Hanns-Heinrich Lohmann
Encyclopedia
Hanns Heinrich Lohmann was a Obersturmbannführer
(Lieutenant Colonel), in the Waffen SS during World War II
, who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves
.
. After he finished school he joined the Sparkasse bank in 1929. He also had an interest in athletics, training at the sports schools at Korbach
and Essen
. During this time he also worked part time as a police officer in Münster
.
In January 1935 under orders from the Reichsführer SS, he joined the SS and was posted to the IV Battalion, SS Regiment Deutschland. In May 1935 he was promoted to the rank of Untersturmführer
(Second Lieutenant) and made a platoon leader.
In November 1935 he fractured his left ankle in a sporting accident. After recovering from the injury in 1936, he was promoted to Obersturmführer
(First Lieutenant) and posted to the SS-Junkerschule, at Bad Tölz
as a lecturer, holding the position of Adjutant from 1937 and completing the Company commanders course at the same time. In November 1938 he was posted to the Deutschland Regiment and was promoted to Hauptsturmführer
(Captain).
In June 1941 he was given command of the new Regiment "Westland", "Wiking" Division
, which was just being formed and took part in the invasion of Russia
, (Operation Barbarossa
).
In the spring of 1942 Lohmann caught Malaria
. Returning to duty in October 1942, he was given command of the I. Battalion, SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment "Nordland", still in the "Wiking" Division which was now fighting in the Caucasus
.
The division was involved in some heavy fighting in the Kotenikovo and Simovniki region. They subsequently covered the retreat of Army Group A
from the Cacasus. For his part in these actions Lohmann was awarded the German Cross in Gold
and promoted to Sturmbannführer
(Major) in February 1943.
In May 1943, Lohmann's regiment was being rested in the Grafenwöhr
training area, and then was assigned to the 11th SS Division "Nordland". During this time, Lohmann was given command of the III. Battalion, "Norge" Regiment. This should have been an armoured battalion, but due to a lack of equipment and a shortage of SdKfz 251
armoured half tracks, they remained a motorised battalion and saw service in Italy
after the Italian surrender and Croatia
.
In August 1943, Lohmann was sent on a training course for armoured troops in Paris
and on his return the division was relocated to the Oranienbaum
sector of the Siege of Leningrad
. Lohmann's battalion was involved in the defence of the retreating Sponheimer Group
along the Leningrad–Narva
Highway and he was wounded on 2 February 1944. It was for his battalion's actions during this time that Lohmann was awarded the Knight's Cross and a promotion to Sturmbannführer
(Major).
After he was released from hospital in April 1944 he spent the summer at Bad Tölz on a regimental commanders training course. He was then posted to the Wachbattalion, Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, in Berlin
.
At the end of October 1944, he was posted to the III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps
and given command of the 49th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment De Ruyter part of the 23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland, which was in the Kurland region.
Lohmann was promoted to Obersturmbannführer
in January 1945, and joined what was left of his regiment in the Gollnow area.
He was awarded the Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross by order of Generalleutnant Unrein
who at the time was the commander of the III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps in February 1945.
Obersturmbannführer
Obersturmbannführer was a paramilitary Nazi Party rank used by both the SA and the SS. It was created in May 1933 to fill the need for an additional field grade officer rank above Sturmbannführer as the SA expanded. It became an SS rank at the same time...
(Lieutenant Colonel), in the Waffen SS during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
.
Early life
Hanns Heinrich Lohmann was born on 24 April 1911 in GüterslohGütersloh
Gütersloh is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in the area of Westphalia and the administrative region of Detmold. Gütersloh is the administrative centre for a district of the same name and has a population of 96,320 people.- Geography :...
. After he finished school he joined the Sparkasse bank in 1929. He also had an interest in athletics, training at the sports schools at Korbach
Korbach
Korbach is the district seat of Waldeck-Frankenberg in northern Hesse, Germany. It is over a thousand years old and a former Hanseatic town. It is located on the German Framework Road.- Geography and geology :...
and Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
. During this time he also worked part time as a police officer in Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
.
In January 1935 under orders from the Reichsführer SS, he joined the SS and was posted to the IV Battalion, SS Regiment Deutschland. In May 1935 he was promoted to the rank of Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the German Schutzstaffel first created in July 1934. The rank can trace its origins to the older SA rank of Sturmführer which had existed since the founding of the SA in 1921...
(Second Lieutenant) and made a platoon leader.
In November 1935 he fractured his left ankle in a sporting accident. After recovering from the injury in 1936, he was promoted to Obersturmführer
Obersturmführer
Obersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi party that was used by the SS and also as a rank of the SA. Translated as “Senior Assault Leader”, the rank of Obersturmführer was first created in 1932 as the result of an expansion of the Sturmabteilung and the need for an additional rank in...
