Generalmajor Bernhard von Loßberg (Generalmajor Bernhard von Lossberg)

SOME OF THE PRISONERS HELD AT
SPECIAL CAMP 11

This profile is based on a copy of Generalmajor von Loßberg’s microfilmed service record housed at the United States National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C. Supplementary sources are listed below

NAME: Generalmajor Bernhard Viktor Hans Wolfgang von Loßberg

PW NO: A938958

RANK: Generalmajor

CAPTURED: Neustadt / Holstein

DATE: 5th May 1945

PERSONAL
DATE OF BIRTH: 26 July 1899

PLACE OF BIRTH: Berlin-Wilmersdorf/Prussia

DATE OF DEATH: 15 March 1965

PLACE OF DEATH: Wiesbaden

NATIONALITY: German

RELIGION: Evangelical

OCCUPATION: Regular Soldier

HEIGHT:

WEIGHT:

NEXT OF KIN:

Parents: General der Infanterie a.D. Friedrich-Karl and Clemence (née Herwarth von Bittenfeld) von Loßberg. General von Loßberg last served as the Commander-in-Chief of Group Command 1 before retiring from the Army on 1 October 1926. He greatly distinguished himself during World War I receiving the Prussian Pour le Mérite Order (21 September 1916) with Oakleaves (24 April 1917) while serving as the Chief of the General Staff of the 2nd Army and, later, the 6th Army on the Western Front.

Wife: Married Ella Schmidt (born 12 January 1909) on 15 July 1934 in Berlin – two sons.

Account

A gifted staff officer of physically imposing size with a penchant for playing bridge, Generalmajor Bernhard von Loßberg played an important role planning Germany’s early campaigns as a member of the Armed Forces Operations Staff. Shortly after Hitler dismissed Generalfeldmarschall Walther von Brauchitsch from his post as Commander-in-Chief of the Army in December 1941, von Loßberg likewise incurred the Führer’s wrath. Incensed at his critical attitude regarding the command and control setup of the Armed Forces High Command, Hitler demanded the removal of von Loßberg from his headquarters staff. Despite his obvious operational talents, Generalmajor von Loßberg served out the rest of the war in a series of backwater posts.

Promotions:

Fahnenjunker: 19 July 1916
Fahnenjunker-Gefreiter: 30 August 1916
Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier: 11 November 1916
Fähnrich: 15 August 1917
Leutnant: 26 September 1917 (RDA later established at 1 August 1917 (12))
Oberleutnant: 1 April 1925 (576)
Hauptmann: 1 April 1933 (71)
Major: 1 August 1936 (76)
Oberstleutnant: 1 April 1939 (30a)
Oberst: 1 January 1942 (50)
Generalmajor: 1 September 1944 (3)

Commands & Assignments:

