Wilhelm Hasse
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Birth name | Wilhelm Otto Oswald Hasse |
Birth date | 24 November 1894 |
Place of birth | Neiße, Regierungsbezirk Oppeln, Province of Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
Death date | 21 May 1945 (aged 50) |
Place of death | Lager Pisek, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia |
Allegiance | File:Flag of the German Empire.svg German Empire File:Flag of Germany (3-2 aspect ratio).png Weimar Republic File:Flag of the NSDAP (1920–1945).svg National Socialist Germany |
Service/branch | File:War and service flag of Prussia (1895–1918).png Prussian Army File:Iron Cross of the Luftstreitkräfte.png Imperial German Army File:Freikorps Flag.jpg Freikorps File:War Ensign of Germany (1921–1933).png Reichswehr File:Balkenkreuz.jpg Heer |
Years of service | 1913–1945 |
Rank | General der Infanterie |
Unit | Heeresgruppe Nord |
Commands held | 30. Infanterie Division II. Armee-Korps 17. Armee |
Battles/wars | World War I
|
Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Wilhelm Otto Oswald Hasse (24 November 1894 – 21 May 1945) was a German officer of the Prussian Army, the Imperial German Army, the Freikorps, the Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht, finally General der Infanterie (General of the Infantry) and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves in World War II. He must not be confused with Hauptmann Wilhelm Hasse (b. 24 November 1894 in Schepankowitz; d. 6 June 1945 near Eichhäusel, Kreis Neustadt, Oberschlesien), who was born on the same day and died in the same year.
Life
- Entered Army Service (06 Oct 1913)
- Officer candidate in the 86th Fusilier-Regiment (06 Oct 1913-01 Jul 1914)
- Fahnenjunker im Füsilier-Regiment „Königin“ (Schleswig-Holsteinisches) Nr. 86
- Detached to the War-School Kassel (01 Jul 1914-08 Aug 1914)
- Platoon-Leader in the 86th Fusilier-Regiment (08 Aug 1914-13 Sep 1914)
- Wounded, in Hospital (13 Sep 1914-15 Oct 1914)
- Platoon-Leader in the 86th Fusilier-Regiment (15 Oct 1914-13 Jun 1915)
- Wounded again, in Hospital (13 Jun 1915-26 Jul 1916)
- Transferred to the I. Replacement-Battalion of the 86th Fusilier-Regiment (26 Jul 1916-10 Oct 1916)
- Transferred into Hospital (10 Oct 1916-29 Nov 1916)
- Company-Leader (Kompanieführer) in the 86th Fusilier-Regiment (29 Nov 1916-22 Mar 1917)
- Battalion-Adjutant in the 86th Fusilier-Regiment (22 Mar 1917-24 Apr 1917)
- Regiments-Adjutant of the 86th Fusilier-Regiment (24 Apr 1917-11 Jan 1919)
- Transferred into the Replacement-Battalion of the 96th Fusilier-Regiment (11 Jan 1919-06 Mar 1919)
- Regiments-Adjutant of Regiment Schelle, Freikorps Schleswig-Holstein (06 Mar 1919-19 Aug 1919)
- Company-Leader in the 6th Reichswehr-Jäger-Battalion, Freikorps Kühne (19 Aug 1919-22 Mar 1920)
- Ordinance-Officer with the Reichswehr-Command-Office VI (22 Mar 1920-15 May 1920)
- Auxiliary-Officer with the Reichswehr-Command-Office VI (15 May 1920-01 Oct 1920)
- Transferred into the 7th Infantry-Regiment, Platoon-Leader 11./IR 7 Breslau (01 Oct 1920-01 Oct 1926)
- Detached to the Photographic-Office of 3rd Division for Training as Location-Photographic-Officer (24 Apr 1922-23 May 1922)
- Detached to Subsidiary-Leadership-Training with the Staff of the 3rd Division, Berlin (01 Oct 1924-01 Oct 1926)
- Transferred back intyo the 7th Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1926-01 Apr 1927)
- With the Staff of the Training-Battalion of the 7th Infantry-Regiment (01 Apr 1927-01 Oct 1927)
- Detached to the 4th Motor-Transport-Battalion (01 Jul 1927-15 Aug 1927)
- Detached to the 5th Signals-Battalion (16 Aug 1927-30 Sep 1927)
- Transferred into the RWM, Army Training Department (T4) (01 Oct 1927-01 Oct 1928)
- Detached to the 8th Pioneer-Battalion (01 Jun 1928-30 Jun 1928)
- Detached to the 14th Mounted-Regiment (02 Aug 1928-30 Sep 1928)
- With the Staff of the 2nd Cavalry-Division, Breslau (01 Oct 1928-01 May 1932)
- Chief (Chef) of the 11th Company of the 7th Infantry-Regiment (01 May 1932-01 Sep 1933)
- Instructor at the War-School Munich (01 Sep 1933-11 Feb 1935)
- Officer with Special Duties of the Chief of Army Command, RWM (11 Feb 1935-21 May 1935)
- Officer with Special Duties of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army (21 May 1935-01 Jul 1935)
- In the War Science Department, 7th Department in the Army General Staff (01 Jul 1935-01 Jul 1938)
- Group-Director in the Army General Staff (01 Jul 1938-15 Sep 1938)
- Chief of Operations (Ia) in the General-Staff of Group-Command 1, Berlin (15 Sep 1938-01 Sep 1939)
- Chief of Operations (Ia) in the General-Staff of Army-Group North of Army-Group B (01 Sep 1939-10 Dec 1940)
- Chief of the General Staff of 18th Army (10 Dec 1940-19 Jan 1942)
- Chief of the General Staff of Army-Group North (19 Jan 1942-22 Feb 1943)
- Führer-Reserve OKH (22 Feb 1943-05 Nov 1943)
- Commander of the 30th Infantry-Division (05 Nov 1943-15 Mar 1944)
- Führer-Reserve OKH (15 Mar 1944-31 Mar 1944)
- Delegated with the Temporary Leadership of II. Army-Corps (31 Mar 1944-05 May 1944)
- Delegated with the Leadership of II. Army-Corps (15 Jul 1944-01 Aug 1944)
- Knight's Cross awarded for the outstanding leadership both of his 30. Infanterie-Division and the II. Armee-Korps during the summer of 1944 in the area around Dünaburg.
