1938, the regiment marched to the Grafenwöhr training area in full force, the tanks by rail and the wheeled sections on foot. After the initial exercises, some of which were conducted with the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, the training phase concluded with the large divisional exercise on 20 September 1938. It was always an impressive sight for every man of the regiment to see the 1st Panzer Division, with its already considerable number of vehicles and diverse weaponry, assembled on the training grounds. Nearly 300 officers were gathered for the final debriefing, which was conducted by the Commanding General of the XVI Army Corps, General of Panzer Troops Heinz Guderian. After a speech by the Reich Chancellor, the air of war began to stir in the camp. Everyone thought things were getting serious when, at dusk on 27 September 1938, the wheeled units of the regiment marched off to Amberg, while the tanks remained in camp. However, they returned on 30 September 1938. A general sense of relief came with the order at 5:30 a.m. on 2 October 1938 to leave the Grafenwöhr training area and head towards Falkenstein. On 3 October 1938, the regiment became the first German unit to cross the border into Czechoslovakia near Klingenthal. The tank regiment's first rest stop was in the Gossengrün area. Early on the morning of 5 October 1938, the regiment left its quarters and reached its next destination, Chodau near Karlsbad. The regiment received a warm welcome in Chodau. The very next day, the regiment continued its march, reaching the town of Saatz via Karlsbad. There, the regimental staff and the 1st Battalion established their quarters, while the 2nd Battalion remained in Kaaden. Following the liberation of the Sudetenland, the regiment returned to its garrisons on 16 October 1938.
  • This period of relative calm was interrupted at the beginning of March by the occupation of the rest of Czechia. On 13 March 1939, the Panzer of the reinforced 1st, 4th, 5th, and 8th Companies left Eisenach by rail to stand ready as a reserve at the freight yard in Oppeln, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Voigt. The necessary wheel parts also reached Oppeln under extremely difficult weather conditions. These companies returned on 20 March 1939, without being unloaded or deployed. Afterwards, urgent final inspections of the winter preparations took place, as the regiment was scheduled to participate in the parade on 20 April 1939, reinforced by heavy tanks from other regiments. The summer of 1939 passed with the usual peacetime training; tank firing exercises were conducted in Jüterbog and Putlos, while company and battalion drills were held at the Altengrabow training area. During this time, Lieutenant Colonel Voigt left the regiment to be prepared for becoming commander of Panzer Regiment 4.
• 30 June with effect from 1 July 1939 Commanded to the staff of the 4th Light Division
• 20 August 1939 Appointed commander of the Panzer-Regiment 4
  • The regiment assembled in the Frankstadt—Mistek area west of Krakow and marched over the Jablonka Pass to Sillein—Rosenberg by 30 August 1939. On 1 September 1939, it advanced eastward from the Nemestowo area via Jordanow and Mysienic in the Poland Campaign. After a push towards Tomaszow-Zamoscz, it engaged in brief defensive battles before advancing to Rawa Ruska, east of the San River. By 19 September 1939, the regiment had reached Luk. It then marched back to its home garrisons for refitting.
  • From 10 May 1940, the regiment participated in the Western Campaign. It consisted of two battalions with a total of 23 Panzer I, 60 Panzer II, 29 Panzer III, 16 Panzer IV, and 8 command tanks. The regiment marched through Luxembourg and Libramont in southern Belgium to the Meuse River north of Sedan. After crossing the river, the regiment, as part of Guderian's Panzer Corps, advanced via St. Quentin and Albert to Abbéville and from there to the mouth of the Somme River on the Atlantic coast, which was reached on 20 May 1940. Here, the regiment turned north and participated in the capture of Boulogne from 22 to 25 May. A brief refitting near the front then took place in the Hirson area.