October 1906-Easter 1908: Attended Vorschule (Preschool) in Hannover.
Easter 1908-1910: Attended Gymnasium (High School) in Charlottenburg.
Easter 1910-Easter 1912: Attended the Conradinum Gymnasium in Danzig.
Easter 1912-Easter 1913: Attended Gymnasium in Eisenach.
Easter 1913-Easter 1916: Attended Gymnasium in Stuttgart.
19 July 1916: Entered the Army as a Fahnenjunker in the Replacement Battalion of the 2. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß.
19 July 1917: In the field with the 2nd Guard Regiment of Foot.
13 September 1917: Wounded.
15 December 1917-11 January 1918: Transferred to the Replacement Battalion of the 2nd Guard Regiment of Foot.
12 January 1918: In the field with the 2nd Guard Regiment of Foot.
28 March 1918: Wounded/treated at the front and remained with the troops.
7 April 1918: Wounded.
29 August 1918: Transferred to the staff of the General Quartermaster.
1 July 1919: Transferred to Reichswehr Infantry Regiment 30 of Reichswehr-Brigade 15.
10 October 1919: Transferred to Reichswehr Group Command 2
12 December 1919: Transferred to Reichswehr Infantry Regiment 115 of Reichswehr-Brigade 15 with effect from 1 October 1919.
1 October 1920: Transferred to the 5th (Prussian) Infantry Regiment upon the formation of the new Reichsheer from the Übergangsheer or Transitional Army.
1 November 1923: Leader of the Signals Platoon of the II. Battalion of the 5th (Prussian) Infantry Regiment.
16 February 1925-21 March 1925: Detached to a signals course with the 2nd (Prussian) Signals Battalion.
1 February 1926: Adjutant of the II. Battalion of the 5th (Prussian) Infantry Regiment.
3 October 1927-15 February 1928: Detached to the VI. Officers Weapons School Course at Dresden.
1 March 1929: Transferred to the staff of the Commandant of Berlin.
1 October 1930: Transferred to the staff of Group Command 1 and detached to the staff of the 3rd Division, Berlin.
1 October 1932: Transferred to the staff of Group Command 2 and detached to the staff of the Commandant of Berlin – duties determined by the Chief of the Troop Office.
1 October 1933: Transferred to the Army Department (T 1) of the Troop Office/Reich Defense Ministry; renamed the Reich War Ministry on 21 May 1935; renamed the 1st Department of the Army General Staff on 1 July 1935 – authorized to carry the Uniform of a Leadership Staff Officer. [This department was responsible for Army operational planning. As such, it handled all matters relating to the internal and external military situation, border defense, land fortifications, troop employment and organization, military transportation and military measurement, mapping and charting.]
6 October 1936: Chief of the 14th Company of Infantry Regiment 44 of the 11th Infantry Division.
1 July 1937: Transferred to the General Staff of the I Army Corps and appointed Chief Supply Officer (Ib).
1 November 1937: At the disposal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army (Special Staff Officer) – duties determined by the Chief of the Army General Staff.
1 April 1938: Transferred into the 4th Department of the Army General Staff.
15 August 1938: Detached to the Armed Forces High Command (Special Staff “W”). [Established on 27 July 1936 under Luftwaffe Generalleutnant Helmuth Wilberg, Special Staff “W” was charged with the recruitment of volunteers and the transportation of war equipment to General Francisco Franco’s Nationalist forces and, later, the German Condor Legion in Spain. Operations supervised by Special Staff “W” utilized the codename Operation “Feuerzauber” (“Magic Fire”). On 1 April 1937, Luftwaffe General der Flieger Karl Friedrich Schweickhard succeeded Wilberg as Commander of Special Staff “W” and held this post for the remainder of the Spanish Civil War.]
27 August 1938-20 September 1938: Service in the Spanish War Zone (traveled back and forth by air between Milan, Italy and Palma on the Spanish island of Mallorca).
10 November 1938: Placed at the disposal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army (Special Staff Officer) – duties determined by the Chief of the Armed Forces High Command (Special Staff “W”).
1 April 1939: First General Staff Officer of the Operations Branch of the National Defense Department (renamed Deputy Chief of the Armed Forces Operations Staff on 31 December 1941)/Armed Forces Operations Office (renamed Armed Forces Operations Staff on 8 August 1940)/Armed Forces High Command. [Then Oberstleutnant von Loßberg served under Oberst Walter Warlimont, the Chief of the National Defense Department (later Deputy Chief of the Armed Forces Operations Office/Staff).[1] Warlimont, in turn, reported to Generalmajor (later Generaloberst) Alfred Jodl, the Chief of the Armed Forces Operations Office/Staff. Oberstleutnant von Loßberg served as one of the key members of the Armed Forces Operations Office who worked closely with the special staff that planned Operation “Weserübung” (Weser Exercise), the German invasion of Denmark and Norway in April 1940.[2] Later that year, von Loßberg completed an operational study codenamed “Fritz” (named after his first son), one of several studies conceptualizing the invasion of the Soviet Union that ultimately evolved into Operation “Barbarossa.”]
2 January 1942: Detached to the General Staff of the Army High Command Norway (Generaloberst Nikolaus von Falkenhorst).
12 January 1942: Operations Officer (Ia) in the General Staff of the Army High Command Norway (Generaloberst Nikolaus von Falkenhorst). [An officer evaluation dated 1 March 1944 prepared by Generalleutnant Rudolf Bamler, the Chief of the General Staff of the Army High Command Norway, and endorsed by Generaloberst von Falkenhorst, assessed von Loßberg’s professional qualifications: An officer of the old Prussian mold, however possesess an open view for the requirements of the time. Ambitious. Not proven before the enemy [in World War II]. Very refined in word and writing. Above average operational gift. Outstanding duty achievements. Physically ponderous and handicapped by wounds and illness. Despite his physical impediments and a tendency to overestimate himself, Bamler recommended that von Loßberg be employed at the front to fill vacancies in the higher liaison staffs with Germany’s allied armies.]
5 May 1944: Army High Command Leader Reserve – duties determined by the Army Personnel Office (P 3).
15 June 1944: Chief of the General Staff of the Special Representative for the Danube River (Generaladmiral Wilhelm Marschall).
1 November 1944: Army High Command Leader Reserve – duties determined by the Chief of the Army Personnel Office (P 1).
10 January 1945: Chief of the General Staff of the Deputy Commanding General of the VIII Army Corps and Commander of Wehrkreis VIII, Breslau (General der Kavallerie Rudolf Koch-Erpach). [This military district ceased operations in February 1945 as most of its territory had been overrun by the Russians. After flying out of the encircled city of Breslau in mid-February 1945, the bulk of Koch-Erpach’s headquarters staff formed the LVI Panzer Corps in early March. On 10 March 1945, Oberstleutnant Theoderich von Dufving succeeded Generalmajor von Loßberg as the corps chief of staff.[3] On 12 April 1945, General der Artillerie Helmuth Weidling replaced Koch-Erpach as the Commanding General of the LVI Panzer Corps. Weidling later served as the Battle Commandant of Berlin as well.]
10 March 1945-8 May 1945: Army High Command Leader Reserve.
26th July 1946 transferred to LDC (London District Cage) and repatriated
1949: Published Im Wehrmachtführungsstab: Bericht eines Generalstabsoffiziers (In the Armed Forces Operations Staff: Report of a General Staff Officer).

