Nickname: No information
Date of birth: 3April 1897 - Papenburg, Niedersachsen (German Empire)
Date of death: 5 November 1980 - Riegsee, Bayern (West Germany)
Religion: Not explicitly detailed in primary military biographies; raised in a region with mixed Protestant and Catholic influences in Emsland, with postwar references suggesting alignment with broader German Protestant contexts in some accounts.
Parents: Limited public details available; born into a family in Papenburg with no widely documented names or professions in standard military lexicons.
Siblings: No confirmed public records of siblings.
Spouse: Married; specific name and date not extensively detailed in open sources, with one reference to a marriage around 1938.
Children: No confirmed public records of children.
Promotions:
27.01.1916: Leutnant - Patent 24.03.1915
01.07.1922: new RDA 01.07.1916 (8)
31.07.1925: Oberleutnant - RDA 01.04.1925 (409)
01.10.1932: Hauptmann (13)
01.08.1936: Major (14)
01.11.1939: Oberstleutnant (12)
17.12.1941: Oberst - RDA 01.04.1941 (21a)
01.06.1943: Generalmajor (15)
01.04.1944: Generalleutnant - RDA 01.04.1944 (8d)
01.04.1945: General der Infanterie - RDA 01.04.1945
Career:
12.06.1915: Freiwilliger
00.00.1916: Zugführer, 6. Kompanie, Infanterie-Regiment 57
04.09.1916: Führer, 1. Rekruten-Kompanie, Infanterie-Regiment 57
01.10.1916: Kompanieoffizier, Infanterie-Regiment 57
20.10.1916: Lehr-Maschinen-Gewehr-Kompanie, VII. Armee-Korps
19.12.1916: stellvertretender Führer, 8. Kompanie, Infanterie-Regiment 57
01.05.1918: Führer, 5. Kompanie, Infanterie-Regiment 57
20.06.1919: Adjutant, I. Bataillon, Reichswehr-Infanterie-Regiment 62
01.10.1920: Kompanieoffizier, 10. Kompanie, Infanterie-Regiment 17
14.02.1924: 1. Kompanie, Infanterie-Regiment 16, Bremen
01.10.1925: 4. (MG) Kompanie, Infanterie-Regiment 16, Bremen
01.10.1927: Stab, 6. Division, Münster
01.10.1929: 8. (MG) Kompanie, Infanterie-Regiment 16, Hannover
01.05.1932: Stab, II. Bataillon, Infanterie-Regiment 16, Hannover
01.04.1933: Chef, 5. Kompanie, Infanterie-Regiment 16, Hannover
01.10.1934: Adjutant, Infanterie-Regiment 37, Osnabrück
07.03.1936: Stab, 26. Division, Köln
12.10.1937: Adjutant, 26. Division, Köln
01.05.1938: Kommandeur, I. Bataillon, Infanterie-Regiment 39, Düsseldorf
26.08.1939: Kommandeur, Infanterie-Ersatz-Regiment 211
31.05.1940: Kommandeur, Infanterie-Regiment 464, 253. Infanterie-Division
15.12.1942: stellvertretender Führer, 256. Infanterie-Division
15.03.1943: Führerreserve, OKH (HPA)
01.04.1943: Kommandeur, 371. Infanterie-Division
02.03.1945: Kommandant der Festung Breslau
06.05.1945: surrendered to Soviet troops - Soviet POW, NKVD-Camp Nr. 27, Krasnogorsk
16.06.1945: sentenced to 25 years force labourby a Soviet military court in Moscow
00.06.1945: NKVD-Camp Nr. 27, Krasnogorsk then Soviet POW camp Nr. 48, ?erncy Ležnevo
00.00.1945: Soviet POW camp Nr. 476, Sverdlovsk
00.00.1950: Soviet POW camp Nr. 1 then Nr. 2, Moscow
08.10.1955: released
Awards and Decorations:
Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse 1914 (5 August 1916).
Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse 1914 (12 June 1918).
Hamburgisches Hanseatenkreuz (22 March 1919).
Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer (8 January 1935).
Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht various classes (1936).
1939 Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 2. Klasse (26 June 1940).
1939 Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 1. Klasse (7 July 1941).
Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Schwarz (31 July 1941).
Ehrenblattspange des Heeres (29 September 1941, 366th award).
Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (6 January 1942).
Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen in Silber (15 May 1942).
Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42 (Ostmedaille, 1942).
Croatian Red Krune Kralja Zvonimira I.Stupnja Cross with Oak Wreath and Star.
Croatian Red Krune Kralja Zvonimira Grand Cross with Oak Wreath and Star.
