Ludwig Hoffmann
Encyclopedia
Ludwig Hoffmann was a Hauptsturmführer
(Captain) in the Waffen SS during World War II
. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany
during World War II
.
.
Hoffman graduated from elementary school in 1926 at Hanover
. He then studied law at Heidelberg
. After successfully completing his state exams Hoffmann was employed as an assessor in the Saarbrücker Ludwig office.
He volunteered to join the SS-VT in March 1939.
after graduation he was promoted to Untersturmfuhrer
(Second Lieutenant) in April 1941 and posted to the 3rd SS Division Totenkopf and by the end of 1943 was in command of the 9th Company.
Hoffmann was then posted to the newly formed 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen as a company commander in the 19th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment and soon after given command of the III.Battalion, 19th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment.
He was then transferred to the 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland as the commander of the 23rd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment Norge on the death of its previous commander Martin Gürz
.
He commanded this battalion during the withdrawal from Kurland, Pomerania
and into Berlin
and distinguished himself again and again. He was one of the last members of the Wehrmacht
to be awarded the Knight's Cross on the 9 May 1945, just before entering Russian Captivity.
Ludwig Hoffman died on the 10 February 1999, in Saarbrücken
.
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) 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...
. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
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...
, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
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...
.
Early life
Ludwig Hoffmann was born on the 21 March 1908, in SaarbrückenSaarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
.
Hoffman graduated from elementary school in 1926 at Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
. He then studied law at Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
. After successfully completing his state exams Hoffmann was employed as an assessor in the Saarbrücker Ludwig office.
He volunteered to join the SS-VT in March 1939.
World War II
During World War II, Hoffmann was selected to become an officer and sent to the SS-Junkerschule at Bad TölzBad 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...
after graduation he was promoted to Untersturmfuhrer
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) in April 1941 and posted to the 3rd SS Division Totenkopf and by the end of 1943 was in command of the 9th Company.
Hoffmann was then posted to the newly formed 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen as a company commander in the 19th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment and soon after given command of the III.Battalion, 19th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment.
He was then transferred to the 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland as the commander of the 23rd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment Norge on the death of its previous commander Martin Gürz
Martin Gürz
Martin Gürz was a Sturmbannführer , in the Waffen SS during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.Martin Gürz was born on the 15...
.
He commanded this battalion during the withdrawal from Kurland, Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
and into 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...
and distinguished himself again and again. He was one of the last members of the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
to be awarded the Knight's Cross on the 9 May 1945, just before entering Russian Captivity.
Post war
Ludwig Hoffmann spent four years in captivity and was released in November 1949. However due to the circumstances in Germany at the end of the war, he did not find out about his award of the Knight's Cross for 44 years until a collector contacted him about it.Ludwig Hoffman died on the 10 February 1999, in Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
.