Heinrich Eberbach

Heinrich Eberbach
Eberbach as an Oberst in the Panzerwaffe.
Born	(1895-11-24)24 November 1895 Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg, German Empire
Died	Notzingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1914–20, 1935–45
Rank	General der Panzertruppe
Commands held	Panzer-Regiment 35 5. Panzer-Brigade
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Other work	Polizei (1920–35)

Heinrich Kurt Alfons Willy Eberbach (24 November 1895 – 13 July 1992) was a German General der Panzertruppen in the German Army of World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Early life and career

Eberbach was born on 24 November 1895 in Stuttgart, at the time the capital of the Kingdom of Württemberg in the German Empire. His father, a merchant, died when he was six years old. Subsequently his mother raised him and the other four children by herself. From Easter 1911 onwards, Eberbach attended the Oberrealschule, a secondary school, in Stuttgart and graduated with his Abitur (diploma) on 30 June 1914. During late 1914 Eberbach fought in France as a corporal, and by February 1915 he was promoted to Lieutenant. During 1915 he was wounded twice in France, lost his nose due to a French bullet (a rubber replacement was made) and was captured by the French. In December 1916 he was exchanged for a French prisoner and by 1918 he was posted to Palestine. As he spoke the Turkish language, he served on the staff of the Turkish Eighth Army.

Interwar period

During the 1920s Eberbach was an officer in the civilian police in Württemberg and in 1935 joined the German army (Heer). In 1937 he was promoted to Oberstleutnant and in 1938 be became commander of Panzer-Regiment 35, part of the newly formed 4.Panzer-Division under Generalmajor Georg-Hans Reinhardt in Bamberg.

World War II

Eberbach participated in the German Invasion of Poland in September 1939 by leading his Panzer-Regiment 35 into battles near Łódź and into Warsaw.

In 1940, he commanded Panzer-Regiment 35 in the Battle of France. His force supported General Manteuffel's offensive across the Meuse River in May; in June they swept across France to Lyon.

Eberbach was still in command of Panzer-Regiment 35 at the start of the June 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union, being promoted six weeks later to commander of the 5.Panzer-Brigade in Generaloberst Guderian's XXIV.Panzer-Korps. By March 1942 he had been promoted to Major General and made commander of the 4.Panzer-Division, in the German lines opposite the Russian town of Sukhinichi, roughly 120 miles west of Tula.

Heinrich Eberbach's uniform (Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster)

In late November 1942 Eberbach was appointed commander of the XLVIII.Panzer-Korps, the battered armored formation that had just been overrun and pushed aside in the initial days of Operation Uranus. Eberbach was soon wounded and evacuated, remaining hospitalized until February. He then became Inspector of the Armored Troops in the Home Army, was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and promoted to Lieutenant General.

In November 1943 Eberbach became commander of troops around Nikopol and fought in battles around Zhitomir in the Soviet Union. In December he incurred a kidney illness and was later made Inspector of Panzer Troops.

In early 1944 Eberbach was promoted to the rank of General der Panzertruppen. During the Normandy invasion, he fought against the British landings along the 'Juno' and 'Sword' beaches. On 2 July he took command of "Panzer Group West" (5th Panzer Army) when Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg was wounded. On 9 August, this force was divided, with 5th Panzer Army retreating with the most damaged units; the effective units were reorganized as Panzergruppe Eberbach.

Eberbach was directed to lead this force in the counterattack through Mortain toward Avranches that was intended to cut off the Allied forces which had broken out of Normandy. He had no confidence in this attack.

"On or about 1 Aug 44, Gen Warlimont, of OKW, arrived at my headquarters to get a closer view of the situation ... I told him I considered it [the Mortain attack] hopeless because enemy air forces would soon stop the attack ... I further said that in my opinion the only possible solution was an immediate retreat to the Seine-Yonne line." However, Warlimont denied Eberbach's request to withdraw, and instead confirmed the order to attack.

The attack failed, and most of Panzergruppe Eberbach and 7.Armee was surrounded and destroyed in the Falaise Pocket. Eberbach escaped and was given command of the remnants of 7.Armee on 21 August. On 31 August while out on a reconnaissance patrol, Eberbach was captured by British troops at Amiens.