- Commanding General (Kommandierender General) of II. Army-Corps (01 Aug 1944-30 Mar 1945)
- Oak Leaves awarded for distinguishing himself during the Second Battle of Courland in the most difficult phase of the battle, on the 19.11.1944. On this day a Soviet armoured wedge smashed through the boundary between the 31. Volksgrenadier-Division and the 32. Infanterie-Division, and threatened to split apart both armies of Heeresgruppe Kurland. However this development was averted largely on account of the efforts of General Hasse, who would be recognized appropriately for his actions here.
- Delegated with the Leadership (mit der Führung beauftragt) of 17th Army (30 Mar 1945-08 May 1945)
Death
Wilhelm Otto Oswald Hasse was taken prisoner in May 1945 and brought to the prisoner camp in Pisek. He died on 21 May 1945. He rests in the German War Cemetery in Brünn; Final grave location: Block 79A, Row 16, Grave 898.
- † 9 May 1945 [due to wounds] according Fellgiebel and other sources, but 18 January 1947: Dr. med. Rudolf Riedl declares on oath to the Suchdienst [tracing service] of the German Red Cross (Zonen-Zentrale München): Gen. d. Inf. Hasse was hospitalised as captive by the US-Army on 10 May 1945 in Pisek (today: Czech Republic) "in seelisch und körperlich geschwächtem Zustand. Gesichtsneuralgische Beschwerden. Chronische Appendizitis. Nach Operation - Tod" [Psychically and somatically enervated. Facial neuropathic pain. Chronic appendicitis. Death after operation]. 13.02.1951: Günter Walter Detjen declares on oath: "[...] Haase [...] died on 21 May 1945 3 a.m. in Pisek as a result of an appendectomie [18 May 1945]. Burial on 23 May 1945 in Czech military cemetery in Pisek, grave # 523. The inheritance was confiscated by the US Forces. I was present when he died and I had him buried personally." [...] In Hasse's March 1943 Beurteilung, it was already mentioned that he was suffering from an intestinal disease and that an operation was deemed necessary. But it did never happen for some reason. He was ill again during February and March 1945 (in Reservekurlazarett Bad Brambach), returning early to take over AOK 17.[1]
Promotions
- 1 October 1913: Fahnenjunker (Officer Candidate)
- 19 June 1914: Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
- 4 October 1914: Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant)
- 20 June 1918: Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)
- 1 February 1927: Hauptmann (Captain)
- 1 February 1934: Major
- 1 August 1936: Oberstleutnant im Generalstab (Lieutenant Colonel in the General Staff)
- 1 March 1939: Oberst im Generalstab (Colonel in the General Staff)
- 1 February 1942: Generalmajor
- 1 January 1943: Generalleutnant
- 1 August 1944: General der Infanterie
Awards and decorations
- Iron Cross (1914), 2nd and 1st Class
- Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg (Hamburgisches Hanseatenkreuz; HH)
- Knight's Cross of the House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords
- Wound Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen 1918) in Black
- Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
- Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th to 1st Class
- Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939), 2nd and 1st Class
- Order of the Cross of Liberty, 1st Class with Swords (Finland)[3]
- Eastern Front Medal
- Courland Cuff Title / Cuff band "Kurland" (Ärmelband „Kurland“)
- German Cross in Gold on 26 January 1942 as Oberst im Generalstab (in the General Staff) of AOK 18[4]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Further reading
- Gerhard von Seemen:Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 – Die Ritterkreuzträger sämtlicher Wehrmachtteile, Brillanten-, Schwerter- und Eichenlaubträger in der Reihenfolge der Verleihung (in German), Podzun-Verlag, Friedberg 1976 ISBN 978-3-7909-0051-4
- Franz Thomas: Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945, Band 1: A–K (in German), Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück 1998, 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
References