SOME OF THE PRISONERS HELD AT
SPECIAL CAMP 11

NAME: Generalleutnant Hans-Georg Hildebrandt

PW NO: 209214

RANK: Generalleutnant

CAPTURED: Garda-Lee, Italy

DATE: 2nd May 1945

PERSONAL
DATE OF BIRTH: 15 June 1896

PLACE OF BIRTH: Fraustadt/Schlesien

DATE OF DEATH: 31 January 1967

PLACE OF DEATH: Frankfurt am Main

NATIONALITY: German

RELIGION: Evangelical

OCCUPATION: Regular Soldier

HEIGHT: 5'8"

WEIGHT: Unknown

HAIR COLOUR: Grey

EYE COLOUR: Blue

NEXT OF KIN: Annemarie Fleck, (French Zone)

Promotions:

Fähnrich: 10 August 1914 (Z9z)
Leutnant: 14 October 1914 – Patent 18 February 1915; Patent later changed to 1 September 1915 (190)
Oberleutnant: 31 July 1915 – RDA 1 April 1925 (157)
Hauptmann: 1 January 1931 (1)
Major: 1 December 1935 (66) – RDA later changed to 1 November 1935 (40b)
Oberstleutnant: 1 October 1938 (9) – RDA later 1 October 1937 (33a)
Oberst: 1 October 1940 (8) – RDA later changed to 1 April 1940 (52a)
Generalmajor: 1 March 1943 (14)
Generalleutnant: 20 August 1944 – RDA 1 June 1944 (3a)

Commands & Assignments:

10 August 1914: Entered the Army as a Fähnrich in the Füsilier-Regiment General-Feldmarschall Graf Blumenthal (1. Magdeburgisches) Nr.36 after passing out from the Prussian Cadet Corps.
21 December 1914: Adjutant of the III. Battalion of Fusilier Regiment 36.
5 December 1915: Transferred to the Replacement Battalion of Fusilier Regiment 36.
3 January 1916: Adjutant of the Recruit Battalion of the 113th Infantry Division.
29 February 1916-21 April 1916: At the same time, detached as an Ordonnanz-Offizier to the 225th Infantry Brigade.
27 July 1916: Leader of the 13th Company of Fusilier Regiment 36.
20 August 1916: Assistant Signals Officer on the staff of the 225th Infantry Brigade.
20 May 1917: Transferred to Telephone Construction Platoon 837 and detached to the Signals School at Spandau-Ruhleben.
1 July 1917: Leader of Telephone Construction Platoon 995.
10 October 1917: Commander of Telephone Battalion 207.
15 June 1918: Detached as a Technical Instructor to the Reserve Officer Course at Floresse near Namur.
4 September 1918: Detached as Technical Leader to the Fähnrich Course at Floresse near Namur.
17 November 1918: Transferred to the Guard Signals Battalion.
7 January 1919: Commander of the Telephone Battalion of Freikorps “Hülsen.” [Like other Freikorps units, this volunteer organization, commanded by Generalleutnant Walter von Hülsen, took part in defeating Communist uprisings and maintaining law and order throughout Germany in the aftermath of World War I.]
1 May 1919: Leader of Telephone Battalion 203.
1 May 1920: Adjutant of Signals Battalion 3.
1 October 1920: Transferred to Brigade Motorized Battalion 15 and detached to Brigade Motorized Battalion 8.
1 January 1921: Transferred to the 3rd (Prussian) Motorized Battalion upon the formation of the new Reichsheer from the Übergangsheer or Transitional Army.
31 May 1921: Transferred to the Motorized Personnel of the 3rd (Prussian) Medical Battalion.
5 July 1921: Returned to the 3rd (Prussian) Motorized Battalion.
1 October 1922: Adjutant of the 3rd (Prussian) Motorized Battalion.
1 April 1924: Transferred to the 7th (Prussian) Reiter [Mounted]-Regiment and detached to the staff of Group Command 1.
2 October 1925-15 February 1926: Detached to the Weapons School Course in Dresden.
1 April 1927: Detached to the 9th (Prussian) Infantry Regiment.
1 October 1927: Detached for Leader Assistant training with the staff of the 1st Division.
1 June 1928-30 September 1928: At the same time, detached to the 3rd (Prussian) Artillery Regiment.
1 July 1929-25 September 1929: At the same time, detached to the 4th (Saxon) Signals Battalion.
1 October 1929: Transferred to the 2nd (Prussian) Artillery Regiment.
1 October 1930: Detached to the 9th (Prussian) Infantry Regiment and to the Reich Archive.
1 February 1931: Chief of the 1st Company of the 1st (Prussian) Motorized Battalion.
1 October 1934: Transferred to the staff of the Königsberg Reichswehr Central Military Staff.
1 May 1935: Transferred to the General Staff of the Königsberg Regional Recruitment Inspectorate.
2 July 1936: Operations Officer (Ia) in the General Staff of the 1st Panzer Division, Weimar.
21 February 1938: Detached to the General Staff of Group Command 4.
10 November 1938: Operations Officer (Ia) in the General Staff of the XIV Army Corps (Motorized). [Commanded by General der Infanterie Gustav von Wietersheim, the corps took part in the invasion of Poland in September 1939 and the invasion of France and the Low Countries in May-June 1940.]
20 September 1940: Chief of the General Staff of the XXXIX Army Corps (Motorized); redesignated the XXXIX Panzer Corps on 9 July 1942. [Concentrated in southern France, General der Panzertruppe Rudolf Schmidt’s XXXIX Army Corps (Motorized) was held in readiness for a supporting role in Operation “Felix,” the proposed German assault on Gibraltar.[1] In May 1941, the corps transferred to East Prussia in preparation for Operation “Barbarossa,” the invasion of the Soviet Union. Jumping off on 22 June 1941, the corps took part in the initial drive across central Russia under Army Group Center. Transferred to Army Group North in late-August 1941, Schmidt’s corps participated in the encirclement of Leningrad before establishing itself along the Volkhov River. Two days after Schmidt’s troops had captured Tikhvin on 9 November 1941, Generalleutnant (later General der Panzertruppe) Hans-Jürgen von Arnim assumed leadership of the corps.[2] Forced back to the Volkhov under pressure from a fierce Russian counteroffensive, the XXXIX Army Corps (Motorized) continued to cling to its positions throughout the winter. After being withdrawn from the Volkhov front, the corps punched through the Russian lines and relieved the encircled German garrison at Cholm in early May 1942. Led by Generalmajor Theodor Scherer, commander of the 281st Security Division, the 5,000-man garrison had been cut off and under siege since January of that year.]

