Karl Mauss

Karl Mauss

Karl Mauss
Born (1898-05-17)17 May 1898
Ploen, German Empire
Died 9 February 1959(1959-02-09) (aged 60)
Hamburg, West Germany
Allegiance  German Empire
 Weimar Republic
 Nazi Germany
Years of service 1914–22, 1934–45
Rank General der Panzertruppe
Unit 10th Panzer Division
Commands held 7th Panzer Division
Battles/wars

World War I

Silesian Uprisings World War II

Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
Other work Dentist

Karl Mauss (17 May 1898 – 9 February 1959) was one of the most highly decorated tank commanders of the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a lieutenant general and commander of the 7th Panzer Division, and one of only 27 German military men to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade the Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Career

Mauss volunteered for service in World War I in 1914 at the age of sixteeen.[1] He joined Lauenburger Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 9 of Ratzeburg, serving on the Western Front. In 1915, the youngest man in the division, he was awarded the Iron Cross, 2nd class as the best scout in the region during the Battle of the Somme.[2] The following year, shortly after the transfer of his division to the Eastern Front, he received the Iron Cross, 1st class. Following World War I Mauss joined the paramilitary groups Freikorps Oberland and Marinebrigade Ehrhardt and fought against the Silesian Uprisings. Beginning in 1922, he studied dentistry at the University of Hamburg, attaining his doctorate in 1929 and opening a private dental practice. He re-enlisted in 1934, and reached the rank of major in April 1938.

At the start of the war, Mauss served with the 20th Motorized Infantry Division, with which he participated in the 1939 Invasion of Poland. In May 1940 his 10th Panzer Division took part in the Battle of France together with Heinz Guderian's XIX Army Corps. In the second phase of the campaign, Mauss participated in the battles against the French 7th Army.

Mauss took part in Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. In November 1941, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. In 1942 Mauss was promoted to colonel; he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross in November, 1943. In January 1944 he took command of the 7th Panzer Division. On 23 October 1944 he received the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. In February 1945 he was seriously injured and had a leg amputated. He was promoted to lieutenant general in April, and received the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds on 15 April 1945.

After the war Mauss worked as a dentist in his own practice. He died in 1959 following a lengthy illness.

Awards

References

Citations

Bibliography

  • Berger, Florian (1999). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges [With Oak Leaves and Swords. The Highest Decorated Soldiers of the Second World War] (in German). Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-0-6. 
  • Fraschka, Günther (1994). Knights of the Reich. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military/Aviation History. ISBN 978-0-88740-580-8. 
  • 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. 
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. 
  • Stockert, Peter (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 4 [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 4] (in German). Bad Friedrichshall, Germany: Friedrichshaller Rundblick. ISBN 978-3-932915-03-1. 
  • 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. 
  • Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 3, 1 January 1944 to 9 May 1945] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2. 
Military offices
Preceded by
Oberst Wolfgang Gläsemer		 Commander of 7th Panzer Division
30 January 1944 – 2 May 1944 		Succeeded by
Generalmajor Gerhard Schmidhuber
Preceded by
Generalmajor Gerhard Schmidhuber		 Commander of 7th Panzer Division
9 September 1944 – 31 October 1944 		Succeeded by
Generalmajor Hellmuth Mäder
Preceded by
Generalmajor Hellmuth Mäder		 Commander of 7th Panzer Division
30 November 1944 – 5 January 1945 		Succeeded by
Generalmajor Max Lemke
Preceded by
Generalmajor Max Lemke		 Commander of 7th Panzer Division
23 January 1945 – 23 March 1945 		Succeeded by
Oberst Hans Christern
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