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Hans-Valentin Hube

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Hans-Valentin Hube (29 October 1890 – 21 April 1944) was a German general during World War II who commanded armoured forces in the invasions of Poland, France and the Soviet Union. In the course of the war, Hube led the 16th Infantry Division, XIV Panzer Corps, and the 1st Panzer Army rising to the rank of Generaloberst. He died in an air crash on 21 April 1944.

Hans Hube
Hube (centre) in 1942
Born(1890-10-29)29 October 1890
Naumburg an der Saale, German Empire
Died21 April 1944(1944-04-21) (aged 53)
Salzburg, Nazi Germany
Buried
Invalidenfriedhof, Berlin
Allegiance German Empire
 Weimar Republic
 Nazi Germany
Service / branch German Army
Years of service1909–44
Rank Generaloberst
Commands3rd Infantry Regiment
16th Infantry Division
16th Panzer Division
XIV Panzer Corps
1st Panzer Army
Battles / wars
See battles

World War I

World War II

AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds

Early career

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Hans-Valentin Robert Friedrich Hube was born on 29 October 1890, in Naumburg an der Saale, German Empire to Margarete and Richard Hube.[1] Hube volunteered for military service in the Prussian Army in 1909, and served during World War I where he saw action during the Race to the Sea, and was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class and the Knight's Cross of the House Order of Hohenzollern. He had an arm amputated as a result of injuries sustained at the battle of Verdun.[citation needed] In 1918, following the end of the war which ended with the German Empire's defeat and subsequent collapse, Hube briefly served with the right-wing Freikorps paramilitary during the instability. Hube joined the Reichswehr, the successor of the Imperial German Army after the establishment of the Weimar Republic, and continued his army service in the Wehrmacht after the founding of Nazi Germany, reaching the rank of Oberst in 1936.[2]

World War II

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Hube took part in the invasion of Poland and the Battle of France as a regimental commander.[3] During the war with France he issued a pamphlet to his soldiers stating "the deployment of black and colored troops against the German army contradicts the conception of the white race's master role towards the colored people" and that it is "a shame and dishonor, all the more so because our division has had to wage the hardest fights against the Negroes".[4][5]

Hube was appointed commander of 16th Infantry Division in June 1940. As commander of the 16th Panzer Division, he took part in Operation Barbarossa as part of Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt's Army Group South. For this action during the campaign, Hube received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. On 16 January 1942, he was awarded the Oak leaves to the Knight's Cross for his actions in the Battle of Kiev. Hube then led the division during Fall Blau and the Battle of Stalingrad. On 16 September 1942, Hube was given command of XIV Panzer Corps, the parent formation of the 16th Panzer Division.[citation needed]

Hube commanded the XIV Corps during the Soviet counter-offensive, Operation Uranus. He was promoted to General der Panzertruppe and received the Swords to the Knight's Cross with Oak leaves from Adolf Hitler personally on 21 December 1942. During his time at the Führer-Headquarters in Rastenburg, Hube argued strongly, but to no avail, for Hitler to allow the 6th Army to attempt a breakout. Instead, Hitler promised a new relief attack beginning in the middle of February.[6]

After the destruction of the 6th Army, Hube was sent to the Mediterranean front. He created Gruppe Hube in Sicily, a four-division force whose task was to defend the island. With the advent of Operation Husky on 10 July, Hube commanded the overall German defence. On 17 July 1943 Hube was given command of all army and Flak troops on the island. Hube organised the evacuation to the Italian peninsula. He had prepared a strong defensive line, the 'Etna Line' around Messina, that would enable the Germans to make a progressive retreat while evacuating large parts of his army to the mainland. George S. Patton began his assault on the line at Troina, but it was a linchpin of the defense and stubbornly held. Despite three 'end run' amphibious landings the Germans managed to keep the bulk of their forces beyond reach of capture, and maintain their evacuation plans. Withdrawing a large number of troops from the threat of capture on Sicily represented a major success for the Axis. Hube later took part in the battles defending positions at Salerno during the Allied Operation Avalanche.

Afterwards Hube was moved back to Germany and transferred to the Führerreserve. On 23 October 1943, Hube was designated commander of the 200,000 man 1st Panzer Army, then serving with Army Group South under Field Marshal Erich von Manstein. In February 1944, Hube was officially confirmed as commander of the 1st Panzer Army. Shortly after, III Panzer Corps, one of Hube's units, was required to assist German forces breaking out of the Korsun-Cherkassy pocket. Soon after this, Hube's force was encircled in a pocket near Kamenets-Podolsky. Hube led the breakout which lasted from 27 March 1944 until 15 April 1944.

Death

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Günther von Kluge, Heinrich Himmler, Karl Dönitz and Wilhelm Keitel (from left to right) at Hube's funeral

On 20 April 1944, Hube returned to Germany to attend Adolf Hitler’s 55th birthday celebrations at the Obersalzberg, where Hitler personally awarded him the Diamonds to the Knight's Cross, one of just 27 recipients, and promoted him to Generaloberst for his actions in Sicily, Salerno, and in the Kamenets-Podolsky pocket. Hube was killed the following day when the Heinkel He 111 that was transporting him from Reichenhall-Berchtesgaden Airport in Ainring to the Eastern Front crashed shortly after take-off on 21 April 1944. His adjutant, Major von Schwanenfeld was not on the flight as he was going on leave. Walther Hewel who was also in the aircraft, survived, though he was badly injured.

