Hans von Salmuth
| Hans Eberhard Kurt von Salmuth | |
|---|---|
| Born |
11 November 1888 Metz, Elsass-Lothringen, German Empire |
| Died | 1 January 1962 (aged 73) Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch | Army |
| Years of service | 1907–45 |
| Rank | Generaloberst |
| Unit | Heeresgruppe B |
| Battles/wars |
World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Hans von Salmuth (11 November 1888 – 1 January 1962) was a German general and war criminal during World War II. Salmuth commanded several armies on the Eastern Front, and the Fifteenth Army in France during the D-Day invasion. Following the war, he was tried in the High Command Trial, as part of the Subsequent Nuremberg Trials. He was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity and sentenced to 20 years. He was released in 1953.
Hans von Salmuth joined the German Army in 1907 and served in World War I. Salmuth remained in the army and served as chief of staff of II Corps from 1934 to 1937. He was assigned as chief of staff to the First Army Group Command. In 1938 he was transferred as Chief of Staff to the Second Army. In 1939 he was Chief of Staff for Army Group North, commanded by General Fedor von Bock, during the invasion of Poland. Salmuth continued as Chief of Staff to Bock, when the latter was given command of Army Group B for the invasion of Belgium and France, in May 1940. In July 1940 Salmuth was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. On 1 August 1940, he was promoted to lieutenant-general.
In 1941, Salmuth was assigned to the Eastern Front and given command of XXX Corps. He participated in Operation Barbarossa and took part in the Battle of Sevastopol. As all German corps on the Eastern Front, Salmuth's corps implemented the criminal Commissar Order. In 1942, he was made acting commander of the Seventeenth Army (20 April 1942 to 1 June 1942). For a short time, 6 June 1942 to 15 July 1942, he was assigned to command the Fourth Army, replacing the former commander, Gotthard Heinrici, who went on leave. In mid-July 1942 he was given command of the Second Army.
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