Karl Hermann Arndt

Karl Arndt
Generalmajor Karl Arndt
Nickname	Knochen-Karl
Birth date	10 March 1892(1892-03-10)
Place of birth	Groß Kauer, District of Glogau, Province of Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date	30 December 1981 (aged 89)
Place of death	Langenholthausen (since 1975 a part of Balve), North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	Prussian Army Imperial German Army Freikorps Reichswehr Heer
Years of service	1911–45
Rank	Generalleutnant
Commands held	293rd Infantry Division 359th Infantry Division XXXIX Panzer Corps
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Kiev Battle of Moscow Battle of Kursk Belgorod-Khar'kov Offensive Operation Lower Dnieper Offensive Lower Silesian Offensive Upper Silesian Offensive Prague Offensive
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Karl Hermann Arndt (10 March 1892 – 30 December 1981) was a German NCO of the Prussian Army as well as an officer candidate of the Imperial German Army and the Freikorps and an officer of the Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht, at last Generalleutnant and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves in World War II.

Life

• Entered Unteroffizier-Preparatory-School (01 Apr 1908)
• Pupil at the Unteroffizier-Preparatory-School in Wohlau (01 Apr 1908-15 Oct 1909)
• Pupil at the Unteroffizier-Preparatory-School in Potsdam (15 Oct 1909-01 Oct 1911)
• Entered Army Service (01 Oct 1911)
• Entered into the Infanterie-Regiment „Graf Kirchbach“ (1. Niederschlesisches) Nr. 46 (01 Oct 1911-18 Sep 1918)
  • wounded multiple times in WWI
• In British captivity (18 Sep 1918-20 Mar 1919)
• Back out of wartime captivity (20 Mar 1919)
• Volunteer soldier (Freikorps) with the Freiwillige 10. Infanterie-Division of the Generalkommando V. Armeekorps Posen, later Glogau
  • In June 1919, the Freiwillige 10. Infanterie-Division with 1,100 officers and 18,880 men formed the large Reichswehr-Brigade 5 in Glogau. In the process, strong (not taken over) parts were initially retained as border protection formations (Grenzschutzformationen). These border guard troops were disbanded by August 1919. Out of them, the Volkswehr-Bataillone I-V were formed.
• Company-Officer in the Volkswehr-Bataillon V (15 Aug 1919-01 Dec 1919)
• Temporary-Company-Leader in the Volkswehr-Bataillon V (01 Dec 1919-15 Feb 1920)
• Transferred into the 105th Reichswehr-Rifle-Regiment or Schützen-Regiment (15 Feb 1920-15 May 1920)
• Transferred into the 9th Reichswehr-Rifle-Regiment or Reichswehr-Infanterie-Regiment 9 (15 May 1920-01 Oct 1920)
• Transferred into the 8. (Preußisches) Infanterie-Regiment (01 Oct 1920-01 Feb 1929)
• Detached into the 3rd Pioneer-Battalion (01 Aug 1921-10 Sep 1921)
• Company-Leader in the 8. (Preußisches) Infanterie-Regiment (16 Nov 1923-18 Mar 1924)
• Detached to the V. Officer Weapon School Course in Dresden (04 Apr 1927-20 Aug 1927)
• Detached to the Battle School Course A in Döberitz (09 Oct 1928-24 Oct 1928)
• Company-Chief in the 8th Infantry-Regiment (01 Feb 1929-01 Apr 1931)
• Detached to the 13th Company in the 8th Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1930-18 Nov 1930)
• Detached to Mortar Course A in Döberitz (18 Nov 1930-14 Mar 1931)
• Company-Chief, Chef der 13. (Minenwerfer) Kompanie, in the 8th Infantry-Regiment (01 Apr 1931-01 Oct 1934)
• Company-Officer (13. and 14. Kompanie) in the Infantry-Regiment Frankfurt/Oder (01 Oct 1934-01 Apr 1935)
• Commander of I. Bataillon of the 68th Infantry-Regiment (01 Apr 1935 or 15 Oktober 1935-27 Jan 1936)
• Automobile accident (27 Jan 1936-31 Jan 1936)
• Major in the Staff of the 68th Infantry-Regiment (31 Jan 1936-01 Aug 1936)
• Commander of the 16th Replacement-Battalion (01 Aug 1936-06 Oct 1936)
• Commander of the Replacement-Battalion of the 67th Infantry-Regiment (06 Oct 1936-18 Jan 1939)
• Staff Officer Course with the 23rd Division (29 Nov 1937-11 Dec 1937)