Hube was given a state funeral attended by Adolf Hitler in Berlin on 26 April 1944. His coffin was laid out in the Reich Chancellery, and the eulogy was delivered by Heinz Guderian. The guard of honour consisted of the generals Walther Nehring, Hermann Breith, Heinrich Eberbach and Hans Gollnick. Hube was buried at the Invalids' Cemetery in Berlin.[7]

Personal life

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Hube married Annamarie Elisabeth Klara Helene Kosak in Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt on 5 September 1919.[1] His wife who was born on 23 November 1894 died in Magdeburg on 11 April 1922.[8][9] The couple had at least two children, Rose-Maria (28 June 1920 – 4 November 2014) and Ulrich Valentin Richard Hube (29 July 1921 – 24 July 1941).[10]

Hube subsequently married Wilhelmine Luise Klara Philippine Ruth Bollert in Berlin on 30 January 1925.[11] Wilhelmine was born on 22 Mar 1902 and died on 1 March 1942.[12]

Hube's son Ulrich was serving as a lieutenant when he was killed near Michalkina on the Eastern Front in 1941.[13][14]

Rose-Maria married Fritz von Randow (18 July 1908 – 1 April 1995) on 29 December 1942.[15] At Hitler’s request Randow changed his name to "von Randow-Hube" so that the Hube name would live on following the death of Hube’s son. The couple had a daughter in 1943 and a son in 1945. Following the end of the war, Randow dropped the "Hube" from his name. Rose-Maria and von Randow divorced on 1 September 1959.

Works by Hube

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  • Hube, Hans-Valentin (1925). Der Infanterist [The Infantryman] (in German). Charlottenburg, Germany: Offene Worte. OCLC 643823983.
  • Hube, Hans-Valentin (1928). Schützendienst [Rifleman Service] (in German). Charlottenburg, Germany: Offene Worte. OCLC 833701714.
  • Hube, Hans-Valentin (1935–1936). Der Infanterist Band 1—Für Kasernenstube und Unterrichtsraum [The Infantryman Volume 1—For Barracks and Classrooms] (in German). Berlin, Germany: Offene Worte. OCLC 248627859.

Awards

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Hube's grave on the Invalids' Cemetery, Berlin

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b "Valentin Robert Friedrich Hube". Ancestry. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  2. ^ Wegmann 2009, p. 360–363.
  3. ^ Wegmann 2009, p. 361.
  4. ^ Morrow, John H. Jr. (22 October 2010). "Black Africans in World War II: The Soldiers' Stories". The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 632 (1). SAGE Publications: 12–25. doi:10.1177/0002716210378831. ISSN 0002-7162. S2CID 145440452.
  5. ^ Scheck, Raffael [in German] (2006). Hitler's African victims : the German Army massacres of Black French soldiers in 1940. Cambridge England New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-521-85799-4. OCLC 60796147.
  6. ^ Adam, Wilhelm; Ruhle, Otto (2015). With Paulus at Stalingrad. Translated by Tony Le Tissier. Pen and Sword Books Ltd. p. 161,166,170. ISBN 9781473833869.
  7. ^ Stockert 2010, p. 59.
  8. ^ "Annemarie Elisabeth Klara Helene Hube in the Magdeburg, Germany, Marriages, 1874-1923". Ancestry. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Annemarie Elisabeth Klara Helene Hubein the Magdeburg, Germany, Deaths, 1874-1950". Ancestry. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  10. ^ "Ulrich Valentin Richard Hube". Ancestry. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Hans-Valentin Robert Friedrich Hube in the Berlin, Germany, Marriages, 1874-1936". Ancestry. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Wilhelmine Louise Clara Philippine Ruth Hube in the Berlin, Germany, Deaths, 1874-1955". Ancestry. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  13. ^ Hopmans, Rob. "Hube, Hans Valentine "Der Mensch"". World War II Gravestone. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  14. ^ "Ulrich Hube in the Germany, Military Killed in Action, 1939-1948". Ancestry. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Fritz Hellmuth Walter Balthasar von Randow". Ancestry. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  16. ^ a b Thomas 1997, p. 309.
  17. ^ Wegmann 2009, p. 362.
  18. ^ a b c d Scherzer 2007, p. 407.
  19. ^ Wegmann 2009, p. 363.

Bibliography

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  • Berger, Florian (1999). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges [With Oak Leaves and Swords. The Highest Decorated Soldiers of the Second World War] (in German). Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-0-6.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 - Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtsteile [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.
  • Fraschka, Günther (1994). Knights of the Reich (Hardcover) (in German). Translated by Johnston, David. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military. ISBN 9780887405808.
  • Holland, James (2020). Sicily '43: The First Assault on Fortress Europe (Hardback). London: Bantam Press. ISBN 978-1-7876-3293-6.
  • McCarthy, Peter; Syron, Mike (2002). Panzerkrieg: The Rise and Fall of Hitler's Tank Divisions. New York: Carol and Graf Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7867-1009-6.
  • Mitcham, Samuel W.; Mueller, Gene (1992). Hitler's Commanders. London: Leo Cooper. ISBN 0-85052-308-7.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945] (in German). Jena, Germany: S cherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Stockert, Peter (2010). Die Brillantenträger der deutschen Wehrmacht 1941–1945—Zeitgeschichte in Farbe [The Diamonds Leaves Bearers of the German Armed Forces 1941–1945—History in Color] (in German). Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 978-3-932381-59-1.
  • 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.
  • Wegmann, Günter (2009). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Teil VIIIa: Panzertruppe Band 2: F–H [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the German Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Part VIIIa: Panzer Force Volume 2: F–H] (in German). Bissendorf, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2389-4.
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Military offices
Preceded by
Generalleutnant Heinrich Krampf
 Commander of 16th Infantry Division
1 June 1940 – 1 November 1940 		Succeeded by
General der Infanterie Friedrich-Wilhelm von Chappuis
Preceded by Commander of 1st Panzer Army
29 October 1943 – 21 April 1944 		Succeeded by
Generaloberst Erhard Raus


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