Karl-Adolf Hollidt
Encyclopedia
Karl-Adolf Hollidt was a German
commander during the Second World War.
. After finishing school in 1909, he enlisted into an infantry regiment (No.117) in whose third company he was appointed Second Lieutenant in 1910.
. Over the course of the war he received a total of two promotions: to First Lieutenant in 1915 and in 1918 to the rank of Captain. He was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class
on September 9, 1914 and the Iron Cross 1st Class
on October 18, 1916.
. After his appointment as Major-General on April 1, 1938, Hollidt was active as an infantry commander in Siegen. He also commanded Infantry Regiments No. 57, 116 and 136.
. Lieutenant General Hollidt (promoted April 1, 1940) served from October, 1940 as the commander of the 50th Infantry Division in Greece
. Promoted to the rank of General der Infanterie (Infantry General), Hollidt commanded XVII Army Corps which was planned to take part in the relief operation concerning the 6th Army, then encircled in the Russian city of Stalingrad. After the surrender of the 6th Army, 6th was reconstituted in March, 1943 and Hollidt was given its command. He was promoted to Colonel General on 1 September 1943.
In 1944, his 6th Army suffered severe losses during its retreat from its area of operations north of the Dnieper. Hollidt was subsequently dismissed from his command and put into reserve.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
commander during the Second World War.
Early life
His father was a local secondary school teacher and he was educated in his hometown of SpeyerSpeyer
Speyer is a city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located beside the river Rhine, Speyer is 25 km south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Founded by the Romans, it is one of Germany's oldest cities...
. After finishing school in 1909, he enlisted into an infantry regiment (No.117) in whose third company he was appointed Second Lieutenant in 1910.
World War I
During the First World War, Hollidt served on the Western FrontWestern Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
. Over the course of the war he received a total of two promotions: to First Lieutenant in 1915 and in 1918 to the rank of Captain. He was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class
Iron Cross
The 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....
on September 9, 1914 and the Iron Cross 1st Class
Iron Cross
The 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....
on October 18, 1916.
Time after World War I
After several promotions, to the rank of Major on February 1, 1930 and to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel on February 1, 1933, he served as a battalion commander in Infantry Regiment No. 12 in Dessau. Hollidt next served as a Colonel (in the General Staff) in 1935 and as a Chief-of-Staff of the 1st Army Corps in KönigsbergKönigsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
. After his appointment as Major-General on April 1, 1938, Hollidt was active as an infantry commander in Siegen. He also commanded Infantry Regiments No. 57, 116 and 136.
The Second World War
At the beginning of World War Two, Hollidt served as a commander of the 52nd Infantry Division. From November 1, 1939, he served as a Chief-of-Staff with Commander-in-Chief Ost, General BlaskowitzJohannes Blaskowitz
Johannes Albrecht Blaskowitz was a German general during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords...
. Lieutenant General Hollidt (promoted April 1, 1940) served from October, 1940 as the commander of the 50th Infantry Division in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Promoted to the rank of General der Infanterie (Infantry General), Hollidt commanded XVII Army Corps which was planned to take part in the relief operation concerning the 6th Army, then encircled in the Russian city of Stalingrad. After the surrender of the 6th Army, 6th was reconstituted in March, 1943 and Hollidt was given its command. He was promoted to Colonel General on 1 September 1943.
In 1944, his 6th Army suffered severe losses during its retreat from its area of operations north of the Dnieper. Hollidt was subsequently dismissed from his command and put into reserve.
Post-War
In 1945, Hollidt was captured by US forces. After a trial held at Nuremberg, he was convicted of the unlawful use of prisoners of war and of the deportation and enslavement of civilians. He was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment, of which he served a little less than 14 months (from October 27, 1948 until his release on December 22, 1949). He died in 1985 in Siegen en was interred in his birthplace of Speyer.Awards and decorations
- 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 (September 9, 1914)
- 1st Class (October 18, 1916)
- 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
- 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...
- 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 (May 30, 1940)
- 1st Class (June 7, 1940)
- 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...
- Crimea ShieldCrimea ShieldThe Crimea Shield was awarded to German soldiers under the command of Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein who fought and conquered Crimea in between September 1941 and July 1942....
- Order of Michael the BraveOrder of Michael the BraveThe Order of Michael the Brave is Romania's highest military decoration, instituted by King Ferdinand I during the early stages of the Romanian Campaign of World War I, and was again awarded in World War II...
3rd Class (September 19, 1942) - 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...
- Knight's Cross on 8 September 1941 as Lieutenant General and commander of 50. Infanterie-Division
- 239th Oak Leaves on May 17, 1943 as General der InfanterieGeneral 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...
and commander of 6th Army
- Mentioned in the WehrmachtberichtWehrmachtberichtThe Wehrmachtbericht was a daily radio report on the Großdeutscher Rundfunk of Nazi Germany, published by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht regarding the military situation on all fronts of World War II....
(August 4, 1943)
External links
- http://wp39.pl/karl-adolf-hollidt (Polish translated version)
- http://www.generals.dk/general/Hollidt/Karl_Adolf/Germany.html