Hermann Niehoff

Hermann Niehoff
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Born	(1897-04-03)3 April 1897 Papenburg/Ems
Died	Riegsee
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1915–45
Rank	General der Infanterie
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Siege of Breslau
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords

Hermann Niehoff was a German officer during World War II. He was born on 3 April 1897 and died in 1980. Niehoff was born in Papenburg/Ems. He was a German infantry general and was the garrison commander of Fortress Breslau (Festung Breslau) during the Battle of Breslau.

Commands

• Commanding Officer of the 211th Replacement Regiment - 1939 to 1940
• Commanding Officer of the 464th Regiment - 1940 to 1943
• Infantry General (General der Infanterie) of the 371st Infantry Division - 1943 to 1945
• Garrison Commander of Fortress Breslau - 2 March to 6 May 1945

Actions

As General of the 371 Infantry Division (371.Infanterie Division), Niehoff participated in the break out from the Kamieniec-Podolski Pocket during March and April 1944. At this time, his division was part of Colonel General (Generaloberst) Hans-Valentin Hube's 1st Panzer Army.

From 13 February to 6 May 1945, Breslau was besieged by the Soviet 6th Army. The 6th Army was part of the Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front commanded by Marshal Ivan Konev.

On 2 March, Niehoff became the garrison commander. To oppose the Soviets, Niehoff had a mix of German Army, Home Guard, and Hitler Youth troops. During the siege, Niehoff's over-matched forces held Breslau for more than two months while much of the city was destroyed and many of his troops were killed.

On 6 May, four days after Berlin fell and only two days before the unconditional surrender of Germany, Niehoff surrendered Fortress Breslau to the Soviets. Niehoff remained a prisoner of war from 1945 to 1955.

Awards

• Wound Badge in Black
• Infantry Assault Badge
• Hamburg Hanseatic Cross (World War I)
• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (5 August 1916)
  • 1st Class (12 June 1918)
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (26 June 1940)
  • 1st Class (7 July 1941)
• Honour Roll Clasp of the Army (29 September 1941)
• German Cross in Gold on 6 January 1942 as Oberstleutnant in Infanterie-Regiment 464
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
  • Knight's Cross on 15 June 1944 as Generalleutnant and commander of the 371. Infaterie-Division
  • 764th Oak Leaves on 5 March 1945 as Generalleutnant and commander of the 371. Infaterie-Division
  • (147th) Swords on 26 April 1945 as General der Infanterie and commander of the Festung Breslau
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 11 August 1944

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
11 August 1944	In den Kämpfen an der Ostfront haben sich die westfälische 371. Infanteriedivision unter Führung von Generalleutnant Niehoff und das Jägerregiment 229 unter Oberst Schury hervorragend bewährt.	In the battles on the Eastern Front, the Westphalian 371 Infantry Division under the command of Lieutenant-General Niehoff and the 229 Infantry Regiment under Colonel Schury have proved themselves to be excellent.

External links

• Hermann Niehoff @ Ritterkreuzträger 1939–45
• Hermann Niehoff @ Personenlexikon
• Hermann Niehoff @ Lexikon der Wehrmacht

Military offices
Preceded by Generalleutnant Richard Stempel	Commander of 371. Infanterie-Division 1 April 1943 – 10 June 1944	Succeeded by Generalmajor Hans-Joachim Baurmeister
Preceded by Generalmajor Hans-Joachim Baurmeister	Commander of 371. Infanterie-Division 10 July 1944 – 2 March 1945	Succeeded by Generalmajor Rolf Scherenberg