Hans von Obstfelder

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Hans von Obstfelder
Hans Erich Günter von Obstfelder Ib.jpg
Hans Erich Günter von Obstfelder, signature.jpg
Birth name Erich Günter Hans Obstfelder
Birth date 6 September 1886(1886-09-06)
Place of birth Steinbach-Hallenberg, Kreis Schmalkalden, Province of Hesse-Nassau, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date 20 December 1976 (aged 90)
Place of death Bad Emstal near Kassel, Hesse, West Germany
Allegiance  German Empire
 Weimar Republic
 National Socialist Germany
Service/branch War and service flag of Prussia (1895–1918).png Prussian Army
Iron Cross of the Luftstreitkräfte.png Imperial German Army
War Ensign of Germany (1921–1933).png Reichswehr
Balkenkreuz.jpg Heer
Years of service 1905–1945
Rank General of the Infantry
Commands held 28th Infantry Division
XXIX. Army Corps
LXXXVI. Army Corps
1st Army
19th Army
7th Army
Battles/wars World War I
World War II
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Relations ∞ 1912 Gerda Bürner

Erich Günter Hans Obstfelder, as of 1922 von Obstfelder (6 September 1886 – 20 December 1976), was a German officer of the Prussian Army, the Imperial German Army, the Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht, finally General of the Infantry, commander-in-chief (Oberbefehlshaber) of an Army and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords in WWII.

Life

Hans Erich Günter von Obstfelder, Reichswehr.jpg
Southern France, near Hendaye on the French-Spanish border, on 9 February 1944; Vice Admiral Friedrich Ruge and Hans von Obstfelder flanking Erwin Rommel (wearing a leather coat and holding his Generalfeldmarschall interim staff).
Hans von Obstfelder (right) with Erwin Rommel (center) near Hendaye, 9 February 1944.jpg
Hans Erich Günter von Obstfelder II.jpg
Pers 6 290, Hans von Obstfelder I.jpg
Pers 6 290, Hans von Obstfelder II.jpg

Hans attended elementary school and Realgymnasium in Schmalkalden. At Easter 1897, he transferred to the Gymnasium in Godesberg am Rhein and then, from Easter 1902, he attended the humanistic Gymnasium in Eisenach, where he learned French as well as English and achieved his Abitur. On 17 March 1905, he joined the 2. Thüringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 32. On 27 April 1905, he was sworn-in. After company training and attending the war school, he was commissioned in August 1906.

