Erich Hoepner
| Erich Hoepner | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 14 September 1886 |
| Died | 8 August 1944 (aged 57) Plötzensee Prison |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch | Army |
| Years of service | 1905–42 |
| Rank | Generaloberst |
| Commands held | 4th Panzer Group |
| Battles/wars |
|
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Erich Hoepner (14 September 1886 – 8 August 1944) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. As commander of the 4th Panzer Group on the Eastern Front, he pursued a policy of scorched earth, closely cooperated with the Einsatzgruppen and implemented the criminal Commissar Order. Hoepner was implicated in the failed 20 July Plot against Adolf Hitler and executed in 1944.
Hoepner joined the German Army in 1905 and served during World War I. He remained in the Reichswehr in the Weimar Republic, and then the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany, reaching the rank of general in 1936. In 1938, he was given command of the XVI Panzer Corps.
Hoepner commanded the XVI Army Corps (Motorised) in the invasions of Poland (1939) and France (1940), receiving the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He was promoted to the rank of Generaloberst (colonel general) in 1941 and given command of the Fourth Panzer Group for the invasion of the Soviet Union.
Hoepner was an active supporter of the planned war of annihilation (Vernichtungskrieg) against the Soviet Union. As a commander of the 4th Panzer Group, he wrote on 2 May 1941:
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