Karl Mauss (17 May 1898 – 9 February 1959) 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 ...

. He commanded the 7th Panzer Division and was one of only 27 German military men to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds.

Career

Mauss volunteered for service 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 ...

in 1914 at the age of sixteen. He joined Lauenburger Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 9 of

Ratzeburg Ratzeburg (; Low German: ''Ratzborg'') is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is surrounded by Ratzeburger See, four lakes—the resulting isthmuses between the lakes form the access lanes to the town. Ratzeburg is the capital of the distri ...

, serving on the Western Front. In 1915, the youngest man in the division, he was awarded the

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 ...

, 2nd class as the best scout in the region during the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

. The following year, shortly after the transfer of his division to the Eastern Front, he received the

, 1st class. Following World War I Mauss joined the paramilitary groups Freikorps Oberland and

Marinebrigade Ehrhardt The Marinebrigade Ehrhardt, also known as the Ehrhardt Brigade, was a Freikorps unit of the early Weimar Republic. It was formed on 17 February 1919 as the Second Marine Brigade from members of the former Imperial German Navy under the leade ...

and fought against the

Silesian Uprisings The Silesian Uprisings (; ; ) were a series of three uprisings from August 1919 to July 1921 in Upper Silesia, which was part of the Weimar Republic at the time. Ethnic Polish and Polish-Silesian insurrectionists, seeking to have the area tran ...

. Beginning in 1922, he studied

dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the Human tooth, teeth, gums, and Human mouth, mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, dis ...

at the

University of Hamburg The University of Hamburg (, also referred to as UHH) is a public university, public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('':de:Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen, ...

, attaining his doctorate in 1929 and opening a private dental practice. He re-enlisted in 1934, and reached the rank of major in April 1938. Erbgrab Karl Mauss - Frontal

At the start of the war, Mauss served with the 20th Motorized Infantry Division, with which he participated in the 1939

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

. In May 1940 his 10th Panzer Division took part in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

together with

Heinz Guderian Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who later became a successful memoirist. A pioneer and advocate of the "blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in the development of ...

XIX Army Corps The XIX Army Corps (German language, German: ''XIX. Armeekorps'') was an Panzer corps, armored corps of the Nazi Germany, German Wehrmacht between 1 July 1939 and 16 November 1940, when the unit was renamed Panzer Group 2 (German: ''Panzergrupp ...

. In the second phase of the campaign, Mauss participated in the battles against the French 7th Army. Mauss took part in

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...

, the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. In November 1941, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. In 1942 Mauss was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

; he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross in November, 1943. In January 1944 he took command of the 7th Panzer Division. On 23 October 1944 he received the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. In February 1945 he was seriously injured and had a leg amputated. He was promoted to

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 ...

in April, and received the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds on 15 April 1945. After the war Mauss worked as a dentist in his own practice. He died in 1959 following a lengthy illness.

Awards

(1914) 2nd Class (16 September 1915) & 1st Class (21 October 1916) *

Clasp to the Iron Cross Clasp, clasper or CLASP may refer to: * Book clasp, fastener for a book cover * Folding clasp, a device used to close a watch strap * Lobster clasp, fastener for jewellery * Wrist clasp, a dressing accessory * Medal bar, an element in militar ...

(1939) 2nd Class (28 September 1939) & 1st Class (25 May 1940) *

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 11 March 1943 as ''

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 the Panzergrenadier-Regiment 33 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds ** Knight's Cross on 26 November 1941 as ''

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, ...

'' and commander of the II./Schützen-Regiment 69 ** Oak Leaves on 24 November 1943 as ''Oberst'' and commander of the Panzergrenadier-Regiment 33 ** Swords on 23 October 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 the 7. Panzer-Division ** Diamonds on 15 April 1945 as ''

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 ...

'' and commander of the 7. Panzer-Division

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mauss, Karl 1898 births 1959 deaths Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) German Army personnel of World War I 20th-century Freikorps personnel Prussian Army personnel University of Hamburg alumni Military personnel from the Province of Schleswig-Holstein Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United Kingdom German amputees 20th-century German dentists Reichswehr personnel Military personnel from Schleswig-Holstein