  • 1 October 1911 Appointed adjutant of the I. Battalion
  • 17 January 1912 Received permission to marry
  • 1 October 1913 Commanded to the War Academy in Berlin
  • 2 August 1914 Transferred to the Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 71 (43. Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade / 22. Reserve-Division / IV. Reserve-Korps / 1. Armee) as regimental adjutant and deployed to the field
    • 24 February to 19 March 1915 commanded to the 22. Reserve-Division as deputy 2nd adjutant
  • 11 August 1915 Transferred to the 22. Reserve-Division as 1st adjutant
  • 21 August 1916 Transferred in his previous uniform to a general staff post of the XIV. Army Corps and seconded to the General Command of the III. Army Corps
  • 26 November 1916 Officially transferred to the General Staff of the III. Army Corps
  • 23 December 1916 Transferred to the General Staff of the 82. Reserve-Division
  • 9 March 1917 Appointed quartermaster of the XIV. Army Corps
    • 13 March 1917 Officially transferred to the General Staff of the Army
  • 30 April 1917 Commanded to the III. Army Corps
  • 16 August 1917 Transferred to the General Staff of the V. Army Corps and assigned to the Maas Group East as quartermaster
  • 17 January 1918 Transferred to the General Staff of the 7th Cavalry Division
  • 4 May 1918 Transferred to the General Staff of the 4th Cavalry Division
  • 5 September 1918 Transferred to the General Staff of the 83rd Infantry Division
  • 5 January 1919 Transferred to the 2. Thüringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 32 for demobilization
  • 22 February 1919 Placed at disposal of the XVII. Army Corps
  • July 1919 Transferred to the General Staff of the Infantry Commander 11
  • 1 October 1919 Transferred to the Reichswehr-Schützen-Regiment 22 as company leader
  • 2 October 1919 Transferred to the Brigade Command 11 (the future Reichswehr Brigade 11) as orderly officer
  • 5 October 1919 Newly sworn-in
  • March 1920 Transferred to the General Staff of the Reichswehr Brigade 11
  • 1 October 1920 Appointed commander of the 3rd (Machine Gun) Company/Reichswehr-Schützen-Regiment 21
  • 1 January 1921 Appointed commander of the 8th (Machine Gun) Company/15. Infanterie-Regiment, the former 3rd (Machine Gun) Company/Reichswehr-Schützen-Regiment 21
    • The regiment was primarily formed using personnel from the Reichswehr Rifle Regiments 21 and 22.
  • 1 October 1922 Transferred to the Reichswehrministerium
  • 6 September with effect from 1 October 1927 Transferred to the staff of the 3rd Division
  • 13 May with effect from 1 June 1929 Appointed commander of the II. Battalion/11. (Sächsisches) Infanterie-Regiment in Leipzig
  • 15 May with effect from 1 June 1931 Transferred to the Reichswehrministerium
  • 2 August 1934 Newly sworn-in
  • 1 October 1934 Appointed commander of the Breslau Border Guard Section Command
  • 15 October 1935 Appointed commandant of the Command Office of the Fortress of Breslau
  • 6 October 1936 Appointed commander of the 28. Infanterie-Division in breslau
  • 30 May with effect from 1 June 1940 Appointed Commanding General of the XXIX. Army Corps
  • 20 May 1943 Führerreserve (OKH)/Army High Command Leader Reserve
  • 20 August 1943 Appointed Commanding General of the LXXXVI. Army Corps
    • 28 August 1943 received the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross from Hitler personally at Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze near Rastenburg, East Prussia
  • 1 December 1944 Delegated with the leadership of the 1st Army
    • December 1944 received the Swords to his Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves from Hitler personally at Führerhauptquartier Adlerhorst in Hesse
    • 22 to 24 December 1944 simultaneously delegated with the leadership of the Army Group G for Hermann Balck; Johannes Blaskowitz once again took over on 24 December 1944
  • 22 March 1945 Delegated with the leadership of the 19th Army
  • 26 March 1945 Appointed Commander-in-Chief of the 7th Army
    • At the beginning of 1945, after fierce fighting with the 7th Army in the Trier area, the US 3rd Army advanced towards Koblenz before turning towards Mainz and Mannheim in pursuit of the 7th Army. After the invading Allies crossed the Rhine, large parts of Army Group B were encircled in the Ruhr Pocket. However, the 7th Army managed to withdraw eastward in time and fought continuous rearguard actions until the end of the war, initially between the Main and Lahn rivers, and then in the Spessart-Fulda-Gotha area, in the Thuringian Forest, and as far as the Leipzig-Hof area. The remnants of the 7th Army surrendered to American forces in the Bavarian Forest and Bohemia at the end of the war. After the Wehrmacht's surrender on 8 May 1945, General von Obstfelder was appointed liaison officer to the 12th US Army Group under Omar N. Bradley during the demobilization period. He was a POW until August 1947.

Family

Hans was born the son of Lutheran Superintendent Gustav Adolf Obstfelder (1847–1930) and his wife Lina, née von Ziegler (c. 1860 – 19 November 1930). He had (at least) seven siblings. Superintendent Obstfelder received the right to use the title "von Obstfelder" on 20 November 1918. His son, Captain Hans Obstfelder, received the right from the Reichswehr Ministry in December 1922 to henceforth use the family name "von Obstfelder".

"Gustav Adolf Obstfelder was born on 18 February 1847 in Gotha, the son of a farmstead manager. He attended the cathedral grammar school and studied at the universities of Erlangen, Leipzig, and Halle. He passed his first examination in Gotha. On 25 March 1873, he was ordained in the Augustinian Church in Gotha by General Superintendent Petersen. On 1 April 1873, he became the third pastor in Gotha, and after a trial sermon before the Duke, he became Ducal court preacher on 1 October 1874. However, because his duties were made very difficult by the very liberal approach of the chief court preacher, he took over the parish in Schönau an der Hörsel (near Eisenach) on 1 October 1875. [...] The local branch of the "Patriotic Women's Association of the Red Cross" was founded on 12 August 1886, by Pastor Obstfelder and affiliated with the Patriotic Women's Association in Kassel. The pastor's wife served as chairwoman, and the pastor was the secretary. The association consisted primarily of women from the upper classes and undertook tasks related to the Red Cross and poor relief. [...] On 9 December 1888, Elias Rommel and Richard Pfeffer beat the forest warden Hengelhaupt from Rotterode to death with wooden clubs near the Zion Church. Rommel's parents had already quarreled with Hengelhaupt, probably over poaching. On 24 October 1889, the murderers were beheaded in Erfurt. Pastor Obstfelder was present at the execution and offered spiritual support. [...] At the behest of his superiors, he applied for the position of senior pastor in Schmalkalden, having already served as acting superintendent since 1891. On 30 July 1892, he became senior pastor and on 19 September 1892 superintendent in Schmalkalden. Obstfelder was considered a "dashing man" and was often feared, even hated, for his strictness and straightforwardness. But he was also a good preacher and his ministry in Schmalkalden was a blessing. During his time, the interior of the town church was renovated and rededicated on 31 October 1909 (at which time the Martin Luther figure was inserted into the pillar of the nave), the cemetery church and the hospital chapel were refurbished, the upper parish church on what is now Geschwister-Scholl-Straße was built according to his designs, a children's choir was founded, and the men's church choir was transformed into a mixed choir. Obstfelder received various decorations [...] On 30 March 1919, he held his last confirmation service and farewell sermon and retired on 1 April 1919, after 47 years of service. Gustav Adolf von Obstfelder died in Schmalkalden on 12 January 1930."[1]
  • Erich Günter Hans Obstfelder.jpg
  • Gustav Adolf (von) Obstfelder.jpg

