Bruno Ritter von Hauenschild

Bruno Ritter von Hauenschild
Born	9 June 1896 Würzburg
Died	10 March 1953 (aged 56) Munich
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Rank	Generalleutnant
Commands held	24.Panzer-Division
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Bruno Ritter von Hauenschild^{[Note 1]} (9 June 1896 – 10 March 1953), born Bruno Hauenschild, was a general in the German Army.

Career

Shortly after Germany entered World War I, Hauenschild served as a cadet with the Bavarian 11th Field Artillery Regiment. For his achievements in the First World War, Hauenschild was awarded Bavaria's Military Order of Max Joseph. This award made Hauenschild a Knight (Ritter) and allowed him to add both this honorific title and the style "von" to his name. At the beginning of World War II, Hauenschild rejoined the army as an officer.

On 25 August 1941, as a Colonel (Oberst) in the 4th Panzer Brigade, he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. From 15 April to 12 September 1942, general Ritter von Hauenschild commanded the 24th Armored Division. On 17 September 1942, he received Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. In 1943, Ritter von Hauenschild was given command of the schools for armored troops.

Defense of Berlin On 26 January 1945, Ritter von Hauenschild was given command of the III Military District (Wehrkreis III or III Corps Area) headquartered in Berlin. He was responsible for the territories of Altmark, Neumark, and Brandenburg. Ritter von Hauenschild commanded the III Military District until 15 March. He was preceded as commander of the III Military District by Infantry General (General der Infanterie) Joachim von Kortzfleisch. Ritter von Hauenschild was followed by Pioneer General (General der Pionere) Walter Kuntze.

As the Red Army approached Berlin, Ritter von Hauenschild was also given command of the Berlin Defense Area. He was given this command in mid-April, prior to the actual start of the Battle for Berlin. Ritter von Hauenschild was relieved of command of the Berlin Defense Area on 6 March. He was replaced by Lieutenant-General (Generalleutnant) Helmuth Reymann.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (21 May 1915)^[1]
  • 1st Class (6 December 1917)^[1]
• Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords
• Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Max Joseph (2 September 1918)^[1]
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (24 September 1939)^[1]
  • 1st Class (19 October 1939)^[1]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 25 August 1941 as Oberst and commander of 4. Panzer-Brigade^[2]
  • 129th Oak Leaves on 27 September 1942 as Generalmajor and commander of 24. Panzer-Division^[3]

Notes

1. Regarding personal names: Ritter was a title before 1919, but now is regarded as part of the surname. It is translated as Knight. Before the August 1919 abolition of nobility as a legal class, titles preceded the full name when given (Graf Helmuth James von Moltke). Since 1919, these titles, along with any nobiliary prefix (von, zu, etc.), can be used, but are regarded as a dependent part of the surname, and thus come after any given names (Helmuth James Graf von Moltke). Titles and all dependent parts of surnames are ignored in alphabetical sorting. There is no equivalent feminine form.

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1997, p. 253.
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 179.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 55.

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [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.
• 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 (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.