Hans Freiherr von Funck
Encyclopedia
General Hans Emil Richard Freiherr von Funck (23 December 1891 – 14 February 1979) was a highly decorated Panzer
General
in the German
army during World War II
.
. From Easter 1911 until the summer of 1914 he studied law at Greifswald
and Freiburg
. On 2 August 1914 he joined the 1st Brandenburg Dragoon Regiment as an officer cadet and on 18 June 1915 he was commissioned as a Leutnant. On 6 November 1915 in Göttingen
he married and during World War I
he was awarded the Iron Cross Class I and II. He was retained in the Reichswehr
after the war and in 1923 was promoted to Oberleutnant
. From 1926 he worked in the Reichswehr Ministry in the Army Training Division (T4). On 1 July 1933 he was appointed as the Adjutant of the Chief of the army and the following year, Major
on the General Staff. In 1936 he served in the Spanish Civil War
as a leader of the German National Army in Spain
. He was also the military attaché at headquarters of the National Government in Spain. At the beginning of 1939 he was appointed Military attache to the German Embassy in Lisbon
.
In 1939 he was promoted to Oberst
and in the same year his marriage was dissolved. In 1940 he married for a second time to Maria Freiin of Mirbach. In 1940 he was appointed as the commander of the 3rd Panzer Brigade and 1941 promoted to Generalmajor and given command of the 7th Panzer Division as the successor to Erwin Rommel
and held this command on the central and southern sections of the Eastern Front
. On 15 July 1941 he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
in recognition of his actions at Vilnius
and Bialystok-Minsk-Wjasna. For his role in operations at the Don
and Donets basins, on 14 March 1943 he was awarded the German Cross in Gold and on 1 February 1944 he was promoted to General der Panzertruppe
and appointed as the commanding general of the XXXXVII Panzer Corps, initially on the eastern and later the western fronts. On 4 September 1944 he was moved into the reserve of the OKH. From August 1945 until 1955 Funck was a prisoner of war in the USSR.
Panzer
A Panzer is a German language word that, when used as a noun, means "tank". When it is used as an adjective, it means either tank or "armoured" .- Etymology :...
General
General (Germany)
General is presently the highest rank of the German Army and Luftwaffe . It is the equivalent to the rank of Admiral in the German Navy .-Early history:...
in the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
army 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...
.
Biography
After attendance at the high school in KöslinKoszalin
Koszalin ; is the largest city of Middle Pomerania in north-western Poland. It is located 12 km south of the Baltic Sea coast. Koszalin is also a county-status city and capital of Koszalin County of West Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999...
. From Easter 1911 until the summer of 1914 he studied law at Greifswald
Greifswald
Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed...
and Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
. On 2 August 1914 he joined the 1st Brandenburg Dragoon Regiment as an officer cadet and on 18 June 1915 he was commissioned as a Leutnant. On 6 November 1915 in Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
he married and during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he was awarded the Iron Cross Class I and II. He was retained in the Reichswehr
Reichswehr
The Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....
after the war and in 1923 was promoted to Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
. From 1926 he worked in the Reichswehr Ministry in the Army Training Division (T4). On 1 July 1933 he was appointed as the Adjutant of the Chief of the army and the following year, Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
on the General Staff. In 1936 he served in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
as a leader of the German National Army in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. He was also the military attaché at headquarters of the National Government in Spain. At the beginning of 1939 he was appointed Military attache to the German Embassy in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
.
In 1939 he was promoted to 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...
and in the same year his marriage was dissolved. In 1940 he married for a second time to Maria Freiin of Mirbach. In 1940 he was appointed as the commander of the 3rd Panzer Brigade and 1941 promoted to Generalmajor and given command of the 7th Panzer Division as the successor to Erwin Rommel
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
and held this command on the central and southern sections of 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...
. On 15 July 1941 he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The 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...
in recognition of his actions at Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
and Bialystok-Minsk-Wjasna. For his role in operations at the Don
Don River (Russia)
The Don River is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast of Moscow, and flows for a distance of about 1,950 kilometres to the Sea of Azov....
and Donets basins, on 14 March 1943 he was awarded the German Cross in Gold and on 1 February 1944 he was promoted to General der Panzertruppe
General der Panzertruppe
General der Panzertruppe was a rank of German Army General introduced by the Wehrmacht in 1935. As the commander of a Panzer Corp this rank corresponds to a US Army Lieutenant-General...
and appointed as the commanding general of the XXXXVII Panzer Corps, initially on the eastern and later the western fronts. On 4 September 1944 he was moved into the reserve of the OKH. From August 1945 until 1955 Funck was a prisoner of war in the USSR.
Awards
- 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)- 2nd Class (12 June 1915)
- 1st Class (2 December 1917)
- Hanseatic CrossHanseatic CrossThe Hanseatic Cross was a decoration of the three Hanseatic Cities of Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck, who were member states of the German Empire during World War I...
of Hamburg - 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...
(1914)- in Black
- in Silver
- Cross of HonorCross of HonorThe Cross of Honor, also known as the Honor Cross or, popularly, the Hindenburg Cross, was a commemorative medal inaugurated on July 13, 1934 by Reichspräsident Paul von Hindenburg for those soldiers of Imperial Germany who fought in World War I...
1934 - Spanish Medalla de la CampañaMedalla de la CampañaThe Medal for the Campaign of 1936−1939 was a Spanish military decoration. The medal was awarded during the Spanish Civil War.-External links:*...
- Spanish Medalla MilitarMedalla MilitarThe Military Medal is a high military award of Spain to recognise battlefield bravery.The medal was established in 1918. Since then it is awarded to members of the Spanish military service independent of rank.-Spanish Civil War:* Emilio Mola...
- Spanish CrossSpanish CrossThe Spanish Cross was an award of Germany given to Germans who participated in the Spanish Civil War, fighting for Franco.- History :With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Germany sent the Condor Legion to give military aid to Francisco Franco's nationalist forces.On April 14, 1939, Germany...
in Gold with Swords - 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....
(1939)- 2nd Class (15 May 1940)
- 1st Class (29 May 1940)
- Panzer BadgePanzer BadgeThe Panzer Badge was a German medal awarded to armour troops during World War II. It was introduced during World War II in December 1939 .- History :The Tank Combat Badge, or Panzer Badge, first existed in the German Army during World War I, and was later...
in Silver - Eastern Front MedalEastern Front MedalThe Eastern Front Medal, , more commonly known as the Ostmedaille was instituted on May 26, 1942 to mark service on the German Eastern Front during the period November 15, 1941 to April 15, 1942...
- German Cross in Gold (14 March 1943)
- 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...
with Oak Leaves- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (15 July 1941)
- Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (22 August 1943)