(First Lieutenant) and posted to the SS-Junkerschule, at Bad Tölz
Bad Tölz
Bad Tölz is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and administrative center of the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen.- History :Since the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the Ice Age, archaeology has shown continuous occupation of the site of Bad Tölz...
as a lecturer, holding the position of Adjutant from 1937 and completing the Company commanders course at the same time. In November 1938 he was posted to the Deutschland Regiment and was promoted to Hauptsturmführer
Hauptsturmführer
Hauptsturmführer was a Nazi rank of the SS which was used between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank of Hauptsturmführer was a mid-grade company level officer and was the equivalent of a Captain in the German Army and also the equivalent of captain in foreign armies...
(Captain).
World War II
Between 1939 and 1940 he was on the staff of the army General staff, before returning to the SS Junkerschule at Bad Tölz for three months as the director of training.In June 1941 he was given command of the new Regiment "Westland", "Wiking" Division
5th SS Panzer Division Wiking
The 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking was one of the elite Panzer divisions of the thirty eight Waffen SS divisions. It was recruited from foreign volunteers, from Scandinavia, Finland, Estonia, The Netherlands, and Belgium under the command of German officers...
, which was just being formed and took part in the invasion of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, (Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
).
In the spring of 1942 Lohmann caught Malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. Returning to duty in October 1942, he was given command of the I. Battalion, SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment "Nordland", still in the "Wiking" Division which was now fighting in the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
.
The division was involved in some heavy fighting in the Kotenikovo and Simovniki region. They subsequently covered the retreat of Army Group A
Army Group A
Army Group A was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II.-Western Front, 1940:During the German invasion of the Low Countries and France Army Group A was under the command of General Gerd von Rundstedt, and was responsible for the break-out through the Ardennes...
from the Cacasus. For his part in these actions Lohmann was awarded the German Cross in Gold
German Cross
The German Cross was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 17 November 1941 as an award ranking higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross respectively ranking higher than the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords but below the Knight's Cross of the War Merit...
and promoted to Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
(Major) in February 1943.
In May 1943, Lohmann's regiment was being rested in the Grafenwöhr
Grafenwöhr
Grafenwöhr is a town in the district Neustadt , in the region of the Upper Palatinate in eastern Bavaria, Germany. It is widely known for the United States Army military installation and training area, called Grafenwöhr Training Area, located directly south and west of the town.- Early History:The...
training area, and then was assigned to the 11th SS Division "Nordland". During this time, Lohmann was given command of the III. Battalion, "Norge" Regiment. This should have been an armoured battalion, but due to a lack of equipment and a shortage of SdKfz 251
SdKfz 251
The Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track was an armored fighting vehicle designed and first built by Hanomag company during World War II. The largest and best armored of the wartime half-tracks, the Sd.Kfz. 251 was designed to transport the panzergrenadiers of the German mechanized infantry corps into battle....
armoured half tracks, they remained a motorised battalion and saw service in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
after the Italian surrender and Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
.
In August 1943, Lohmann was sent on a training course for armoured troops in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and on his return the division was relocated to the Oranienbaum
Oranienbaum, Russia
Oranienbaum is a Russian royal residence, located on the Gulf of Finland west of St. Petersburg. The Palace ensemble and the city centre are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.-History:...
sector of the Siege of Leningrad
Siege of Leningrad
The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade was a prolonged military operation resulting from the failure of the German Army Group North to capture Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II. It started on 8 September 1941, when the last...
. Lohmann's battalion was involved in the defence of the retreating Sponheimer Group
Kingisepp–Gdov Offensive
This is a sub-article to Battle of Narva.The Kingisepp–Gdov Offensive was a campaign between the Soviet Leningrad Front and the German 18th Army fought for the eastern coast of Lake Peipus and the western banks of the Narva River from 1 February till 1 March 1944...
along the Leningrad–Narva
Narva
Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus.-Early history:...
Highway and he was wounded on 2 February 1944. It was for his battalion's actions during this time that Lohmann was awarded the Knight's Cross and a promotion to Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
(Major).
After he was released from hospital in April 1944 he spent the summer at Bad Tölz on a regimental commanders training course. He was then posted to the Wachbattalion, Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
At the end of October 1944, he was posted to the III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps
III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps
The III SS Panzer Corps was a German Waffen-SS armoured corps which saw action on the Eastern Front during World War II. The The III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps (III. (germanische) SS-Panzerkorps) was a German Waffen-SS armoured corps which saw action on the Eastern Front during World War II. The...
and given command of the 49th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment De Ruyter part of the 23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland, which was in the Kurland region.
Lohmann was promoted to Obersturmbannführer
Obersturmbannführer
Obersturmbannführer was a paramilitary Nazi Party rank used by both the SA and the SS. It was created in May 1933 to fill the need for an additional field grade officer rank above Sturmbannführer as the SA expanded. It became an SS rank at the same time...
in January 1945, and joined what was left of his regiment in the Gollnow area.
He was awarded the Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross by order of Generalleutnant Unrein
Martin Unrein
Generalleutnant Martin Unrein was a general officer of the German Army during the Second World War.-Early career:...
who at the time was the commander of the III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps in February 1945.