• 10 June 1940 Tasked with managing the business of the shooting course at the armored troops school
• 1 August 1940 Return to the Panzer-Regiment 4 as commander
• 1 May 1941 Transferred to the Führerreserve (OKH)/Army High Command Leader Reserve and commanded to the Army High Command (OKH) and assigned to the Motor Vehicle Department of the General Army Office (AHA)
• 1 August 1941 Appointed Head of Department of the Armored Troops Department (In 6) in the Motor Vehicle Affairs Office Group at the AHA
• 18 February 1943 Führerreserve (OKH)/Army High Command Leader Reserve
• 23 July 1943 Commanded to the Führerreserve of Army Group Center for use as a division commander
  • There, he was assigned to the 4th Panzer Division for training as commander of a Panzer division. On 21 August 1943, he became seriously ill with angina pectoris.
• 1 September 1943 Führerreserve (OKH)/Army High Command Leader Reserve
• 3 November 1943 Commanded to Army Group D, his duties are regulated by the Commanding General of the LVIII Reserve Panzer Corps
  • 27 February 1944 admitted to military hospital due to a renewed illness
• 1 April 1944 Administratively assigned to the Panzer Group West; Führerreserve (Wehrkreis III)/Military District III Leader Reserve
  • 22 May 1944 released from military hospital
• 1 June 1944 Administratively assigned to the Panzer Group West; Führerreserve (Wehrkreis I)/Military District I Leader Reserve
• 3 July 1944 Commanded to the Army Group Center for use as deputy commander of an infantry division or a Panzergrenadier division
  • 25 July 1944 command cancelled, as there was no possibility of use
• 8 August 1944 Commanded to the Army High Command (OKH) for a special task (expansion of the eastern region) and deployed in Military District II
• 21 October 1944 Appointed commandant of a fortress section of the Pomeranian Line
• 29 January 1945 Commandant of the fortified position (Fester Platz) Arnswalde
  • When, after learning on 6 February 1945, that the city was encircled by the Red Army, he summoned the district party leader, the local party leader, the mayor, and other officials to a meeting, it was discovered that all party functionaries, including the police, had already been ordered to evacuate the city on 5 February 1945. He was therefore now also responsible for the approximately 7,000 civilians, men, women and children. On 12 February 1945, he was ordered to surrender by the Soviets, but he refused. The Red Army then began an intense artillery barrage lasting several hours, causing widespread devastation. On 16 February 1945, heroic soldiers of the 11th SS Panzergrenadier Division Nordland under SS-Brigadeführer Joachim Ziegler, suffering heavy losses, managed to break through the ring around the city. Two days later, a proper corridor was open for evacuation. The evacuation of 1,100 soldiers, 1,000 wounded and 7,000 civilians began on 19 February 1945 and lasted three days. For this achievement and the tenacity of his now relatively small unit in the face of masses of Red Army soldiers, he should receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, although the validity of the award is questioned from a military-historical perspective, but not the act of bravery itself.
• 22 February 1945 Appointed commander of Division Group Voigt
  • 1 to 4 March 1945 combat commandant of Stargard/Pomerania
  • 8 March 1945 combat commandant of Pölitz and the Langenberg bridgehead; with his Battle Group Voigt, he then held a section of the Oder River from Pölitz to Ziegenort and later to Neuwarp.
• 1 April 1945 Appointed commander of the Sassnitz defense sector and island commander of Rügen
  • He assumed command on 12 April 1945. On 13 April 1945, his Division Group Voigt was renamed Division Group Ledebur. He himself was deployed as combat commander of the island of Rügen on that same day.
  • 5 May 1945 In the early morning, the island of Rügen was evacuated by sea from Sassnitz towards Copenhagen or Kiel.

