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Karl-Adolf Hollidt
Portrait of Karl-Adolf Hollidt
Born(1891-04-25)25 April 1891
Speyer, German Empire
Died22 May 1985(1985-05-22) (aged 94)
Siegen, West Germany
Allegiance
Service/branch German Army
Years of service1909–1945
Rank Generaloberst
Commands held6th Army
Battles/wars
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Karl-Adolf Hollidt (25 April 1891 – 22 May 1985) was a German army commander in World War II who was subsequently convicted of war crimes. He was a general (Generaloberst) in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany who commanded the 6th Army.

Career

Hollidt enlisted in the German Army in 1909. During World War I, Hollidt served on the Western Front and was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class. He remained in the Reichswehr (the armed forces of the Weimar Republic). Beginning in 1935, he served on the General Staff and as a chief-of-staff of an army corps in the Wehrmacht.

At the beginning of World War II, Hollidt served as commander of the 52nd Infantry Division. From 1 November 1939, he served as a Chief-of-Staff with Commander-in-Chief Ost, General Johannes Blaskowitz. From October 1940 he served as the commander of the 50th Infantry Division, participating in the German invasion of Greece. Promoted to the rank of general, Hollidt commanded XVII Army Corps, which was planned to take part in Operation Winter Storm, an attempt to relieve the 6th Army encircled at Stalingrad. After the surrender of the 6th Army, it was reconstituted in March 1943 and Hollidt was given its command. He was promoted to Generaloberst (colonel general) on 1 September 1943. In 1944, his 6th Army suffered severe losses during its retreat from the Dnieper. Hollidt was dismissed from his command and put into reserve.

Trial and conviction

In 1945, Hollidt was taken prisoner by US forces. At the High Command Trial held at Nuremberg, he was convicted of the unlawful use of prisoners of war and of the deportation and enslavement of civilians. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment, and was released on good time credit on 21 December 1949.[1] He died in 1985.

Awards

References

Citations

  1. ^ Hebert 2010, p. 219.
  2. ^ a b Thomas 1997, p. 299.
  3. ^ a b Fellgiebel 2000, p. 193.

Bibliography

  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [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] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
  • Hebert, Valerie (2010). Hitler's Generals on Trial: The Last War Crimes Tribunal at Nuremberg. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-1698-5.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.

External links

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients of the 50th Infantry Division
German Colonel Generals and General Admirals of Nazi Germany
High Command Trial
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