(Photo courtesy of Gareth Collins)

Generaloberst Josef Harpe
Born: 21 Sep 1887 in Buer, District Recklinghausen
Died: 14 Mar 1968 in Nuremberg
Promotions:
Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier (01 Mar 1910); F�hnrich (17 May 1910); Leutnant (20 Mar 1911); Oberleutnant (18 Apr 1915); Hauptmann (18 Apr 1918); Major (01 Apr 1931); Oberstleutnant (01 Aug 1934); Oberst (01 Jan 1937); Generalmajor (30 Aug 1940); Generalleutnant (15 Jan 1942); General der Panzertruppe (01 Jun 1942); Generaloberst (20 May 1944)
Career:
Entered Army Service (28 Sep 1909)
Fahnenjunker in the 56th Infantry-Regiment Vogel von Falkenstein (28 Sep 1909-01 Oct 1913)
Adjutant of the III. Battalion of the 56th Infantry-Regiment (01 Oct 1913-15 Nov 1914)
Leader of the 5th Company of the 56th Infantry-Regiment (15 Nov 1914-21 Nov 1914)
Temporary Regiments-Adjutant of the 56th Infantry-Regiment (21 Nov 1914-31 Dec 1914)
Leader of the 5th Company of the 56th Infantry-Regiment (31 Dec 1914-27 Jan 1915)
Temporary Regiments-Adjutant of the 56th Infantry-Regiment (27 Jan 1915-01 Apr 1915)
Regiments-Adjutant of the 56th Infantry-Regiment (01 Apr 1915-20 Aug 1916)
Taken ill - Field-Hospital V/XVI. Army-Corps (20 Aug 1916-15 Sep 1916)
Regiments-Adjutant of the 56th Infantry-Regiment (15 Sep 1916-23 Nov 1917)
Detached to Signals-School of Army-Group Herzog Albrecht von W�rttemberg in Saarburg (15 Nov 1917-21 Nov 1917)
Temporary Leader of 9th Company of the 56th Infantry-Regiment (23 Nov 1917-16 Jan 1918)
At the same time, Temporary Leader of III. Battalion of the 56th Infantry-Regiment (15 Dec 1917-22 Dec 1917)
Detached to the 43rd Field-Artillery-Regiment (16 Jan 1918-24 Jan 1918)
Detached to the General-Command of XXXVIII. Army-Corps (24 Jan 1918-28 Feb 1918)
Detached to the 43rd Field-Artillery-Regiment (28 Feb 1918-06 Apr 1918)
Detached to the Staff of the 14th Infantry-Division (06 Apr 1918-02 Jun 1918)
Wounded, in Hospital (02 Jun 1918-19 Jun 1918)
Transferred to the Replacement-Battalion of the 56th Infantry-Regiment (19 Jun 1918-24 Jun 1918)
Transferred into a General Staff Position of the 2nd Naval-Division (24 Jun 1918-20 Dec 1918)
Transferred back into the 56th Infantry-Regiment (20 Dec 1918-18 Jan 1919)
Leader of 6th Company of the 56th Infantry-Regiment (18 Jan 1919-21 Feb 1919)
General Staff Officer with Special Duties with the General-Command of VII. Army-Corps (21 Feb 1919-01 Oct 1919)
Transferred into a General Staff Position of the 3rd Reichswehr-Brigade (01 Oct 1919-16 May 1920)
Auxiliary-Officer with the Staff of Military-District-Command VI (16 May 1920-01 Jun 1921)
Detached to the Weapon-Commands with the 6th Motor-Transport-Battalion, 6th Artillery-Regiment & 5th Mounted-Regiment (01 Jun 1921-10 Sep 1921)
Transferred into the 16th Infantry-Regiment (10 Sep 1921-01 Oct 1921)
Detached to the Staff of 6th Division (01 Oct 1921-01 Oct 1922)
Transferred to the Staff of the Commander of the Troop-Exercise-Grounds Arys and Detached to the 1st Motor-Transport-Battalion (01 Oct 1922-01 Jan 1923)
Detached to the 4th Motor-Transport-Battalion (01 Jan 1923-01 Feb 1923)
Company-Chief 3 of the 4th Motor-Transport-Battalion, Leipzig (01 Feb 1923-15 Feb 1928)
Detached to Course with the Motor Transport Training Command Berlin (04 Jan 1927-01 Apr 1928)
Detached to the RWM (15 Feb 1928-01 Apr 1928)