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes #3143 (15 June 1944) as Generalleutnant and Kommandeur 371. Infanterie-Division. In early March 1944, as part of the broader fighting withdrawal amid the Soviet spring offensives on the southern sector of the Eastern Front (near the Kamieniec-Podolski Pocket area), Niehoff's Westphalian 371st Infantry Division faced intense pressure. On 4 March 1944, Soviet forces launched assaults against the German line running through Masepinzy–Ignatewka–Lypjatin. Under Niehoff's direct leadership, the division executed a disciplined, fighting withdrawal over roughly 50 kilometers between 5 and 7 March. This maneuver occurred under continuous enemy fire, with rearguard actions repelling multiple Soviet probes while the main body fell back to new defensive positions along the Bug River.
Once established on the Bug, the division held firm from 8 to 16 March near Chmelnik, Kurilowka, and Alexandriwka. Niehoff's personal energy and drive proved decisive: he moved between threatened sectors, rallying troops, coordinating artillery and anti-tank defenses, and ensuring cohesion despite superior Soviet numbers and relentless attacks. The actions prevented a clean Soviet breakthrough, inflicted significant casualties on pursuing Red Army units, allowed the capture of over 2,000 prisoners in some sectors, and preserved the division's fighting strength for further operations. His citation highlighted this "energy and drive" as essential to the division's successful defensive fighting.
Mention in Wehrmachtbericht (11 August 1944) : "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."
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #764 (5 March 1945) as Generalleutnant and Kommandeur 371. Infanterie-Division. By mid-February 1945, the division occupied a critical sector southeast of Langlieben extending to Eichendorffmühl, serving as one of the few organized German units blocking a major Soviet push toward the Oder River and key lines of communication. On 16 February 1945, the Red Army unleashed a powerful offensive with massed infantry, armor, and artillery against this thinly held front. Niehoff's troops, though outnumbered and short on heavy weapons, mounted a tenacious defense focused on holding Reichsstraße 118 north from Ratibor—an vital supply and withdrawal route.
Over subsequent days, wave after wave of Soviet assaults crashed against German positions. Niehoff orchestrated rapid counter-moves, committing reserves precisely where breakthroughs threatened, and personally inspiring his men amid the chaos of exploding shells, machine-gun fire, and close-quarters combat. Several Soviet penetrations were thrown back in brutal hand-to-hand fighting with bayonets, grenades, and entrenching tools. The division held the road open despite heavy losses, blunting the offensive and buying precious time for other German forces. This stand, marked by Niehoff's calm leadership under extreme pressure, earned him the Eichenlaub.
Nominated for Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern #147 (26 April 1945), but not formally confirmed in German Federal Archives. The German Federal Archives hold no records for the presentation of the Swords to Hermann Niehoff. The Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (OdR, Ordensgemeinschaft der Ritterkreuzträger des Eisernen Kreuzes e.V.) only assumes that the Schwerter were awarded. According to Niehoff's testimony he was nominated by Gauleiter Karl Hanke. The date and sequential number "147" were assigned by the OdR (Niehoff himself was a member of the OdR).
Niehoff assumed command of Fortress Breslau on 2 March 1945, replacing the previous commander amid the ongoing siege that had begun in mid-February. The city was already encircled by elements of the Soviet 6th Army, subjected to relentless artillery barrages, air attacks, and grinding urban assaults. Under Niehoff, the defense intensified into a fanatical house-to-house struggle. He reorganized mixed forces—regular army troops, Volkssturm militia, Hitler Youth, and SS/police units—into improvised Kampfgruppen, fortified key buildings and cellars into strongpoints, and used demolitions to create rubble-filled kill zones that negated Soviet numerical and armored advantages.
Soviet assault groups with flamethrowers and explosives cleared buildings floor by floor, only to face immediate German counterattacks through sewers, back alleys, or ruined walls. German defenders employed panzerfausts at point-blank range, snipers from upper floors, and even remote-controlled demolition vehicles (Goliaths) to destroy occupied structures. Niehoff maintained aggressive posture with limited counter-thrusts, distributed scarce supplies (including symbolic gestures like chocolates on Hitler's birthday, 20 April), and coordinated a perilous Luftwaffe airlift that delivered vital ammunition and food despite heavy losses. The garrison inflicted disproportionate casualties through attrition warfare, turning districts into charred ruins while holding the inner city far longer than expected.
The prolonged resistance—lasting until 6 May 1945, two days before Germany's overall surrender—tied down significant Soviet forces and exemplified stubborn urban defense in the war's final days. Niehoff's nomination for Swords reflected this leadership in one of the last major sieges, though chaotic end-war conditions left the award unconfirmed in official records.
These actions underscore Niehoff's reputation as a steady, energetic infantry commander skilled in both mobile withdrawals and static, attritional defense under overwhelming odds.
