Ernst Hammer (20 October 1884 – 2 December 1957) was a German-Austrian officer of four armies since 1 October 1903, entering as a

one-year volunteer A one-year volunteer, short EF (German language, de: ''Einjährig-Freiwilliger''), was, in a number of national armed forces, a Conscription, conscript who agreed to pay his own costs for the procurement of equipment, food and clothing, in return ...

. He was

Oberleutnant (English: First Lieutenant) is a senior lieutenant Officer (armed forces), officer rank in the German (language), German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. In Austria, ''Oberle ...

of the

Common Army The Common Army (, ) as it was officially designated by the Imperial and Royal Military Administration, was the largest part of the Austro-Hungarian land forces from 1867 to 1914, the other two elements being the Imperial-Royal Landwehr (of Au ...

Hauptmann () is an officer rank in the armies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is usually translated as ''captain''. Background While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has, and originally had, the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literall ...

of the k.u.k. Armee,

Generalmajor is the Germanic languages, Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central Europe, Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and R ...

of the

Bundesheer The Austrian Armed Forces () are the combined military forces of Austria. The military consists of 16,000 active-duty personnel and 125,600 reservists. The military budget is 1.0% of national GDP (including pensions) or €3.317 billion (202 ...

(transferred to the German Army 15 March 1938),

Generalleutnant () is the German-language 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 ...

of the

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

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He was a recipient of the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), 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. While it was order of precedence, lower in preceden ...

. As commander of the 75th Infantry Division, he ordered his soldiers to shoot female Soviet POWs on the spot.

Awards and decorations

* Military Merit Cross, 3rd Class with War Decoration and Swords (Austria-Hungary, World War I) * Military Merit Medal, in Silver and in Bronze (Austria-Hungary, World War I) *

Karl Troop Cross The Karl Troop Cross () was instituted on 13 December 1916 by Emperor Karl I of Austria-Hungary. The cross was awarded for service up to the end of the First World War to soldiers and sailors of all arms of the Austro-Hungarian armed forces, regar ...

(World War I) *

Gallipoli Star The Ottoman War Medal () was a military decoration awarded by the Ottoman Empire. It was commonly known in English as the Gallipoli Star and in German as the ''Eiserner Halbmond'' (Iron Crescent, in allusion to the Iron Cross). It was instituted ...

(World War I) * Austrian War Commemorative Medal * Hungarian War Commemorative Medal *

Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (), commonly referred to as the Hindenburg Cross or the German WWI Service Cross, was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, President of the German Weimar Republic, by an order dated 13 July ...

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

(1914) ** 2nd Class ** 1st Class * Clasps to the Iron Cross ** 2nd Class ** 1st Class *

Eastern Front Medal The Eastern Medal (), officially the Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal (), was a military award of the ''Wehrmacht'' which was created by ordinance of Adolf Hitler on 26 May 1942. The Eastern Medal was awarded to any member of the ''W ...

on 20 December 1941 as ''

'' and commander of 75. Infanterie-DivisionFellgiebel 2000, p. 176.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hammer, Ernst 1884 births 1957 deaths Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross World War II prisoners of war held by the United States Austrian generals Austrian military personnel of World War II Austrian war criminals People from Sokolov German Bohemian people Austro-Hungarian Army officers Austrian prisoners of war Nazi war criminals