Edmund Hoffmeister
Encyclopedia
Edmund Hoffmeister was an officer in the German Army
, mainly notable for his service in the Wehrmacht Heer during World War II
.
Hoffmeister's military service began in 1914 in the Imperial German
army. During the 1930s, Hoffmeister was part of the 'Foreign Armies' section of the German military and acted as liaison officer with the Soviet Union
on the development of mechanised units.
Colonel (Oberst
) Hoffmeister, as commander of Infantry Regiment 21 of the German 17th Infantry Division, was scheduled to link up with a 131-man Brandenburger
commando team during Operation Sea Lion (Unternehmen Seelöwe) and push up the coast to Dover
. Hoffmeister's division was to be part of the German 16th Army's area of operations. Operation Sea Lion was to have been launched in 1940 after the Fall of France, but it was abandoned in September of that same year.
Promoted to Lieutenant-General (Generalleutnant), Hoffmeister commanded the German 383rd Infantry Division on the Eastern Front
from 1 July 1943 to 20 June 1944, and on 6 October 1943, was awarded a Knight's Cross
.
Hoffmeister had just been promoted from command of the division to acting command of the formation of which it was a part, the XXXXI Panzer Corps
(replacing Artillery General Helmuth Weidling
), when it was destroyed in late June 1944. The 383rd Division was given the task of holding Babruysk
against an overwhelming Soviet assault during Operation Bagration. Much of the remainder of XXXXI Panzer Corps was also destroyed, along with its parent formation, the Ninth Army.
Hoffmeister was taken prisoner by Soviet forces of the 2nd Belorussian Front
on 1 July during a breakout attempt from the encirclement at Babruysk. The front's report for 8 July quoted Hoffmeister as giving a bitter and expletive
-laden diatribe against the "amateurs" (i.e. the Nazi regime and senior generals loyal to them) whom he held responsible for the military catastrophe.
Later in July, Hoffmeister made a radio broadcast from Moscow
on behalf of the National Committee for a Free Germany
, again attacking the Nazi regime in similar terms:
coup for the Soviets. Hoffmeister was also featured in NKFD-produced propaganda leaflets.
Hoffmeister died in 1951 while still in captivity in Asbest
POW camp.
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
, mainly notable for his service in the Wehrmacht Heer during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Hoffmeister's military service began in 1914 in the Imperial German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
army. During the 1930s, Hoffmeister was part of the 'Foreign Armies' section of the German military and acted as liaison officer with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
on the development of mechanised units.
Colonel (Oberst
Oberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
) Hoffmeister, as commander of Infantry Regiment 21 of the German 17th Infantry Division, was scheduled to link up with a 131-man Brandenburger
Brandenburgers
The Brandenburgers were members of the Brandenburg German Special Forces unit during World War II.Units of Brandenburgers operated in almost all fronts - the invasion of Poland, Denmark and Norway, in the Battle of France, in Operation Barbarossa, in Finland, Greece and the invasion of Crete,...
commando team during Operation Sea Lion (Unternehmen Seelöwe) and push up the coast to Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
. Hoffmeister's division was to be part of the German 16th Army's area of operations. Operation Sea Lion was to have been launched in 1940 after the Fall of France, but it was abandoned in September of that same year.
Promoted to Lieutenant-General (Generalleutnant), Hoffmeister commanded the German 383rd Infantry Division on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
from 1 July 1943 to 20 June 1944, and on 6 October 1943, was awarded a Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield....
.
Hoffmeister had just been promoted from command of the division to acting command of the formation of which it was a part, the XXXXI Panzer Corps
XXXXI Panzer Corps (Germany)
XXXXI Panzer Corps was a tank corps in the German Army during World War II.-Formation and actions:...
(replacing Artillery General Helmuth Weidling
Helmuth Weidling
Helmuth Otto Ludwig Weidling was an officer in the German Army before and during World War II...
), when it was destroyed in late June 1944. The 383rd Division was given the task of holding Babruysk
Babruysk
Babruysk or Bobruysk is a city in the Mahilyow Voblast of Belarus on the Berezina river. It is a large city in Belarus with a population of approximately 227,000 people . The name Babruysk probably originates from the Belarusian word babyor , many of which used to inhabit the Berezina...
against an overwhelming Soviet assault during Operation Bagration. Much of the remainder of XXXXI Panzer Corps was also destroyed, along with its parent formation, the Ninth Army.
Hoffmeister was taken prisoner by Soviet forces of the 2nd Belorussian Front
2nd Belorussian Front
The 2nd Belorussian Front was a military formation of Army group size of the Soviet Army during the Second World War...
on 1 July during a breakout attempt from the encirclement at Babruysk. The front's report for 8 July quoted Hoffmeister as giving a bitter and expletive
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
-laden diatribe against the "amateurs" (i.e. the Nazi regime and senior generals loyal to them) whom he held responsible for the military catastrophe.
Later in July, Hoffmeister made a radio broadcast from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
on behalf of the National Committee for a Free Germany
National Committee for a Free Germany
The National Committee for a Free Germany was a German anti-Nazi organization that operated in the Soviet Union during World War II.- History :...
, again attacking the Nazi regime in similar terms:
"The defeat in White Russia is not the only example of Hitler's ineptitude as a commander. When Field Marshals von Leeb, List, von Rundstedt, von Bock and von Brauchitsch, Colonel General Haider and many others attempted to point out these mistakes Hitler dismissed them from their posts [...] The newer generals, however, such as Rommel, Dietl, Schorner, Keitel and others who had not gone through a long military schooling failed to perceive these mistakes"This represented something of a propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
coup for the Soviets. Hoffmeister was also featured in NKFD-produced propaganda leaflets.
Hoffmeister died in 1951 while still in captivity in Asbest
Asbest
Asbest is a town in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Bolshoy Reft River on the eastern slopes of the Urals, northeast of Yekaterinburg. Population: Postal code: 624260. International dialing code: +7 ....
POW camp.
Awards
- Ritterkreuz des Kgl. Preuss. Hausordens von Hohenzollern mit SchwerternHouse Order of HohenzollernThe House Order of Hohenzollern was an order of chivalry of the House of Hohenzollern. It was both a military and a civil award...
- Wound BadgeWound BadgeWound Badge was a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied...
in Black, 1918 - Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
- Wehrmacht-DienstauszeichnungService awardA Service award was awarded by a country to a soldier or civilian for long service. It is comparable to a service medal but can be awarded to civilians as well as soldiers.-Kingdom of Bavaria:*Königliches Ludwigsorden for 50 years' service...
IV. bis I. Klasse - Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/1942
- German CrossGerman CrossThe German Cross was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 17 November 1941 as an award ranking higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross respectively ranking higher than the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords but below the Knight's Cross of the War Merit...
in Gold (11 December 1941) - Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
- 1914 Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class
- 1939 Clasps 2nd and 1st ClassClasp to the Iron CrossThe Clasp to the Iron Cross was a metal medal clasp displayed on the uniforms of German Wehrmacht personnel who had been awarded the Iron Cross in World War I. It was displayed on the uniforms of many high ranking officers during World War II as most had also served in World War I...
- Knight's Cross of the Iron CrossKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
(6 October 1943)