Decorations & Awards:

Prussian Iron Cross, 1st Class (1914): 16 April 1918.
Prussian Iron Cross, 2nd Class (1914) 21 September 1917.
1939 Bar to the Prussian Iron Cross, 1st Class
1939 Bar to the Prussian Iron Cross, 2nd Class
Lübeck Hanseatic Cross
Cross of Honor for Combatants 1914-1918: 5 December 1934.
Armed Forces Long Service Award, 2nd Class (18-year Service Cross): 2 October 1936.
Armed Forces Long Service Award, 4th Class (4-year Service Medal): 2 October 1936.
Commemorative Medal of 1 October 1938
German Spanish Cross in Silver without Swords: 6 June 1939.
Spanish White Military Merit Cross, 3rd Class (La Cruz Blanca del Mérito Militar de 3a clase): 12 April 1939.
Wound Badge in Silver - World War I award
Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty, 1st Class with Swords: 25 March 1942.

Generalmajor von Loßberg’s World War I Combat Service Record:

Eastern Front, 1917

21-28 July 1917: Pursuit action in Eastern Galicia.
29 July 1917-9 August 1917: Positional combat on the Sereth River.
1-5 September 1917: Battle of Riga.
6-13 September 1917: Positional combat north of the Düna River (wounded).

Western Front, 1918

21 March 1918-6 April 1918: Great Battle in France (“Ludendorff Offensive”).
21-22 March 1918: Breakthrough battle at St. Quentin—La Fère.
23-24 March 1918: Combat at the crossing over the Somme and the Crozat Canal between St. Christ and Tergnier.
25-31 March 1918: Pursuit action to Montdidier—Noyon.
7 April 1918: Combat on the Avre and at Montdidier—Noyon (wounded).

Supplemental Sources:

Bender, Roger James. Uniforms, Organization and History Legion Condor. R. James Bender Publishing, San Jose, California, 1992 (1st Edition).
Knappe, Siegfried with Brusaw, Ted. Soldat: Reflections of a German Soldier, 1936-1949. Dell Publishing, New York, New York, 1993.
Loßberg, Bernhard von. Im Wehrmachtführungsstab: Bericht eines Generalstabsoffiziers. H.H. Nölke Verlag, Hamburg, Germany, 1949 (second edition, May 1950).
Mehner, Kurt. Die deutsche Wehrmacht 1939-1945: Führung und Truppe. Militair-Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, Germany, 1993.
Mitcham, Samuel W. Jr. & Mueller, Gene. Hitler’s Commanders. Scarborough House, Lanham, Maryland, 1992.
Taylor, Telford. The March of Conquest: The German Victories in Western Europe, 1940. Simon and Schuster, Inc., New York, New York, 1958.

[1] Ultimately promoted to the rank of General der Artillerie, Walter Warlimont continued to serve as Deputy Chief of the Armed Forces Operations Staff until September 1944 when he went on sick leave following injuries received during the 20 July 1944 assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler.

[2] Under the direct charge of Generaloberst Wilhelm Keitel, the Chief of the Armed Forces High Command, and supervised by Generalmajor Alfred Jodl, Oberst Walter Warlimont headed the “Weserübung” planning staff. The staff was originally composed of three service-specific groups headed by Kapitän zur See Theodor Krancke of the Kriegsmarine, Oberst Dr. Robert Knauss of the Luftwaffe, and Oberstleutnant Eyk von Tippelskirch of the Army. After being tapped to command “Weserübung,” General der Infanterie Nikolaus von Falkenhorst, the Commanding General of the XXI Army Corps (designated Army Group XXI for the operation), joined the planning staff along with his chief of staff, Oberst Erich Buschenhagen, and a few other select members of his corps staff. Note: Achieving the rank of Admiral, Theodor Krancke was held for a time as a prisoner of war at Island Farm Special Camp 11 after the war.

[3] For further reading on Generalmajor Bernhard von Loßberg during this period, refer to the excellent memoir Soldat: Reflections of a German Soldier, 1936-1949 by Siegfried Knappe with Ted Brusaw. Major Knappe served as Generalmajor von Loßberg’s Operations Officer (Ia) from February-March 1945. Knappe retained this position in the General Staff of the LVI Panzer Corps and passed into Russian captivity when General der Artillerie Weidling surrendered Berlin on 2 May 1945.

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