Karl-Adolf Hollidt

Karl-Adolf Hollidt
Born	25 April 1891 Speyer, Bavarian Rheinkreis, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire
Died	22 May 1985 (1985-05-23) (aged 94) Siegen, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1909–1945
Rank	Generaloberst
Commands held	6. Armee
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Karl-Adolf Hollidt (Speyer, 28 April 1891 – Siegen, 22 May 1985) was a German army general and commander during the Second World War.

Early life

His father was a local secondary school teacher and he was educated in his hometown of Speyer. 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 Front. Over the course of the war he received two promotions: to First Lieutenant in 1915 and in 1918 to the rank of Captain. He was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class on 9 September 1914 and the Iron Cross 1st Class on 18 October 1916.

Time after World War I

After several promotions, to the rank of Major on 1 February 1930, and to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel on 1 February 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 Königsberg. After his appointment as Major-General on 1 April 1938, Hollidt was active as an infantry commander in Siegen. He also commanded Infantry Regiments No. 57, 116 and 136.

World War II

At the beginning of World War II, Hollidt served as commander of the 52nd Infantry Division. From 1 November 1939, he served as a Chief-of-Staff with Commander-in-Chief Ost, General Blaskowitz. Lieutenant General Hollidt (promoted 1 April 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, it 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 27 October 1948 until his release on 22 December 1949). He died in 1985 in Siegen and was interred in his birthplace of Speyer.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (9 September 1914)
  • 1st Class (18 October 1916)
• Wound Badge (1914)
  • in Black
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (30 May 1940)
  • 1st Class (7 June 1940)
• Eastern Front Medal
• Crimea Shield
• Order of Michael the Brave, 3rd Class (September 19, 1942)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 8 September 1941 as Generalleutnant and commander of 50. Infanterie-Division
  • 239th Oak Leaves on 17 May 1943 as General der Infanterie and commander of 6th Army
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (4 August 1943)

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
4 August 1943	In der Schlacht am Mius haben Infanterie- und Panzerverbände des Heeres und der Waffen-SS unter Führung des Generalfeldmarschalls von Manstein und des Generals der Infanterie Hollidt mit vorbildlicher Unterstützung der von General der Flieger Deßloch geführten Luftwaffenverbände wiederholt Durchbruchsversuche starker feindlicher Kräfte vereitelt und im schwungvollen Gegenangriff den nördlich Kuibyschewo eingebrochenen Feind geschlagen.	In the Battle at the Mius, infantry and tank units of the Army and Waffen-SS under the command of Field Marshal von Manstein and General of Infantry Hollidt with exemplary support of Luftwaffe units led by General of the Flyers Deßloch, have repeatedly thwarted attempts of strong enemy forces to break through, and in a bold counter-attack struck the north Kuibyschewo broken through enemy.