Hermann von Hanneken (soldier)
Encyclopedia
Hermann Konstantin Albert Julius von Hanneken (5 January 1890 – 22 July 1981) was a German
General of the Infantry
who was supreme commander of the German forces in Denmark
from 29 September 1942 to January 1945.
. A year later he was promoted to Leutnant.
In April 1917 he was transferred to the General Staff
, and the year after he was promoted to Hauptmann
.
and aide to a regiment in World War I
. In July 1916 von Hanneken was transferred to the 260th Reserve-Infantry-Regiment, where he was served as leader of the Machine Gun-Company.
. Then he took a job in Reichwehr Ministry where he was the next year. Then from 1924 to 1927 he was transferred to Reichwaffenamt (materiel command). From 1927 he led troops as a company commander, and it continued until in 1930 where he was promoted to Major
. Three years later he was again promoted to Oberstleutnant
. From 1935 he had command of a regiment and was thus promoted to Oberst
.
A year later, in 1936, he was transferred to Heereswaffenamt (materiel command), where he became Chief of Staff
. On 3 July 1937, he became responsible for the purchase of iron and steel. On 1 September 1939 he was appointed Head of Section II (Industrial) in the ministry of commercial. In 1940 he received the position as vice Secretary of State
. That same year he was promoted to Generalleutnant and in 1941 he was the General der Infanterie
.
a supply crisis in the iron and steel division cause him problems and only Hans Kehrl, could save him. Delivery time had increased dramatically because von Hanneken over a period of two years had approved supplies that exceeded the amount of iron and steel that could be delivered. Hans Kehrl said nothing about this in its public records, but his caseworker Arnold Köster did in return. Kehrl wrote in his memoirs that von Hanneken was not sufficiently decisive and was afraid of conflict.
von Hanneken was also responsible for addressing the issues of coal to the steel industry. So on 6 June 1941 he raised at the 11th meeting in Generalrat der Wirtschaft the problem that the demand for coal in the last four years had risen faster than supply. The European countries which were dependent on German coal only got 60% of the claimed amounts. From April 1941 domestic coal consumers had to accept a reduction of supplies of around 10%. This led to many closures of companies or reduction of operations. Domestic energy suppliers had to accept a reduction in coal consumption of 20%.
In March / April 1942 von Hanneken was denied responsibility for the distribution of iron and steel, which were transferred to the so-called central planning. As a result of further changes in the tasks of Section II largely transferred to other bodies so Hanneken went on holiday in August 1942 and left Section II in October.
On 12 October 1942 he took over the duties of commander of the German forces in Denmark. He was responsible for defending the invasion and took a tougher line against the Danish resistance movement
, which brought him into conflict with Werner Best
.
On 29 August 1943 von Hanneken imposed martial law
in Denmark. It was the result of growing unrest, strikes and sabotage
in the months ahead. Simultaneously, the Danish army and navy personnel was dissolved and interned. von Hanneke was made aware of but was not otherwise involved in the action against the Danish Jews
in early October 1943 lead by Günther Pancke
. On 19 September 1944 he backed up on the dissolution of the Danish police
.
In January 1945 he was released from his command and replaced by Georg Lindemann
. He was accused of corruption and by the German National-martial sentenced 8 years imprisonment. He was however pardoned by Adolf Hitler
, who thought that they could not afford the luxury to let von Hanneken sit in jail because he had carved a pair of furniture. Instead, von Hanneken was downgraded to Major and sent to the front. By the end of the war he came in American captivity. From there, he was extradited to Denmark, where in 1948 he was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment.
At the Court he was acquitted on 9 May 1949. He was expelled from Denmark and lived thereafter retracted until his death in 1981.
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...
General of the Infantry
General of the Infantry (Germany)
General of the Infantry is a rank of general in the Imperial Army, Reichswehr or Wehrmacht - the second-highest regular rank. The same rank spread to the Imperial Russian Army and the Defence forces of Finland between the world wars...
who was supreme commander of the German forces in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
from 29 September 1942 to January 1945.
Early career
In 1908 after training in cadet school von Hanneken joined the army and as FähnrichFähnrich
Fähnrich is a German and Austrian military rank in armed forces which translates as "Ensign" in English. The rank also exists in a few other European military organizations, often with historical ties to the German system. Examples are Sweden, Norway and Finland . The French Army has a similar...
. A year later he was promoted to Leutnant.
In April 1917 he was transferred to the General Staff
German General Staff
The German General Staff was an institution whose rise and development gave the German armed forces a decided advantage over its adversaries. The Staff amounted to its best "weapon" for nearly a century and a half....
, and the year after he was promoted to Hauptmann
Hauptmann
Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies. While "haupt" in contemporary German means "main", it also has the dated meaning of "head", i.e...
.
World War I
In 1915 von Hanneken became OberleutnantOberleutnant
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...
and aide to a regiment in 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...
