Otto Maximilian Hitzfeld (7 May 1898 – 6 December 1990) was a German general 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. He was listed as a recipient of the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords by the West German

Association of Knight's Cross Recipients 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' ...

. He is the uncle of retired football manager Ottmar Hitzfeld.

Career

Hitzfeld received command of the 102nd Infantry Division in April 1943. He was promoted to

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 ...

early November 1943 and had to turn over command of the Division. He then took command of the infantry school in Döberitz and again turned over command on 1 November 1944. Hitzfeld was given command of the LXVII Army Corps, which he led in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

. He was promoted to

General of the Infantry General of the Infantry is a military rank of a General officer in the infantry and refers to: * General of the Infantry (Austria) * General of the Infantry (Bulgaria) * General of the Infantry (Germany) ('), a rank of a general in the German Imp ...

on 1 March 1945 and made commanding general of the LXVII Army Corps. He became commander of the 11th Army in April 1945. He declared

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The ori ...

, which was crowded with refugees, as an

open city In war, an open city is a settlement which has announced it has abandoned all defensive efforts, generally in the event of the imminent capture of the city to avoid destruction. Once a city has declared itself open the opposing military will b ...

. He was taken prisoner of war by American forces on 19 April 1945 from which he was released on 12 May 1947. He received news that he had been awarded the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords 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 ...

after his release from captivity.

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 (5 November 1915 & 1st Class (5 September 1916))Thomas 1997, p. 286. *

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 (25 August 1940) & 1st Class (15 August 1941) * Officers Cross of the Order of the Crown with Swords (22 June 1942) *

** Knight's Cross on 30 October 1941 as ''Oberstleutnant'' and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 213Scherzer 2007, p. 393. ** 65th Oak Leaves on 17 January 1942 as ''Oberstleutnant'' and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 213 ** 158th Swords on 9 May 1945 as ''General der Infanterie'' and commanding general of the LXVII. ArmeekorpsFellgiebel 2000, p. 49.

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Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hitzfeld, Otto 1898 births 1990 deaths German Army generals of World War II Generals of Infantry (Wehrmacht) Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Reichswehr personnel 20th-century Freikorps personnel German Army personnel of World War I German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States