Josef Harpe
Josef Harpe (21 September 1887 – 14 March 1968) was a German general during World War II who commanded the 9th Army. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords of Nazi Germany.
Born~Died Sep 21, 1887 ~ Mar 14, 1968Last edited Oct 15, 2026, 3:37 PM
Details
- Born ~ Died
- Sep 21, 1887 ~ Mar 14, 1968
- Born
- (1887-09-21)21 September 1887, Buer, German Empire
- Died
- 14 March 1968(1968-03-14) (aged 80), Nuremberg, Bavaria, West Germany
- Allegiance
- German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany
- Branch
- German Army
- Service years
- 1909–1945
- Rank
- Generaloberst
- Commands
- 12th Panzer Division, XXXXI Panzer Corps, 9th Army, Army Group North Ukraine, Army Group A, 4th Panzer Army, 5th Panzer Army
- Conflicts
- World War I World War II Invasion of Poland Operation Barbarossa Vistula–Oder Offensive Ruhr Pocket
- Location
- 51.5778, 7.0561
Josef Harpe (21 September 1887 – 14 March 1968) was a German general during World War II who commanded the 9th Army. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords of Nazi Germany.
Harpe served on the Eastern Front, where he commanded XXXXI Panzer Corps and the 9th Army. From September 1944 to January 1945 Army Group A, when he was relieved of his command due to the inability of German forces to stop the Soviet Vistula–Oder Offensive. He ended the war commanding the 5th Panzer Army on Western Front.
Harpe was also responsible for establishing the Ozarichi death camps, which is considered by historians to be one of the worst atrocities committed by the Wehrmacht.
Military career and war crimes
Harpe joined the Prussian Army on 28 September 1909 and fought in World War I. After the war, Harpe remained in the Reichswehr military service. In 1931, under the pseudonym Direktor Hacker, he held a position in the secret German-Russian Tank-School (Kama tank school) in Kazan, Soviet Union. He was promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1 August 1934 and became commander of Panzer-Regiment 3 on 15 October 1935. He was again promoted on 1 January 1937, and commanded the German 1st Panzer Brigade holding the rank of Oberst. In 1940 he took over as Commandant of the Armoured Troops School No.2 in Wünsdorf.
He served on the Eastern Front, where he commanded, from July 1942 until October 1943 the XXXXI Panzerkorps and from September 1944 to January 1945 . On 12 March 1944, Harpe established the makeshift Ozarichi death camps in . There were no buildings or sanitary facilities; it was just a massive closed-off area with barbed wire. Soldiers of the , led by , reinforced by additional troops from of , forced at least 40,000 civilians into the camp, shooting at least 400 of them along the way after they became too weak to continue walking. The prisoners were mostly family members of slave laborers, children under 13, the sick, mothers with infants, and the elderly. These people were viewed by the Germans as "useless mouths".
This page is based on “Josef Harpe” from English Wikipedia, (r1380319254) CC BY-SA 4.0 used under the license. The original authors are listed in its page history.
Last edited Oct 15, 2026, 3:37 PM · r114820 · Text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.