. In July 1916 von Hanneken was transferred to the 260th Reserve-Infantry-Regiment, where he was served as leader of the Machine Gun-Company.
Interbellum
After the war von Hanneken was in 1919 among the officers who joined the German ReichswehrReichswehr
The Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....
. Then he took a job in Reichwehr Ministry where he was the next year. Then from 1924 to 1927 he was transferred to Reichwaffenamt (materiel command). From 1927 he led troops as a company commander, and it continued until in 1930 where he was promoted to 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. ...
. Three years later he was again promoted to Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant is a German Army and Air Force rank equal to Lieutenant Colonel, above Major, and below Oberst.There are two paygrade associated to the rank of Oberstleutnant...
. From 1935 he had command of a regiment and was thus 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...
.
A year later, in 1936, he was transferred to Heereswaffenamt (materiel command), where he became Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
. On 3 July 1937, he became responsible for the purchase of iron and steel. On 1 September 1939 he was appointed Head of Section II (Industrial) in the ministry of commercial. In 1940 he received the position as vice Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
. That same year he was promoted to Generalleutnant and in 1941 he was the General der Infanterie
General of the Infantry (Germany)
General of the Infantry is a rank of general in the Imperial Army, Reichswehr or Wehrmacht - the second-highest regular rank. The same rank spread to the Imperial Russian Army and the Defence forces of Finland between the world wars...
.
World War II
After the outbreak of World War IIWorld 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...
a supply crisis in the iron and steel division cause him problems and only Hans Kehrl, could save him. Delivery time had increased dramatically because von Hanneken over a period of two years had approved supplies that exceeded the amount of iron and steel that could be delivered. Hans Kehrl said nothing about this in its public records, but his caseworker Arnold Köster did in return. Kehrl wrote in his memoirs that von Hanneken was not sufficiently decisive and was afraid of conflict.
von Hanneken was also responsible for addressing the issues of coal to the steel industry. So on 6 June 1941 he raised at the 11th meeting in Generalrat der Wirtschaft the problem that the demand for coal in the last four years had risen faster than supply. The European countries which were dependent on German coal only got 60% of the claimed amounts. From April 1941 domestic coal consumers had to accept a reduction of supplies of around 10%. This led to many closures of companies or reduction of operations. Domestic energy suppliers had to accept a reduction in coal consumption of 20%.
In March / April 1942 von Hanneken was denied responsibility for the distribution of iron and steel, which were transferred to the so-called central planning. As a result of further changes in the tasks of Section II largely transferred to other bodies so Hanneken went on holiday in August 1942 and left Section II in October.
On 12 October 1942 he took over the duties of commander of the German forces in Denmark. He was responsible for defending the invasion and took a tougher line against the Danish resistance movement
Danish resistance movement
The Danish resistance movement was an underground insurgency movement to resist the German occupation of Denmark during World War II. Due to the unusually lenient terms given to Danish people by the Nazi occupation authority, the movement was slower to develop effective tactics on a wide scale...
, which brought him into conflict with Werner Best
Werner Best
Dr. Werner Best was a German Nazi, jurist, police chief, SS-Obergruppenführer and Nazi Party leader from Darmstadt, Hesse. He studied law and in 1927 obtained his doctorate degree at Heidelberg...
.
On 29 August 1943 von Hanneken imposed martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
in Denmark. It was the result of growing unrest, strikes and sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
in the months ahead. Simultaneously, the Danish army and navy personnel was dissolved and interned. von Hanneke was made aware of but was not otherwise involved in the action against the Danish Jews
Rescue of the Danish Jews
The rescue of the Danish Jews occurred during Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark during World War II. On October 1st 1943 Nazi leader Adolf Hitler ordered Danish Jews to be arrested and deported...
in early October 1943 lead by Günther Pancke
Günther Pancke
Günther Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Pancke was an SS-Obergruppenführer and the Higher SS and Police Leader of Denmark....
. On 19 September 1944 he backed up on the dissolution of the Danish police
Deportation of the Danish police
During World War II, the Danish government choose to cooperate with the Nazi occupation force. Even though this applied to the Danish police as well, many were reluctant to cooperate...
.
In January 1945 he was released from his command and replaced by Georg Lindemann
Georg Lindemann
Georg Heinrich Lindemann was a German cavalry officer and field commander who served in the German army during World War I and World War II . He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
. He was accused of corruption and by the German National-martial sentenced 8 years imprisonment. He was however pardoned by Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, who thought that they could not afford the luxury to let von Hanneken sit in jail because he had carved a pair of furniture. Instead, von Hanneken was downgraded to Major and sent to the front. By the end of the war he came in American captivity. From there, he was extradited to Denmark, where in 1948 he was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment.
At the Court he was acquitted on 9 May 1949. He was expelled from Denmark and lived thereafter retracted until his death in 1981.