Post World War II

At Trent Park POW camp.

Eberbach was held in a prisoner-of-war camp until 1948 and shortly thereafter he became the director of a Protestant charity. During the early 1950s he was active in advising on the redevelopment of the German army: Bundeswehr (see Searle's Wehrmacht Generals).

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (12 October 1914)
  • 1st Class (10 November 1917)
• Wound Badge (1914) in Black (1915)
• Friedrich Order 3 B with Swords (8 June 1917)
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award 2nd Class (2 October 1936)
• The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (1937)
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (23 September 1939)
  • 1st Class (2 October 1939)
• Panzer Badge in Silver (20 June 1940)
• Eastern Front Medal (14 August 1942)
• Honour Roll Clasp of the Army (8 December 1941)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 4 July 1940 as Oberstleutnant and commander of Panzer-Regiment 35
  • 42nd Oak Leaves on 31 December 1941 as Oberst and commander of the 5. Panzer-Brigade

Promotions

9 October 1914:	Fahnenjunker-Gefreiter
17 October 1914:	Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier
17 October 1914:	Fähnrich
25 February 1915:	Leutnant (Second Lieutenant) with patent dated 23 June 1913
18 October 1918:	Oberleutnant (First Lieutenant)
13 December 1919:	Polizei-Oberleutnant (First Lieutenant)
30 January 1920:	Polizeiwehr-Oberleutnant (First Lieutenant)
18 February 1921:	Polizei-Oberleutnant (First Lieutenant)
1 March 1921:	Polizei-Hauptmann (Captain)
1 June 1933:	Polizei-Major (Major)
1 August 1935:	Major (Major) effective as of 1 January 1935
30 September 1937:	Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel) effective as of 1 October 1937
14 August 1940:	Oberst (Colonel) effective as of 1 August 1940
28 February 1942:	Generalmajor (Brigadier General) effective as of 1 March 1942
8 April 1942:	Generalmajor (Brigadier General) rank age of 1 April 1942
18 December 1943:	Generalleutnant (Major General) effective as of 1 January 1943
8 August 1943:	General der Panzertruppe (Lieutenant General) effective as of 1 August 1943

References

Bibliography

• Battle of the Falaise Gap, G. Florenton, Hawthron Books, 1967.
• Battle Group! German Kampfgruppen Action of WWII, James Lucas, Arms & Armour Press, 1993.
• Bravery in Battle, D. Eshel, ppg. 47-48.
• Hitler's Commanders, James Lucas, 2000.
• Panzers in Normandy: General Hans Eberbach and the German Defense of France, 1944, Samuel Mitchem, 2009.
• Panzer: A Revolution In Warfare, Roger Edwards.
• Searle, Alaric (2003). Wehrmacht Generals, West German Society, and the Debate on Rearmament, 1949-1959, Praeger Pub.

External links

• Heinrich Eberbach at the Lexicon der Wehrmacht
• Heinrich Eberbach @ ISLAND FARM PRISONER OF WAR CAMP: 198 / Special Camp: XI

Military offices
Preceded by General der Panzertruppen Willibald Freiherr von Langermann und Erlencamp	Commander of 4. Panzer-Division 6 January 1942 – 2 March 1942	Succeeded by Generalleutnant Otto Heidkämper
Preceded by Generalleutnant Otto Heidkämper	Commander of 4. Panzer-Division 4 April 1942 – 14 November 1942	Succeeded by Generalleutnant Erich Schneider
Preceded by General der Panzertruppen Hans Cramer	Commander of XLVIII Panzer Corps 26 November 1942 – 30 November 1942	Succeeded by General der Panzertruppen Otto von Knobelsdorff
Preceded by General der Infanterie Dietrich von Choltitz	Commander of XLVIII Panzer Corps 22 October 1943 – 14 November 1943	Succeeded by General der Panzertruppen Hermann Balck
Preceded by Waffen SS General Paul Hausser	Commander of 7. Armee 21 August 1944 – 30 August 1944	Succeeded by General Erich Brandenberger