Hans Eberhard Kurt Freiherr von Salmuth: Uncover the Hidden Chapters!
Hans Eberhard Kurt Freiherr von Salmuth (November 11, 1888 — January 1, 1962) served as a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He led multiple armies on the Eastern Front and commanded the Fifteenth Army in France during the D-Day invasion. Post-war, he faced trial in the High Command Trial as part of the subsequent Nuremberg Trials. Found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity, he received a 20-year sentence and was released in 1953.
World War II
Hans von Salmuth, the son of Oberstleutnant Friedrich Ernst Werner Anton Freiherr von Salmuth (1853–1926), enlisted in the Prussian Army in 1907 and served during World War I in the German Army. Maintaining his military career, Salmuth held the position of chief of staff for II Corps from 1934 to 1937 and later assumed the role of chief of staff for the First Army Group Command. In 1938, he was transferred to become the Chief of Staff for the Second Army. During the invasion of Poland in 1939, he served as Chief of Staff for Army Group North under the command of General Fedor von Bock.
Continuing in this role, Salmuth served under Bock as Chief of Staff during the invasion of Belgium and France in May 1940. In recognition of his service, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross in July 1940 and promoted to lieutenant-general on August 1, 1940.
In 1941, Salmuth was assigned to the Eastern Front, where he took command of XXX Corps and participated in Operation Barbarossa, including the Battle of Sevastopol. His corps, like others on the Eastern Front, implemented the controversial Commissar Order. In 1942, he briefly assumed command of the Seventeenth Army and later the Fourth Army on a temporary basis. In mid-July 1942, he was appointed commander of the Second Army.
Promoted to the rank of Generaloberst in January 1943, Salmuth faced significant challenges during the Soviet Voronezh-Kastornensk Operation, which nearly annihilated the Second Army. He then assumed command of the Fourth Army from February 3, 1943, until July 1943. In August 1943, Salmuth was reassigned to lead the Fifteenth Army stationed at Pas-de-Calais, France. However, he was relieved of his command in late August 1944, following the collapse of the German front line after the Allied breakout from Normandy (Operation Cobra), and did not receive any further command.
Trial and conviction
Salmuth faced trial in the High Command Trial as a component of the subsequent Nuremberg Trials. The court found him guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity, specifically charges related to the murder and mistreatment of Soviet prisoners of war, as well as the murder, deportation, and hostage-taking of civilians in occupied territories. His verdict included a 20-year prison sentence. In 1951, his sentence underwent a review, resulting in a reduction to 12 years, retroactively applied from June 1945. Salmuth was released from imprisonment in July 1953. He passed away in 1962.
