Hermann Niehoff

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Hermann Niehoff
Born (1897-04-03)3 April 1897
Papenburg/Ems
Died 5 November 1980(1980-11-05) (aged 83)
Riegsee
Allegiance
Service/branch Heer
Rank General der Infanterie
Battles/wars
Awards Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords

Hermann Niehoff was a German officer during World War II. He was born on 3 April 1897 and died in 1980. Niehoff was born in Papenburg/Ems. He was a German infantry general and was the garrison commander of Fortress Breslau (Festung Breslau) during the Battle of Breslau.

Commands

  • Commanding Officer of the 211th Replacement Regiment - 1939 to 1940
  • Commanding Officer of the 464th Regiment - 1940 to 1943
  • Infantry General (General der Infanterie) of the 371st Infantry Division - 1943 to 1945
  • Garrison Commander of Fortress Breslau - 2 March to 6 May 1945

Actions

As General of the 371 Infantry Division (371.Infanterie Division), Niehoff participated in the break out from the Kamieniec-Podolski Pocket during March and April 1944. At this time, his division was part of Colonel General (Generaloberst) Hans-Valentin Hube's 1st Panzer Army.

From 13 February to 6 May 1945, Breslau was besieged by the Soviet 6th Army. The 6th Army was part of the Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front commanded by Marshal Ivan Konev.

On 2 March, Niehoff became the garrison commander. To oppose the Soviets, Niehoff had a mix of German Army, Home Guard, and Hitler Youth troops. During the siege, Niehoff's over-matched forces held Breslau for more than two months while much of the city was destroyed and many of his troops were killed.

On 6 May, four days after Berlin fell and only two days before the unconditional surrender of Germany, Niehoff signed a conditional surrender of Fortress Breslau to the Soviets. None of the conditions were kept by the Soviets. Niehoff remained a prisoner of war from 1945 to 1955.

Awards

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording Direct English translation
11 August 1944 In den Kämpfen an der Ostfront haben sich die westfälische 371. Infanteriedivision unter Führung von Generalleutnant Niehoff und das Jägerregiment 229 unter Oberst Schury hervorragend bewährt.[6] In the battles on the Eastern Front, the Westphalian 371 Infantry Division under the command of Lieutenant-General Niehoff and the 229 Infantry Regiment under Colonel Schury have proved themselves to be excellent.

Notes

  1. ↑ No evidence of the award can be found in the German National Archives. The Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) only assumes that the Swords were awarded. According to Niehoff's testimony he was nominated by Gauleiter Karl Hanke. The date and sequential number "147" were assigned by the AKCR. Niehoff was member of the AKCR.[1] The sequential numbers greater than 143 for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords are unofficial and were assigned by the AKCR and are therefore denoted in parentheses.[2]

References

Citations
  1. ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 161.
  2. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, pp. 49–51.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Thomas 1998, p. 119.
  4. ↑ Patzwall and Scherzer 2001, p. 331.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Scherzer 2007, p. 569.
  6. ↑ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 3, p. 199.
Bibliography
  • Berger, Florian (1999). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges [With Oak Leaves and Swords. The Highest Decorated Soldiers of the Second World War] (in German). Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-0-6. 
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 – Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtsteile [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] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. 
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. 
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). 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 [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. 
  • Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9. 
  • Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 3, 1 January 1944 to 9 May 1945] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2. 

External links

Military offices
Preceded by
Generalleutnant Richard Stempel		 Commander of 371. Infanterie-Division
1 April 1943 – 10 June 1944 		Succeeded by
Generalmajor Hans-Joachim Baurmeister
Preceded by
Generalmajor Hans-Joachim Baurmeister		 Commander of 371. Infanterie-Division
10 July 1944 – 2 March 1945 		Succeeded by
Generalmajor Rolf Scherenberg
Authority control
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