Commanding Generals of the XXXIX Army Corps (Motorized),
later XXXIX Panzer Corps, 1940-1942


Generaloberst Hans-Jürgen von Arnim (Photo courtesy of Mississippi Armed Forces Museum, Camp Shelby)	Generaloberst Rudolf Schmidt

29 September 1942: Army High Command Leader Reserve.
1 January 1943: Delegated with the leadership of the 21st Panzer Division in North Africa. [Oberst Hildebrandt assumed leadership of the 21st Panzer Division following the death of the commander, Generalmajor Heinz von Randow, by a British mine near Tripoli on 21 December 1942. From 14-15 February 1943, the 21st Panzer Division along with Generalmajor (later Generalleutnant) Friedrich (Fritz) Freiherr von Broich’s 10th Panzer Division, savaged the U.S. 1st Armored Division at the Battle of Sidi bou Zid inflicting over 1,600 casualties and destroying almost 100 tanks and 29 artillery pieces.[3] Jumping off from Sbeïtla, the 10th and 21st Panzer Divisions renewed the German offensive and, from 19-22 February 1943, engaged in the Battle of Kasserine Pass. As the 10th Panzer Division moved in two columns toward Thala and Tébessa (Algeria) via the Kasserine Pass, Hildebrandt’s division advanced north along Highway 71 toward Le Kef. However, strong Allied reserves finally halted the advance and turned the tide against the German offensive. After falling ill, Hildebrandt was succeeded by Oberst (later Generalmajor) Heinrich-Hermann von Hülsen who led the division until surrendering it to the British in Tunisia on 13 May 1943.]
1 March 1943: Commander of the 21st Panzer Division in North Africa.
1 March 1943-15 March 1943: Sick leave.
15 March 1943: Army High Command Leader Reserve.
24 August 1943: Detached to the Army High Command/assigned to the General Quartermaster to perform a special duty assignment.
1 November 1943: At the disposal of the Inspector General of Panzer Troops – Instructor at the Panzer Troop School.
15 January 1944: Commander of the 715th Infantry Division in Italy.
18 September 1944: Army High Command Leader Reserve – sick.
1 October 1944-30 April 1945: Commander of the German Liaison Staff 182 assigned to the Italian Social Republic’s 3rd Marine Infantry Division “San Marco.” [Commanded by Generale di Divisione Amilcare Farina, the division served as a component of General der Artillerie Kurt Jahn’s Lombardy Corps in Italy.[4] During its existence from 1 September 1944-1 May 1945, the Italo-German Lombardy Corps served alternately under Maresciallo d’Italia Rudolfo Graziani’s Ligurian Army and the German 14th Army.]
3 May 1945-1 November 1947: Prisoner of war in British captivity.
- 10th June 1947 transferred from Rimini to Island Farm Special Camp 11
- 1st October 1947 transferred to Camp 186
- 2nd October 1947 repatriated

