Hermann Foertsch

Hermann Foertsch
File:Hermann Foertsch.jpg
Born	(1895-04-04)April 4, 1895
Died	27 December 1961(1961-12-27) (aged 66)
Place of birth	Drahnow, Deutsch-Krone
Place of death	Munich
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1913–1945
Rank	General der Infanterie
Commands held	21. Infanterie-Division X. Armeekorps 19. Armee 1. Armee
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Balkan Campaign Invasion of Yugoslavia Battle of Narva (1944) Courland Pocket Operation Undertone
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Relations	Friedrich Foertsch (brother)

Hermann Foertsch (4 April 1895 – 27 December 1961) was a highly decorated General der Infanterie in the Wehrmacht during World War II who held commands at the divisional, corps and army levels. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Hermann Foertsch surrendered to American forces under the command of Jacob Devers in 1945 and was later tried at the Hostages Trial in 1947 but was acquitted.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Wound Badge (1914)
  • in Black
• Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords (15 May 1918)
• Cross of Honor
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• German Cross in Gold (10 July 1943)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 27 August 1944 as Generalleutnant and commander of 21. Infanterie-Division
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on (4 August 1944)

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
4 August 1944 (Addendum)	In den Kämpfen der letzten Tage an der Narwa-Front haben sich ein Armeekorps unter Führung des Generals der Pioniere Tiemann und die 21. ostpreußische Infanteriedivision unter Generalleutnant Foertsch besonders ausgezeichnet.	In the fighting in recent days at the Narva front, has an army corps under the command of General of the Pioneers Tiemann and the 21st East Prussian Infantry Division under Lieutenant General Foertsch particularly distinguished themselves.

See also

• End of World War II in Europe
• Hostages Trial
• List of Axis personnel indicted for war crimes

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) (in German). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 – Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtsteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches]. Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. 
• Scherzer, Veit (2007) (in German). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives]. Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. 
• (in German) Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 3, 1 January 1944 to 9 May 1945]. München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2. 

External links

• Lexikon der Wehrmacht
• World War 2 Awards.com
• Hermann Foertsch @ Axis Biographical Research

Military offices
Preceded by None	Chief of General Staff of Heeresgruppe F 12 August 1943 - 15 March 1944	Succeeded by Generalleutnant August Winter
Preceded by Generalmajor Franz Sensfuß	Commander of 21. Infanterie-Division 28 March 1944 - 22 August 1944	Succeeded by Generalmajor Heinrich Götz
Preceded by General der Infanterie Friedrich Köchling	Commander of X. Armeekorps 21 September 1944 - 21 December 1944	Succeeded by Generalleutnant Dr. Ing. Dr. Johannes Mayer
Preceded by General der Infanterie Siegfried Rasp	Commander of 19. Armee 15 February 1945 - 28 February 1945	Succeeded by General der Infanterie Hans von Obstfelder
Preceded by General der Infanterie Hans von Obstfelder	Commander of 1. Armee 28 February 1945 - 6 May 1945	Succeeded by General der Kavallerie Rudolf Koch-Erpach