WWII

• Commander of the II. Battalion of the 68th Infantry-Regiment (18 Jan 1939-15 Feb 1940)
• Commander of the 511th Infantry-Regiment (15 Feb 1940-10 Jan 1943)
  • The following wartime excerpt describes why Arndt was awarded the Knight’s Cross: “During the pocket battle east of Kiev, two enemy divisions tried to break through the Division’s lines by utilizing a bridgehead in the area. Additional strong enemy forces launched a surprise attack further north against Arndt’s advancing Regiment. Oberst Arndt immediately decided to order his Regiment to launch a counterattack, and he went on to direct the attack from the roof of a house despite his close proximity to the enemy and the strong hostile artillery fire. This house crumbled underneath him due to the effects of the artillery fire, however the enemy was ultimately defeated. The bold and energetic attack of the Regiment meant that the frontline gap between the friendly and neighbouring division was closed by the evening of this day. This success doomed all the enemy’s subsequent breakthrough attempts.” The counterattack mentioned in the text was launched into the Soviet flank.
• Delegated with the Leadership of the 293rd Infantry-Division (10 Jan 1943-01 Apr 1943)
• Commander of the 293rd Infantry-Division (01 Apr 1943-20 Nov 1943)
• Commander of the 359th Infantry-Division (20 Nov 1943-17 Jan 1945)
  • Oak Leaves: Awarded for distinguishing himself around Kraków with his Regiment during the combat in early 1945. Here he prevented a breakthrough by far superior Soviet forces towards the south and over the Vistula river. By doing so, he and his men enabled the construction of a solid defensive line. His deputy was Obest d. R. Kurt Albrecht.
• In addition, was Acting-Commander of the LIX. Army-Corps (17 Jan 1945-25 Apr 1945)
  • As documents show (see also last picture), it is also possible, Arndt commanded the XXXX. Panzer-Korps for a short while at the beginning of April 1945, as it's Kommandierender General Sigfrid Henrici was to command the 17. Armee (AOK 17); However, whether this order for Henrici, between the commands of General der Infanterie Friedrich Schulz and General der Infanterie Wilhelm Hasse, became effective due to the war (some assume vetoed by Hitler or Generalfeldmarschall Ferdinand Schörner from the Heeresgruppe Mitte) is unknown and is doubted in terms of military history.
• Delegated with the Leadership of the XXXIX. Panzer-Korps (25 Apr 1945-08 May 1945)
• In US captivity (08 May 1945-05 Jul 1947)
  • In Lager Dachau until January 1947
• Released (05 Jul 1947)

Promotions

• Gefreiter (31 May 1911)
• Unteroffizier (27 January 1912)
• Sergeant (15 April 1915)
• Vizefeldwebel (15 June 1915)
• Offiziers-Stellvertreter (20 December 1917)

Reichswehr

• Leutnant (23 June 1919)
• Oberleutnant (18 December 1923 with rank seniority from 1 December 1923)
• Hauptmann (1 November 1928)
• Major (20 April 1935)

Wehrmacht

• Oberstleutnant (31 December 1937)
• Oberst (20 November 1940 with rank seniority from 1 November 1940)
• Generalmajor (10 March 1943 with effect and rank seniority from 1 April 1943)
• Generalleutnant (8 November 1943 with rank seniority from 1. Oktober 1943)

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class (3 October 1914)
  • 1st Class (26 January 1918)
• Wound Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen 1918) in Mattweiß (in Silver) on 31 July 1918
• Silesian Eagle Order (Schlesischer Adler-Orden), II. and I. Stufe, 1921
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords on 31 December 1934
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th to 1st Class on 2 October 1936

WWII

• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (27 October 1939)
  • 1st Class (17 June 1940)
• Infantry Assault Badge (Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen) in Silver
• Eastern Front Medal on 19 August 1942
• German Cross in Gold on 2 July 1944 as Generalleutnant and commander of the 359. Infanterie-Division
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • 832nd Knight's Cross on 23 January 1942 as Oberst and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 511
  • 719th Oak Leaves on 1 February 1945 as Generalleutnant and commander of 359. Infanterie-Division
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 22 January 1945
  • "Im Raum von Krakau hat die brandenburgische 359. Infanteriedivision unter Führung von Generalleutnant Arndt durch hervorragende Standfestigkeit und beispielhaften Angriffsschwung den Durchbruch weit überlegener feindlicher Kräfte nach Süden über die Weichsel vereitelt und dadurch den Aufbau einer geschlossenen Abwehrfront ermöglicht."
    • "In the Kraków area, the Brandenburg 359th Infantry Division, led by Lieutenant General Arndt, thwarted the breakthrough of far superior enemy forces to the south across the Vistula through outstanding stability and exemplary attack momentum, thereby enabling the development of a closed defensive front."

Further reading

• Franz Thomas / Günter Wegmann: Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939–1945, Teil III: "Infanterie", Band 1: A–Be, Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück 1987 (in German)
• Franz Thomas: Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945, Band 1: A–K (in German), Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück 1997, ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6
• Walther-Peer Fellgiebel: Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile (in German), Podzun-Pallas, Wölfersheim 2000, ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6
  • English: The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches, expanded edition, 2000
• Klaus D. Patzwall / Veit Scherzer: Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941–1945 Geschichte und Inhaber, Band II (in German), Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt 2001, ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8
• Veit Scherzer: Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 – Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German), Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag, Jena 2007, ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2