Curt Haase (15 December 1881 – 9 February 1943) was a German general (''

Generaloberst A ("colonel general") was the second-highest general officer rank in the German ''Reichswehr'' and ''Wehrmacht'', the Austro-Hungarian Common Army, the East German National People's Army and in their respective police services. The rank was ...

'') 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 previou ...

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 commanded the III Corps during the

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week af ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. He later commanded the 15th Army in

German-occupied France The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

from January 1941 to November 1942.

World War I

In 1901 Haase joined the 4th Württemberg Field Artillery Regiment No. 65 of the

Württemberg Army Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Württe ...

in Ludwigsburg and was promoted to the rank of

leutnant () is the lowest Junior officer rank in the armed forces the German-speaking of Germany (Bundeswehr), Austrian Armed Forces, and military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High Germa ...

in 1902. In 1905 he was an adjutant of the 1st Division and eventually achieved the rank of lieutenant in 1910. From 1911 to 1914 Haase commanded a training regiment in the Prussian Staff College. At the outbreak of the First World War Haase commanded a company. He was promoted to captain in 1914 and served in various staff positions for the rest of the war. After the war, Haase joined 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 reshaped ...

''.

World War II

Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-224-0044-17, Erwin v

Haase became commander of III Corps on 16 November 1938. At the beginning of World War II, he commanded the III Corps in the

and the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

. On 15 May 1940 Haase's corps broke through the French defensive positions at

Charleville-Mézières or ''Carolomacérienne'' , image flag=Flag of Charleville Mezieres.svg Charleville-Mézières () is a commune of northern France, capital of the Ardennes department, Grand Est. Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the river Meuse. ...

, for which he received the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 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' ...

on 8 June 1940. Haase was promoted to

on 19 July 1940 and in mid-November 1940, he was relieved of his command and reassigned to the Führer-Reserve. On 4 June 1941 he attended the funeral of German Emperor

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and List of monarchs of Prussia, King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication on 9 ...

at Doorn Manor in the Netherlands as a representative of the ''

Oberkommando des Heeres The (; abbreviated OKH) was the high command of the Army of Nazi Germany. It was founded in 1935 as part of Adolf Hitler's rearmament of Germany. OKH was ''de facto'' the most important unit within the German war planning until the defeat at ...

''. From early 1941 to December 1942 he commanded the 15th Army deployed in France, during that period the army was tasked with the protection of the Channel coast from a possible Allied invasion. He was transferred again to the Führer-Reserve for the remainder of his career and died on 9 February 1943 at the age of 61 of heart disease.

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 e ...

(1914), 2nd and 1st class * Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords * Knight's Cross of the Military Merit Order (Württemberg) * Knight's Cross, 1st class of the

Albert Order The Albert Order (german: link=no, Albrechts-Orden or Albrechtsorden) was created on 31 December 1850 by King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony to commemorate Albert III, Duke of Saxony (known as Albert the Bold). It was to be awarded to anyone w ...

with Swords (Saxony) * Knight's Cross, 1st class of the

Friedrich Order The Friedrich Order (german: Friedrichs-Orden or ''Friedrichsorden'') was an order of merit of the German Kingdom of Württemberg. It was instituted on 1 January 1830 by the second king of Württemberg, Wilhelm I in remembrance of his father, Ki ...

with Swords (Württemberg) * Knight's Cross, 2nd class of the Order of the Zähringer Lion with Swords and Oak Leaves (Baden) * Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg * Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 *

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 Worl ...

, 1st and 2nd class *

on 8 June 1940 as '' General der Artillerie'' and commanding general of the III. ArmeekorpsScherzer 2007, p. 357.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Haase 1881 births 1943 deaths People from Bad Honnef People from the Rhine Province German Army generals of World War II Colonel generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) German Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Burials at the Invalids' Cemetery Military personnel of Württemberg Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Reichswehr personnel Military personnel from North Rhine-Westphalia