Erich Höpner

The Early Years

Erich Höpner was born on the 14th of September 1886, in Frankfurt an der Oder, Brandenburg. Soon after his birth, his family resettled in Charlottenburg, Berlin, where he was raised and educated. Höpner, often called 'Der Alte Reiter' (the old cavalryman), was regarded as a thrusting commander, with drive and talent. He was regarded by his peers as an outspoken, honest, no nonsense character and was considered by many to be equally as talented when commanding armoured formations, as Guderian and Hoth.
He enlisted in a cavalry Regiment in 1909 and in 1913 he enrolloed on a course at the War Academy in Berlin. He served as both a Company commander in a cavalry Regiment and as a General Staff officer during World War I, during which he received both classes of the Iron Cross.
In 1921, he was promoted to the rank of Captain and served on the General Staff of the Inspector of Cavalry in Berlin. In 1923, he served on the General Staff of the 1st Cavalry Division. In 1927 he was promoted to Major and served on the General Staff of military district command 1, in East Prussia. In 1932 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and the following year to Colonel, becoming Chief of Staff of the 1st Army Group Command in Berlin. In 1937, he was promoted to Major General and given command of the 1st Light Division.
While Höpner was opposed to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, he was also an early opponent of Adolf Hitler's rise to power, and he participated in several conspiracies to overthrow Hitler. In a 1938 attempt, his forces were assigned the task of suppressing the SS following the planned assassination of Hitler. However the plot failed and Höpner's role went undiscovered.
Höpner was also an early advocate of armoured warfare and following his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General was given command of the 16th Panzer Corps in 1938.
He led this Corps during the invasion of Poland. As part of 10th Army, his Corps attacked from Upper Silesia and fought its way to the Vistula crossings at Gora Kalwaria, to the south of Warsaw, blocking the enemy's line of retreat to the city. It then helped to encircle some ten Polish Divisions in the battle of the Bzura.
For the campaign in France his Corps was attached to Group Hoth. It crossed the Meuse River and suffered heavy losses when faced by elements of the French 1st Army during the battle of Gembloux Gap. Following this action the Corps was transferred to 4th Army to help exploit the Ardennes breakthrough. After battles at Charleroi and Maubeuge the Corps fought at the Escaut and Lys Rivers. The Corps then fought through the Somme and was involved in a heavy action at Noyon on the Oise River.
It was Höpner who instigated the investigation into the massacre of men of the Royal Norfolk Regiment at Le Paradis. Following Sepp Dietrich's comments during the investigation that, 'human life mattered very little to the SS and would not interfere with the fulfillment of a mission' Höpner became incensed and commented that 'no decent officer with a sense of responsibility would talk like that'.
It was well known among his peers that he distrusted the National Socialist regime, however, following the fall of France, his fears that Hitler's expansionist policies would bring ruin upon Germany appeared to have been wrong and he became less openly critical of Hitler.
Following the French campaign he was awarded the Knight's Cross. He was promoted to the rank of Colonel General in 1941 and given command of the 4th Panzer Group for the invasion of Russia.

Into Russia

His Panzer Group, attached to Army Group North and consisting of the 41st and 56th Panzer Corps, made a lightning dash to the Dvina River near Dvinsk. By the 26th of June, the 56th Panzer Corps had crossed the river, with the 41st Panzer Corps reaching it four days later. On the 2nd of July, the Group resumed its advance to the northwest, crushing resistance along the Stalin line and entering the Leningrad region. By the 6th of July, Höpner's Group had all but destroyed the Northwestern Front and advanced over 270 miles. However, the Group was slowed when it reached the Luga River on the 13th of July. A strong Russian counter attack bogged the Group down for four days and inflicted heavy losses. Höpner was forced to divert forces from the Kingisepp and Luga areas to defeat the attack at Stoltsy.
The final thrust towards Leningrad was not resumed until the 10th of August, with the 4th Panzer Group advancing between the Narva River and Lake Ilmen. By the 7th of September, Schlusselburg had been reached and Leningrad was surrounded.
However, on the 15th of September, following Hitlers decision to lay siege to the city, his Panzer Group began its transfer to Army group Centre for the drive against Moscow.
For operation Typhoon, the thrust towards Moscow, Höpner's Panzer Group formed the central axis, with the aim of encircling Russian forces in the Vyazma region. When the operation began, on October 2nd, Höpner's Group smashed through the forces of the 43rd Army facing it and advanced 24 miles. By the 7th of October his armour had joined Hoth's at Vyazma and completed the encirclement of elements of five Russian Armies.
He made progress with his attack eastwards towards Moscow, but poor weather and strengthening Russian resistance gradually slowed the advance. By the 30th of November, the leading elements of his Group had reached Krasnaia Poliana to the northwest of Moscow. However, on the 2nd of December, in his daily situation report to Army HQ, he reported that his Panzer Groups strength was, 'In the main, exhausted!'
On the 1st of January, the Russian 16th Army drove a gap between the 3rd and 4th Panzer Groups near Klin and began to expose Höpner's left flank. As the situation deteriorated, Höpner sent a formal request to Army Group Center proposing that 4th Panzer Army withdraw towards Gzhatsk. On the 8th of January, having received no reply, he asked once more and also requested that 20th Corps, which was threatened by the advance of the Russian 33rd Army, be withdrawn northward immediately. Again he received no answer and took it upon himself to order the withdrawal of 20th Corps. The commander of 4th Army, Von Kluge, called him by telephone and expressed reservations about the withdrawal. Following Höpner's explanation he replied, 'very well then, you may withdraw the heavy artillery and the baggage train to make sure that we don't lose them. Please explain to the Fuhrer the need for this measure and request his authorization'.
However, Kluge misinformed Hitler of the circumstances of the withdrawal and informed him that it had already begun without authorization, telling Hitler, 'My Führer, that fellow Höpner has withdrawn!' On the 12th of January, Höpner was recalled to Berlin and relieved of his command, without enquiry or court martial. He was even forbidden to wear uniform and took no further part in the war. Despite his demise he later stated that he had no regrets and would take the same course of action again. His duty he said, 'was to the German soldier alone!'
Höpner returned to his family residence in Berlin Grunewald until he was transferred to the reserve in June 1942. During his retirement he became one of the leading plotters against Hitler and an active member of the resistance movement. He was a participant in the July 20th Plot in 1944 and was arrested soon after the attempt failed. He was tortured by the Gestapo and then humiliated during a scandelous summary trial by the specialy formed Volksgerichtshof (peoples court). He was sentenced to death and hung naked on August 8th 1944, in Berlin's Plötzensee Prison. Following his execution, he was described by his fellow comrade, Geyr von Schweppenburg, as 'typical of the best, in the older German Army set'.