Advisor in the Inspection of Transport Troops/RWM/In 6 and Adjutant of Generalmajor Otto von St�lpnagel (01 Apr 1928-30 Apr 1931)
Retired (30 Apr 1931)
Discharged from the Army pro Forma because of secret Reichs Military Training in the USSR, from 01 May 1931 to 01 Oct 1933 'Station-Director' of the German Combat Vehicle School Hasan [Organisation Kama]. Its pseudonym Direktor Hacker
Reactivated to Army Service (01 Nov 1933)
With Motor-Transport-Instruction-Command Zossen (01 Nov 1933-01 Oct 1934)
Commander of the I. Battalion of Motor-Transport-Instruction-Command Zossen (01 Oct 1934-15 May 1935)
Commander of the 12th Mounted-Regiment, Dresden (15 May 1935-15 Oct 1935)
Commander of the 3rd Panzer-Regiment (15 Oct 1935-01 Aug 1939)
Delegated with the Leadership of the 1st Panzer-Brigade (01 Aug 1939-18 Sep 1939)
Commander of the 1st Panzer-Brigade (18 Sep 1939-01 Mar 1940)
Commander of Panzer Troop School W�nsdorf (01 Mar 1940-05 Oct 1940)
Commander of the 2nd Infantry-Division (motorised) (05 Oct 1940-10 Jan 1941)
Commander of the 12th Panzer-Division (10 Jan 1941-15 Jan 1942)
Commanding General of XXXXI. Panzer-Corps (15 Jan 1942-15 Oct 1943)
At the same time, Delegated with the Leadership of 9th Army (19 Mar 1943-30 Mar 1943)
At the same time, Delegated with the Leadership of 9th Army (20 May 1943-09 Jun 1943)
Commander-in-Chief of 9th Army (04 Nov 1943-01 May 1944)
Commander-in-Chief of 4th Panzer-Army (01 May 1944-28 Jun 1944)
Delegated with the Temporary Leadership of Army-Group North Ukraine (For the Commander-in-Chief Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model, who from 28 Jun 1944 to 16 Aug 1944 was Delegated with the temporary Leadership of Army-Group Centre for the duration of Generalfeldmarschall Ernst Busch' leave) (28 Jun 1944-16 Aug 1944)
Delegated with the Leadership of Army-Group North Ukraine (16 Aug 1944-21 Sep 1944)
Commander-in-Chief of Army-Group North Ukraine (21 Sep 1944-24 Sep 1944)
Commander-in-Chief of Army-Group A (24 Sep 1944-17 Jan 1945)
Discharged from Command and placed on F�hrer-Reserve OKH (Hitler's scapegoat for the Russian breakthrough at the Baranov-Bridgehead) (17 Jan 1945-09 Mar 1945)
Commander-in-Chief of the 5th Panzer-Army (09 Mar 1945-17 Apr 1945)
In US Captivity (17 Apr 1945-14 Apr 1948)
Released (14 Apr 1948)

Decorations & Awards:
- Ritterkreuz (418): am 13.08.1941 als Generalmajor und Kommandeur der 12. Panzer-Division
- Eichenlaub (55): am 31.12.1941 als Generalmajor und Kommandeur der 12. Panzer-Division
- Schwerter (36): am 15.09.1943 als General der Panzertruppe und Kommandierender General des XLI. Panzer-Korps
- Deutsches Kreuz in Gold: am 19.02.1943 als General der Panzertruppe und Kommandierender General des XLI. Panzer-Korps
- 1914 EK I: 03.09.1915
- 1914 EK II: 21.09.1914
- Verwundetenabzeichen, 1918 in Schwarz
- Ehrenkreuz f�r Frontk�mpfer
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. bis I. Klasse
- Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 13.03.1938
- Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 01.10.1938 mit Spange "Prager Burg"
- Spange zum EK I
- Spange zum EK II
- Panzerkampfabzeichen in Silber
- Medaille "Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/1942"
- Grossoffizierkreuz des Kgl. Rum�n. Ordens der Krone mit Schwertern
- Wehrmachtbericht: 01.01.1944


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