Decorations & Awards:

German Cross in Gold: 26 January 1942, Oberst i.G., Chief of the General Staff of the XXXIX Army Corps (Motorized).
Prussian Iron Cross, 1st Class (1914) with 1939 Bar
Prussian Iron Cross, 2nd Class (1914) with 1939 Bar
Medal for the Winter Campaign in Russia 1941/1942 (“East Medal”)
Bavarian Military Merit Order, 4th Class with Swords
Cross of Honor for Combatants 1914-1918
Armed Forces Long Service Award, 1st Class (25-year Service Cross)
Armed Forces Long Service Award, 3rd Class (12-year Service Medal)

Sources:

Atkinson, Rick. An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943. Henry Holt and Company, Inc., New York, New York, 2002.
Bender, Roger James & Odegard, Warren W. Uniforms, Organization and History of the Panzertruppe. R. James Bender Publishing, San Jose, California, 1980 (1st Edition).
Bradley, Dermot; Hildebrand, Karl-Friedrich; Brockmann, Markus. Die Generale des Heeres, 1921-1945, Band 5 (v. Haack-Hitzfeld). Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück, Germany, 1999.
Burdick, Charles B. Germany’s Military Strategy and Spain in World War II. Syracuse University Press, New York, 1968.
Haupt, Werner. Army Group North: The Wehrmacht in Russia 1941-1945. Joseph G. Welsh, translator. Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania, 1997.
German Army Kriegsgliederung (Order of Battle), 1 September 1939-30 April 1945.

[1] As originally planned, Generalfeldmarschall Walter Reichenau’s 6th Army would exercise operational control of Operation “Felix.” General der Infanterie Ludwig Kübler’s XXXXIX Mountain Army Corps would control the attack on the fortress of Gibraltar itself. In conjunction with heavy Luftwaffe support, the massed fire of over 200 heavy artillery pieces and Nebelwerfers, and 150 “Brandenburg” special operations troops, Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 98 and Infantry Regiment “Großdeutschland” would attack from La Linea across the 1,450 meter-long Neutral Ground and assault the southwest corner of the Rock after a reinforced pioneer unit seized and cleared the area in front of it. Concurrently, General der Panzertruppe Schmidt’s XXXIX Army Corps (Motorized) of three divisions (SS-Totenkopf-Division, 16th Panzer Division, and 16th Motorized Infantry Division) would provide flank protection against possible British amphibious landings in Spain or Portugal. However, the refusal of General Francisco Franco to commit Spain to war by allowing German troops access to his country caused Hitler to effectively cancel Operation “Felix” on 11 December 1940. Although the Gibraltar plan was resurrected under the codename “Felix-Heinrich” in March 1941, the plan again died from lack of Spanish support.

[2] Attaining the rank of Generaloberst, Rudolf Schmidt commanded the 2nd Army and then the 2nd Panzer Army on the Eastern Front until retiring on 30 September 1943. Likewise achieving the rank of Generaloberst, Hans-Jürgen von Arnim transferred to North Africa in December 1942 where he took command of the 5th Panzer Army. On 9 March 1943, he succeeded Generafeldmarschall Erwin Rommel as Commander-in-Chief of Army Group Afrika and was thus fated to surrender the Axis forces in Tunisia two months later. He was held as a prisoner of war from 12 May 1943-1 July 1947.

[3] The remnants of the 10th Panzer Division continued to fight the Allied advance until surrendering north of Bizerte on 12 May 1943. Generalleutnant Freiherr von Broich was later held as a prisoner of war at Island Farm Special Camp 11.

[4] General der Artillerie Jahn was held as a prisoner of war at Island Farm Special Camp 11 after the war.

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