Marriage

On 22 February 1912 in Schmalkalden, 2nd Lieutenant Obstfelder married his fiancée Gerda Augusta Caroline Dorothea Adele Gertrud Katharina Elisabeth Bürner (1890–1961), daughter of the district court judge Bürner in Schmalkalden. They would have two daughters:

  • Elisabeth Hedwig Lina Adolfine Roberta Ursula (b. 15 March 1913 in Meiningen); ∞ Alexander Karl Bernhard Ernst Hans Freiherr von Uslar-Gleichen
  • Gertraud (b. 5 August 1918 in Eisenach; d. 8 August 1918 ibidem)

Hans von Obstfelder and his wife Gerda were both members of the German Nobility Association, Silesian branch, and jointly attended the annual meetings of the Silesian landed gentry, the last of which took place on 21 January 1939, seven months before the outbreak of war. During the war, Gerda von Obstfelder volunteered for the Red Cross in Breslau and served, among other duties, at the railway station. The German Red Cross (DRK) was particularly active at railway stations during World War II, providing care for soldiers: they offered food, drinks, and refreshments at key distribution points, assisted with the organization of field post (for example, with "talking field post letters" for the wounded), and provided general assistance to passing or wounded members of the Wehrmacht, often acting as an auxiliary organization for the Wehrmacht.

In a letter marked "secret" from SS-Obergruppenführer Dr. Ernst Kaltenbrunner to Hitler's Führerhauptquartier in September 1944, he confirmed that Hans von Obstfelder was considered to have a harsh nature, strict with himself and his subordinates. He was regarded as reserved, even towards high-ranking officers. Nevertheless, Kaltenbrunner emphasized that von Obstfelder had made the best impression in his official capacity and was considered one of the best officers in the entire military district (Walter Model also praised him highly in a letter). Kaltenbrunner also wrote that Mrs. von Obstfelder was considered particularly kind and approachable.

Promotions

  • 17 March 1905 Fahnenjunker (Officer Candidate)
  • 20 May 1905 Fahnenjunker-Gefreiter (Officer Candidate with Lance Corporal rank)
  • 1 August 1905 Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier (Officer Candidate with Corporal/NCO/Junior Sergeant rank)
  • 18 November 1905 Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
  • 18 August 1906 Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant) with Patent from 15 February 1905
  • 17 February 1914 Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)
  • 18 June 1915 Hauptmann (Captain)
    • 1 February 1922 received Reichswehr Rank Seniority (RDA) from 18 June 1915 (8)
  • 1 February 1926 Major (5)
  • 1 June 1930 Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel) with effect and RDA from 1 April 1930 (13)
  • 1 March 1933 Oberst (Colonel) with RDA from 1 March 1933 (1)
  • 18 January 1936 Generalmajor (Major General) with effect and RDA from 1 January 1936 (2)
  • 23 January 1938 Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General) with effect and RDA from 1 February 1938 (3)
  • 17 June 1940 General der Infanterie (General of the Infantry) with effect and RDA from 1 June 1940 (1)

Awards and decorations

Gallery

  • Hans von Obstfelder, Rank List 1931.png
  • Hans Erich Günter von Obstfelder III.jpg
  • Hans Erich Günter von Obstfelder, Soldbuch.jpg

Further reading

Sources

  • German Federal Archives: BArch PERS 6/290 and PERS 6/300306

References

  1. ↑ Peter Heckert: Kirche im Steinbacher Grund, 1990, pp. 94 ff.
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