Hans von Funck (23 December 1891 – 14 February 1979) was a German general in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, who commanded the 7th Panzer Division and the

XXXXVII Panzer Corps XLVII Panzer Corps (also: 47th Panzer Corps or XXXXVII. ''Panzerkorps'' or XXXXVII Panzer Corps) was a panzer corps of the German Army in World War II that was formerly designated as XLVII Corps. Various formations of the corps fought in the Fren ...

Career

Hans von Funck joined the German army in August 1914 and during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he was awarded the Iron Cross, 1st and 2nd Class. Funck was retained in the

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshape ...

after the war. In July 1933 he was appointed to the General Staff. In 1936 he served in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

as a leader of the German National Army in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. In 1940 he was appointed as the commander of the 3rd Panzer Brigade. In 1941 Funck was given command of the 7th Panzer Division as the successor to Erwin Rommel. Originally he was to have commanded the

Afrika Corps The Afrika Korps or German Africa Corps (, }; DAK) was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African Campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its African colonies, the f ...

, but Hitler loathed von Funck, as he had been a personal staff officer of

Werner von Fritsch Thomas Ludwig Werner Freiherr von Fritsch (4 August 1880 – 22 September 1939) was a member of the German High Command. He was Commander-in-Chief of the German Army from February 1934 until February 1938, when he was forced to resign after he ...

until von Fritsch was dismissed in 1938. He held this command on the central and southern sections of the Eastern Front. On 15 July 1941 he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. On 1 February 1944 Funck was promoted to

General der Panzertruppe General der Panzertruppe () was a General of the branch OF8 rank of the German Army, introduced in 1935. A ''General der Panzertruppe'' was a Lieutenant General, above Major General (Generalleutnant), commanding a Panzer corps. Rank and ran ...

and appointed as the commanding general of the XXXXVII Panzer Corps, initially on the eastern and later the western fronts. During the Battle for Normandy he (who was ''thoroughly disliked'') accused

Gerhard von Schwerin Gerhard Helmut Detleff Graf von Schwerin (23 June 1899 – 29 October 1980) was a German General der Panzertruppe during World War II. World War I Gerhard von Schwerin was born to a Prussian aristocratic family in 1899. His father was a civil ...

of ''passive resistance, cowardice and incompetence'' over the Vire counterattack on 28 July. Less than four hours before the start of Operation Luttich,

Gunther von Kluge Gundaharius or Gundahar (died 437), better known by his legendary names Gunther ( gmh, Gunther) or Gunnar ( non, Gunnarr), was a historical king of Burgundy in the early 5th century. Gundahar is attested as ruling his people shortly after they ...

received an order from Hitler that Heinrich Eberbach rather than Funck was to lead it, although Kluge managed to persuade OKW to postpone the transfer of command. On 4 September 1944 he was moved into the reserve of the OKH. Funck was interned as a war criminal in the Soviet Union from August 1945 until his release in 1955.

Awards

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

(1914) 2nd Class (12 June 1915) & 1st Class (2 December 1917)Thomas 1997, p. 187. *

Clasp to the Iron Cross The Clasp to the Iron Cross (Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz) was a white metal medal clasp displayed on the uniforms of German Wehrmacht personnel who had been awarded the Iron Cross in World War I, and who again qualified for the decoration in World W ...

(1939) 2nd Class & 1st Class (May 1940) *

German Cross in Gold The War Order of the German Cross (german: Der Kriegsorden Deutsches Kreuz), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repe ...

on 14 March 1943 as ''

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of ...

'' and commander of the 7. Panzer-DivisionPatzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 127. *

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight' ...

**Knight's Cross on 15 July 1941 as '' Generalmajor'' and commander of the 7. Panzer-DivisionScherzer 2007, p. 324. **278th Oak Leaves 22 August 1943 on 22 August 1943 as ''Generalmajor'' and commander of 7. Panzer-Division

References

Citations Bibliography * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Funck, Hans Freiherr Von 1891 births 1979 deaths Generals of Panzer Troops Barons of Germany German Army personnel of World War I Condor Legion personnel Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class German military personnel of the Spanish Civil War Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Recipients of the Military Medal (Spain) German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union People from the Rhine Province Prussian Army personnel Reichswehr personnel Military personnel from Aachen