Josef Harpe (21 September 1887 – 14 March 1968) was a German general 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 the 9th Army. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords of

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 ...

. Harpe served on the Eastern Front, where he commanded

XXXXI Panzer Corps XXXXI Panzer Corps (also written as: XLI Panzer Corps) was a Panzer (armoured) corps in the German German Army (Wehrmacht), Army during World War II. Operational history The corps was originally formed, as the XXXXI Corps, on 5 February 1940 in ...

and the 9th Army. From September 1944 to January 1945

Army Group A Army Group A () was the name of three distinct army groups of the ''German Army (1935–1945), Heer'', the ground forces of the ''Wehrmacht'', during World War II. The first Army Group A, previously known as "Army Group South", was active from Oct ...

, when he was relieved of his command due to the inability of German forces to stop the Soviet Vistula–Oder Offensive. He ended the war commanding the

5th Panzer Army 5th Panzer Army () was the name of two different German armoured formations during World War II. The first of these was formed in 1942, during the North African campaign and surrendered to the Allies at Tunis in 1943. The army was re-formed in F ...

on Western Front. Harpe was also responsible for establishing the Ozarichi death camps, which is considered by historians to be one of the worst atrocities committed by 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 ...

Military career and war crimes

Harpe joined the Prussian Army on 28 September 1909 and fought in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. After the war, Harpe remained in the

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

military service. In 1931, under the pseudonym ''Direktor Hacker'', he held a position in the secret German-Russian Tank-School ( Kama tank school) in

Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. He was promoted to

Oberstleutnant () (English: Lieutenant Colonel) is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, ...

on 1 August 1934 and became commander of Panzer-Regiment 3 on 15 October 1935. He was again promoted on 1 January 1937, and commanded the German 1st Panzer Brigade holding the rank of

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...

. In 1940 he took over as

Commandant Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...

of the Armoured Troops School No.2 in Wünsdorf. He served on the Eastern Front, where he commanded, from July 1942 until October 1943 the XXXXI Panzerkorps and from September 1944 to January 1945

. On 12 March 1944, Harpe established the makeshift Ozarichi death camps in

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

. There were no buildings or sanitary facilities; it was just a massive closed-off area with barbed wire. Soldiers of the 35th Infantry Division, led by Johann-Georg Richert, reinforced by additional troops from Sonderkommando 7b of Einsatzgruppe B, forced at least 40,000 civilians into the camp, shooting at least 400 of them along the way after they became too weak to continue walking. The prisoners were mostly family members of slave laborers, children under 13, the sick, mothers with infants, and the elderly. These people were viewed by the Germans as "useless mouths". The prisoners, many of whom had contracted typhus, had to survive in the open in the marshlands without shelter, medical aid, food, or water. "There was a gate with barbed wire, small watch towers with soldiers and German shepherds, but nothing else," recalled one survivor, Larisa Stashkevich. She said that anyone who even attempted to light a campfire was immediately gunned down. The only way to keep warm was to use the corpses of murdered prisoners. Dieter Pohl has called the establishment of the camp "one of the worst crimes the Wehrmacht ever committed against civilians". By the time troops of the 65th Army of the First Belorussian Front liberated those in the camps on 19 March 1944, at least 9000 people had died. The German high command celebrated the thousands of deaths as a success, calling the civilians "useless mouths". The troops freed 33,480 people, including 15,960 children under the age of 13, from the Ozarichi concentration camps. He was relieved of his command due to the inability of German forces to stop the Soviet Vistula–Oder Offensive, which resulted in the Soviet capture of most of Poland. He ended the war as the commander of the

on the Western Front. Harpe was taken prisoner by the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

on 17 April 1945. Although Harpe was held as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

by the United States, he was never charged with any crimes. He was released from custody on 14 April 1948, and died a free man in 1968. Although Harpe never faced prosecution for the Ozarichi camps, Richert did. He was prosecuted by a Soviet military court in the Minsk Trial for his role in the deportations and other atrocities against Soviet civilians. Richert was sentenced to death, and hanged in 1946.

Awards

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 (21 September 1914) & 1st Class (3 September 1915) *

Wound Badge The Wound Badge () was a German military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was first awarded to soldiers of the Imperial German Army, German Army who were wounded during World War I. Between the worl ...

(1914) in Black (20 May 1918) *

Wehrmacht Long Service Award The Wehrmacht Long Service Award () was a List of military decorations of the Third Reich, military service decoration of Nazi Germany issued for satisfactory completion of a number of years in military service. History On 16 March 1936, Adolf ...

1st Class (2 October 1936) * Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class ** Knight's Cross on 13 August 1941 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 the 12. Panzer-Division ** Oak Leaves on 31 December 1941 as ''Generalmajor'' and commander of the 12. Panzer-Division ** Swords on 15 September 1943 as ''

General der Panzertruppe ''General der Panzertruppe'' () was a General of the branch rank of the German Army (1935–1945), German Army, introduced in 1935. A ''General der Panzertruppe'' was a lieutenant general, above major general (''Generalleutnant''), commanding a ...

'' and commanding general of the XXXXI. Panzerkorps *

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 on 19 February 1943 as ''General der Panzertruppe'' and commanding general of the XXXXI.Panzerkorps

References

Citations Bibliography * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harpe, Josef 1887 births 1968 deaths Holocaust perpetrators in Belarus Military personnel from the Province of Westphalia German Army officers of World War II Colonel generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) Grand Officers of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States Prussian Army personnel German Army personnel of World War I Reichswehr personnel Military personnel from Gelsenkirchen