Josef Harpe
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| Josef Harpe | |
|---|---|
| 21 September 1887 – 14 March 1968 (aged 80) | |
 Josef Harpe |
|
| Place of birth | Buer |
| Place of death | Nuremberg |
| Allegiance |  German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch | Heer |
| Years of service | 1909-1945 |
| Rank | Generaloberst |
| Commands held | 9. Armee 12. Panzer-Division XXXXI.Panzerkorps |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords |
Josef Harpe (21 September 1887 – 14 March 1968) was a German Generaloberst who served during World War I and World War II.
Harpe was born in Buer which is near Recklinghausen, Province of Westphalia, and died in Nuremberg, Bavaria.
Contents |
[edit] Military career
Harpe joined the Prussian Army on September 28, 1909 as Fahnenjunker and was transferred to the Infantry Regiment 56 in 1911. Here he was promoted to Leutnant on March 20 and participated with this regiment in World War I. By the end of World War I he held the position of company commander.
After the war Harpe remained in the Reichswehr military service. In 1931, under the pseudonym Direktor Hacker, he held a leading position in the secret German-Russian Tank-School (Organisation Kama) in Kazan, Soviet Union. He was promoted to Oberstleutnant on August 1, 1934 and became commander of Panzer-Regiment 3 on October 15, 1935. Again promoted on January 1, 1937, he was put in charge of the 1st Panzerbrigade holding the rank of Oberst.
[edit] Awards
- Iron Cross (1914) 2nd and 1st Class
- Wound Badge (1914) in Black
- Cross of Honor
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung 4th to 1st Class
- Clasp to the Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class
- Panzer Badge in Silver
- Eastern Front Medal
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
- Knight's Cross (13 August 1941)
- 55. Oak Leaves (31 December 1941)
- 36. Swords (15 September 1943)
- German Cross in Gold (19 February 1943)
- Order of the Crown (Romania)
- Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 1 January 1944
[edit] References
- Berger, Florian. Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges. Wien, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger, 2006. ISBN 3-9501307-0-5.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit. Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, 2001. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.
[edit] External links
- Josef Harpe @ Lexikon der Wehrmacht
- Josef Harpe @ das-ritterkreuz.de
- Josef Harpe @ Axis Biographical Research
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Paul Bader |
Commander of 2. Infanterie-Division 5 October 1940 – 10 January 1941 |
Succeeded by 12. Panzerdivision |
| Preceded by 2. Infanterie-Division |
Commander of 12. Panzerdivision 10 January 1941 – 15 January 1942 |
Succeeded by Generalleutnant Walter Wessel |
| Preceded by none |
Commander of XXXXI Panzerkorps 10 July 1942 – 15 October 1943 |
Succeeded by General of Artillery Helmuth Weidling |
| Preceded by Generaloberst Erhard Raus |
Commander of 4. Panzer-Armee 18 May 1944 – 28 June 1944 |
Succeeded by General der Panzertruppen Walther Nehring |
| Preceded by Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model |
Commander of 9. Armee 4 November 1943 – 19 May 1944 |
Succeeded by General Hans Jordan |
| Preceded by General der Panzertruppen Hasso von Manteuffel |
Commander of 5. Panzer-Armee 8 March 1945 – 17 April 1945 |
Succeeded by none |
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