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Hermann Niehoff was a German general of infantry during the Second World War who rose to prominence as a divisional commander on the Eastern Front and later as the final garrison commander of Fortress Breslau. Born on 3 April 1897 in Papenburg in the Province of Hanover, he volunteered for military service in June 1915 during the First World War. Assigned to the 57th Infantry Regiment, he saw frontline action and earned both classes of the Iron Cross for bravery under fire. After the armistice he continued his career in the small Reichswehr force permitted by the Treaty of Versailles, advancing steadily through company and staff positions in various infantry units during the interwar years. By the outbreak of the Second World War he had reached field grade and commanded a battalion before taking charge of Infantry Regiment 464 in 1940.
Niehoffs steady performance in the early campaigns led to further responsibilities. In late 1942 he briefly served as acting commander of the 256th Infantry Division before assuming leadership of the newly formed 371st Infantry Division in April 1943. The division, composed largely of Westphalian troops, fought in the southern sector of the Eastern Front and participated in the intense battles around the Kamieniec-Podolski Pocket in early 1944. Under Niehoffs command the unit conducted a skillful fighting withdrawal in March 1944 from exposed positions near Masepinzy through Ignatewka and Lypjatin to the Bug River. Over several days the division repelled repeated Soviet assaults while disengaging, then anchored new defenses at Chmelnik, Kurilowka, and Alexandriwka. His personal energy in directing these operations, maintaining unit cohesion against superior enemy forces, and preventing a breakthrough earned him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 15 June 1944.
The 371st Infantry Division continued defensive actions through the summer and autumn of 1944 as the German front steadily contracted. Niehoff received promotion to Generalleutnant in April 1944 and kept the division intact through heavy fighting. By February 1945 the unit occupied a critical sector southeast of Langlieben toward Eichendorffmühl. When the Red Army launched a major offensive on 16 February the 371st found itself almost alone in the path of the assault. Niehoff coordinated tenacious resistance along Reichsstraße 118 north of Ratibor, committing reserves at decisive points and directing close-combat actions that threw back multiple Soviet attacks. These efforts held the vital road open long enough for other forces to regroup and inflicted heavy losses on the attacker. For this leadership he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross on 5 March 1945.
On 2 March 1945 Niehoff was appointed commandant of Festung Breslau, replacing the previous commander amid the ongoing siege that had begun in mid-February. The city, already encircled by the Soviet 6th Army, faced relentless artillery bombardment and house-to-house assaults. Niehoff reorganized the mixed garrison of regular troops, Volkssturm, Hitler Youth, and police units into strongpoints built around cellars and ruined buildings. He ordered extensive demolitions to create rubble barriers that channeled Soviet advances into kill zones and coordinated limited counterattacks to regain lost blocks. Under his direction the defense turned into a prolonged war of attrition fought floor by floor and street by street. Luftwaffe airlifts delivered desperately needed supplies despite heavy losses, while German defenders used panzerfausts, snipers, and improvised explosives to exact a high price for every yard gained by the Red Army.
The siege of Breslau lasted eighty-two days, one of the longest and bloodiest urban battles of the war in Europe. Niehoff maintained discipline and morale even as ammunition and food dwindled and casualties mounted. On 20 April he distributed small rations of chocolate to the troops to mark Adolf Hitlers birthday. As Soviet forces closed in on the city center in late April and early May, he rejected early surrender demands from local clergy and continued resistance until higher headquarters authorized capitulation. On 6 May 1945, two days before the overall German surrender, Niehoff formally handed over the ruined city to Soviet forces. His conduct during the defense led to a nomination for the Swords to the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, though the award remained unconfirmed in the chaotic final records of the war.
Taken prisoner by the Soviets, Niehoff was sentenced to twenty-five years of forced labor. He spent a decade in various camps before his release in October 1955. After returning to West Germany he lived quietly in Bavaria and contributed occasional accounts of the Breslau siege. He died on 5 November 1980 in Riegsee at the age of eighty-three. Niehoffs military career exemplified the experienced infantry officer who rose through competence in both mobile defensive operations and the brutal realities of late-war fortress defense.
Source:
Fellgiebel, W.P., Elite of the Third Reich, Helion & Company.
Patzwall, K. & Scherzer, V., Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941-1945.
Thomas, Franz & Wegmann, Günter, Die Eichenlaubträger 1940-1945.
Die Ordensträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht (CD), VMD-Verlag.
Kwasny A., Kwasny G., Die Eichenlaubträger 1940-1945 (CD).
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/
https://en.wikipedia.org/
https://www.tracesofwar.com/
https://grokipedia.com/
https://rk.balsi.de/
https://www.unithistories.com/
https://forum.axishistory.com/
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/
https://www.geni.com/
https://generals.dk/
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