Battle for Arnswalde

The writer and military historian Fritz Mörke on Major General Voigt in his book The Battle for Arnswalde:

Major General Voigt had been commander of the Pomeranian Line fortifications in Deutsch Krone since August 1944. However, on 12 January 1945, Army Group Vistula was formed to defend against the Soviet-Bolshevik attacks. Its new commander-in-chief was Heinrich Himmler. He arrived in Deutsch Krone on 21 January 1945, and his first act was to replace all battle-experienced commanders over 50 years of age, including Major General Voigt. Their successors were young SS-Gruppenführer and SS-Obergruppenführer. Since the beginning of January, the Bolshevik Marshal Zhukov had been advancing relentlessly with the 1st Belorussian Front. This front included, among other units, 10 armies, 1 airborne army, 2 tank corps, and 2 cavalry corps. On 14 January 1945, the 1st and 2nd Guards Tank Armies, the 5th Shock Army, the 8th Guards Army, the 61st Army, the 1st Polish Army, the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps, and the 3rd Shock Army arrived. On the evening of 24 January 1945, 60 soldiers on leave from all branches of the armed forces were summoned to the infantry barracks in Arnswalde. They formed a so-called leave company. Their commander was 2nd Lieutenant Horst Pälchen from Kleeberg.

During the night of 25 January 1945, the Volkssturm had to march to the old settlement of Hochzeit. On 26 January 1945, the districts of Arnswalde and Friedeberg received orders to evacuate factories and machinery, but no permission was granted to the civilian population to use tractors. On 27 January 1945, the Netze River was crossed by Soviet troops along the Kreuz-Filehne-Scharnikau line. That same evening, the creation of the defensive flank along the railway line from Bahn to Pyritz to Arnswalde was decided upon. The Pomeranian Line was no longer adequately manned, the planned demolition of the Drage Bridge near Hochzeit had inexplicably not taken place, and thus the Soviet troops advanced unhindered and much faster than expected into the southern part of the Arnswalde district. From 27 to 31 January 1945, the Soviets, with the 2nd Guards Tank Army, the 5th Soviet Shock Army, and the 2nd Tank Corps of the 1st Belorussian Front, occupied the district from the south.

The Soviets were then engaged in the occupation of the district from the south. On 28 January 1945, Marienwalde, Klosterfelde, and Hagelfelde were occupied, and armored spearheads reached Schwachenwalde, Granow, Plagow, and Sellnow. Jägersburg and Regenthin received permission for tractors to advance that day, but they only made it as far as Hitzdorf. There, they were overrun by tanks, forced to remain temporarily in the village, and returned to their home villages on 21 February 1945. Major General Voigt was sent to Arnswalde on 28 January 1945, where he became commander of Kampfgruppe (combat group) Arnswalde. This group primarily engaged the 212th, 311th, and 356th Rifle Divisions of the 80th Soviet Rifle Corps. On 29 January 1945, Göhren was occupied, and 17 German soldiers were shot there. On 30 January 1945, an armored train arrived in Arnswalde. Its efforts, however, could no longer provide much relief. During these days, there were repeated attacks on Kleeberg, Sellnow, Plagow, and Hitzdorf. In Granow, more than 44 people were shot dead, and in Karlshöhe, the landowner and his wife were beaten to death.

On 31 January 1945, the railway officials in Kleeberg were shot dead. Augustwalde, Plagow, and Hitzdorf were considered completely occupied. From here, the Bolsheviks planned and carried out attacks on the security line near Arnswalde. Hitzdorf still hadn't received a tractor permit by 31 January 1945! After the Bolsheviks marched into Hitzdorf, 14 people were shot dead, and the local NSDAP leader, L., and the propaganda leader, K., were tortured to death. Several women died after being raped. Later, 13 people from Hitzdorf were deported; 10 of them starved to death in Russia. In February, Hitzdorf was officially declared a combat zone, and the battle for the fortress town of Arnswalde entered its final phase. Many young people and elderly men were forced to build fighting positions for the Russians and witnessed the horrific attacks on Arnswalde (including one on 13 February 1945) from between the front lines. On 21 February 1945, most of the residents were evacuated to Regenthin via Augustwalde, Reierort, Marienwalde, Hagelfelde, Bernsee, and Jägersburg. The following night, the battle for Arnswalde ended after the successful evacuation of the civilian population and the withdrawal of the remaining troops. The town had been cleared by 22 February 1945, and on 23 February 1945, German authorities reported: "Resistance in Arnswalde has been abandoned."

