Hans Tröger (29 August 1896 – 21 January 1982) 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 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 ...

who commanded several

panzer {{CatAutoTOC, numerals=no Words and phrases Germanic words and phrases Words and phrases by language la:Categoria:Verba Theodisca ...

divisions. 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 ...

, awarded by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

to recognise successful military leadership.

Biography

Born in 1896, Tröger entered the army of

Imperial Germany The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

in 1915 as a ''Fahnenjunker'' (officer cadet) and served as an engineer. After World War I, he remained in the military, serving in the '' Reichsheer''. From 1935 he was in the

and was posted to the Office of Mobile Troops at the ''

Oberkommando der Wehrmacht The (; abbreviated OKW

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Armed Forces High Command) was the Command (military formation), supreme military command and control Staff (military), staff of Nazi Germany during World War II, that was directly subordinated to Adolf ...

'' (Armed Forces High Command), commonly known as OKW, for two years from 1938. Following the outbreak of World War II, he commanded of the 64th Motorcycle Battalion and then the 103rd Rifle Regiment. On 11 November 1942, he was appointed commander of the 27th Panzer Division, which at the time engaged in fighting as it retreated from the

Donets The Seversky Donets () or Siverskyi Donets (), usually simply called the Donets (), is a river on the south of the East European Plain. It originates in the Central Russian Upland, north of Belgorod, flows south-east through Ukraine (Kharkiv ...

. In early 1943 he left the Eastern Front to take up an appointment as commander of the School for Panzer Troops, based in Germany. He returned to divisional command when posted to the 25th Panzer Division on 20 November 1943. His new command was fighting on the Eastern Front around

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, in which it suffered heavy losses and further, significant, casualties were incurred in the retreat across Ukraine. In April 1944, it was transferred to Denmark for a refit and Tröger, promoted to ''

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 ...

'' earlier that month, took over command of the 13th Panzer Division. In September, the division took part in the fighting around Khisinev but found itself cut off. It had to break out and while some personnel made it to the German lines, Tröger led one element into Bulgaria and was captured by Bulgarian troops. After a period of internment, he was later handed over to the Soviet Union. He remained a prisoner of war until 1955.

Awards and decorations

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 *

(1939) 2nd Class & 1st Class *

German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (), 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 repeated acts of bravery or military leade ...

in Gold (15 November 1941) *

on 4 May 1944 as ''

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 ...

'' and commander of 25th Panzer Division

Notes

;Footnotes ;Citations

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Troeger, Hans 1896 births 1982 deaths Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) German Army personnel of World War I Reichswehr personnel Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union People from Plauen Military personnel of the Kingdom of Saxony Military personnel from Saxony