Erhard Raus
| Erhard Raus | |
|---|---|
 A view of Raus showing his Knights Cross with Oak Leaves | |
| Born |
8 January 1889 Wolframitz, Austria-Hungary |
| Died |
3 April 1956 (aged 67) Vienna, Austria |
| Allegiance |
.svg.png){kind=small} Austria-Hungary  First Austrian Republic .svg.png){kind=small} Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch | Heer |
| Years of service | 1909–45 |
| Rank | Generaloberst |
| Commands held |
6th Panzer Division XI Corps 3rd Panzer Army |
| Battles/wars |
World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Erhard Raus (8 January 1889 – 3 April 1956) was a German general (Generaloberst) in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He commanded the 6th Panzer Division during the early years of the war on the Eastern Front before taking army and army group commands.
World War II
On 7 September 1941, during Operation Barbarossa, Raus was appointed the acting commander of the 6th Panzer Division. On 15 September, the 6th Panzer Division, minus its artillery, was transferred to Army Group Centre to take part in Operation Typhoon, the advance onto Moscow.[1] On 11 October he was awarded the Knights Cross.[2] Raus's unit was transferred to the LVI Panzer Corps.[3]
In early April, the 6th Panzer Division was transferred to France to refit and rest; Raus was appointed the commander of the division on 29 April.[4] In mid-November 1942, the division left France for the Soviet Union.[5] Following the failure of Operation Citadel (the Kursk offensive), he organized the withdrawal of Axis units across the Dnieper river.[6] On 10 December 1943 he was appointed acting commander of the Fourth Panzer Army. Several days later he moved the divisions across the river as well as thousands of plundered cattle and horses.[7] Raus commanded the 1st Panzer Army, the 3rd Panzer Army (1944) and the XI SS Panzer Corps (1945).
After the war, Raus wrote and co-wrote a number of books and publications focusing on strategic analysis of the tank tactics used by his forces on the Eastern Front. Raus died on 3 April 1956. He was buried in Vienna with full military honors on 6 April.[8]
Awards
- Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (29 June 1941) & 1st Class (6 July 1941)[9]
- German Cross in Gold on 14 February 1943 as Generalmajor and commander of the 6. Panzer-Division[10]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight's Cross on 11 October 1941 as Oberst and commander of the 6. Schützen-Brigade[11]
- Oak Leaves on 22 August 1943 as General der Panzertruppe and commanding general of the XI. Armeekorps[11]
Works
- Panzer Operations: The Eastern Front Memoir of General Raus, 1941–1945 (with Steven H. Newton), ISBN 978-0-306-81247-7
- Peculiarities of Russian warfare (German report series, 1949), OCLC 38291522
- Tactics in unusual situations (Small unit tactics, 1951), OCLC 37669938
- Improvisations and field expedients: Their use as instruments of command (1951), OCLC 38373401
- Effects of climate on combat in European Russia (German Report Series, CMH Pub 104-6, 1952)
- The Pomeranian battle and the command in the east (1952) OCLC 14445144
- Strategic deceptions (Deceptions & Cover Plans Project # 29, 1948), OCLC 37161255
References
Citations
- ↑ Raus, Erhard. Panzer Operations p. 84
- ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 615.
- ↑ Raus, Erhard. Panzer Operations p. 93
- ↑ Raus, Erhard. Panzer Operations p. 352
- ↑ Raus, Erhard. Panzer Operations p. 138
- ↑ Raus, Erhard. Panzer Operations p. 249
- ↑ Raus, Erhard. Panzer Operations p. 254
- ↑ Heuer 1988, p. 157
- ↑ Thomas 1998, p. 184.
- ↑ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 367.
- 1 2 Scherzer 2007, p. 615.
Bibliography
- Heuer, Gerd F.: Die Generalobersten des Heeres. Inhaber höchster deutscher Kommandostellen 1933–1945. Rattstatt: Moewig 1988. ISBN 3-8118-1408-7
- Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
- Schaulen, Fritjof (2005). Eichenlaubträger 1940 – 1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe III Radusch - Zwernemann [Oak Leaves Bearers 1940 – 1945 Contemporary History in Color III Radusch – Zwernemann] (in German). Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 978-3-932381-22-5.
- Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9.
- Panzer Operations: The Eastern Front Memoir of General Raus, 1941–1945 (with Steven H. Newton)
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Generalleutnant Franz Landgraf |
Commander of 6th Panzer Division 29 April 1942–7 February 1943 |
Succeeded by Generalleutnant Walther von Hünersdorff |
| Preceded by — |
Commander of XI Corps (known as Provisional Corps Raus until 10 May 1943) 10 February 1943–5 November 1943 |
Succeeded by — |
| Preceded by General of Panzer Troops Heinrich Eberbach |
Commander of XLVII Panzer Corps 5 November 1943–30 November 1943 |
Succeeded by General of Panzer Troops Hermann Balck |
| Preceded by Generaloberst Hermann Hoth |
Commander of 4. Panzer-Armee 10 November 1943–21 April 1944 |
Succeeded by General of Panzer Troops Walter Nehring |
| Preceded by Generalorberst Hans Hube |
Commander of 1. Panzerarmee 21 April 1944–July, 1944 |
Succeeded by — |
| Preceded by General of Panzer Troops Erhard Raus |
Commander of Armeegruppe Raus July, 1944–August, 1944 |
Succeeded by Generaloberst Gotthard Heinrici |
| Preceded by Generaloberst Georg-Hans Reinhardt |
Commander of 3. Panzer-Armee 16 August 1944–10 March 1945 |
Succeeded by General Hasso-Eccard von Manteuffel |