Post-WWII

After the war ended, Voigt was taken prisoner of war by the British on 12 May 1945. He was released after only a short time on 8 July 1945. On September 10, 1966, Major General (ret.) Hans Voigt gave a speech in Lüneburg at the ceremony where Panzer Battalion 84 of the Bundeswehr took over the traditions of Panzer Regiment 2.

Family

Hans Voigt was the son of master painter and later artist Karl Friedrich "Fritz" August Voigt and his wife Hermine Charlotte Emma, ​​née Reuber (d. 13 December 1909). He had several siblings, including:

• Gustav Fritz Ludwig Wilhelm (b. 5 March 1880 in Hanover)
• Hermann Heinrich Fritz August (b. 12 November 1881 in Hanover; d. 27 May 1940 in Frankfurt am Main); ∞ Frankfurt am Main 28 November 1917 Marie Pöllmann
• Ernst August Ludwig Adolf (b. 29 April 1883 in Hanover)
• Albert August Heinrich Hermann Erich Ernst (b. 10 July 1886 in Hanover)
• Paul Richard Edmund (b. 14 June 1889 in Hanover)

Marriage

On 18 June 1929 in Gumbinnen, Captain Voigt married his fiancée Ursula Elsa Emma Theresa Büttler (also Buettler-Stulgen; b. 13 April 1906), daughter of Franz Büttler, lord of the manor in Stulgen. They would have three daughters:

• Heide Hermine Margarete (b. 14 April 1930 in Königsberg)
• Marie-Luise (b. 5 May 1932 in Königsberg)
• Anna-Monika (b. 21 January 1936 in Eisenach)

Promotions

• 2 August 1914 Kriegsfreiwilliger und Fahnenjunker (War Volunteer and Officer Candidate)
• 18 January 1915 Fahnenjunker-Gefreiter (Officer Candidate with Lance Corporal rank)
• 19 January 1915 Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier (Officer Candidate with Corporal/NCO/Junior Sergeant rank)
• 1 February 1915 Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
• 16 March 1915 Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant) without Patent
  • 19 April 1918 received Patent from 11 September 1913
  • 1 July 1922 received Reichswehr Rank Seniority (RDA) from 1 April 1914 (69)
• 23 November 1923 Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant) with effect and RDA from 1 November 1923 (10)
• 1 September 1928 Hauptmann (Captain) with RDA from 1 September 1928 (2)
• 1 March 1935 Major (16)
• 31 December 1937 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel) with effect and RDA from 1 January 1938 (25)
• 20 October 1940 Oberst (Colonel) with effect and RDA from 1 November 1940 (16)
  • 17 December 1941 received new and improved RDA from 1 February 1940 (8a)
• 10 July 1943 Generalmajor (Major General) with effect and RDA from 1 August 1943 (7)

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 4 April 1915
  • 1st Class on 5 March 1918
• Oldenburg Friedrich August Cross (de), 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class (OFA2/OK2) in January 1918 with the clasp "Vor dem Feinde" (In the Face of the Enemy)
  • 1st Class (OFA1/OK1) in April 1918
• Wound Badge (1918) in Black
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th to 1st Class
• Hungarian World War Commemorative Medal (Ungarische Kriegs-Erinnerungs-Medaille) with Swords
• Bulgarian War Commemorative Medal 1915–1918 (Kriegserinnerungsmedaille 1915/1918) with Swords
• Austrian War Commemorative Medal with Swords
• Sudetenland Medal
• Repetition Clasp 1939 to the Iron Cross 1914, 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 20 September 1939
  • 1st Class on 30 September 1939
• Panzer Battle Badge in Silver on 1 June 1940
• War Merit Cross (1939), 2nd and 1st Class with Swords
  • 2nd Class on 30 January 1943
  • 1st Class on 20 April 1943
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 28 April 1945 as Major General and Commandant of the fortified city of Arnswalde (Pommern)

Sources

• German Federal Archives: BArch PERS 6/2010 and PERS 6/301199