Nickname: None commonly recorded
Date of birth: 23 July 1891 - Mülheim an der Ruhr, Rhineprovinz (German Empire)
Date of death: 11 March 1977 - Hameln, Niedersachsen (West Germany)
Religion: Protestant (evangelisch), as was typical for many Saxon officers of his generation
Parents: Richard Hartmann (factory owner) and Bertha Hartmann, born Schumann
Siblings: Not specified
Spouse: Married to Luise Hartmann, born von Meibom (married 1922)
Children: Two daughters
Promotions:
08.04.1911: Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier
30.06.1911: Fähnrich
04.05.1912: Leutnant
13.03.1916: Oberleutnant
01.12.1921: Hauptmann
01.10.1932: Major
01.04.1936: Oberstleutnant
01.06.1938: Oberst
01.10.1941: Generalmajor
01.02.1943: Generalleutnant
01.05.1944: General der Artillerie
Career:
01.10.1910: entered Army
01.10.1910: Fahnenjunker in the 12th Field-Artillery-Regiment
01.10.1913: Mounted Battalion of the 12th Field-Artillery-Regiment
26.03.1916: Replacement-Battalion of the 12th Field-Artillery-Regiment
16.04.1916: Beobachter, 7th Flying-Replacement-Battalion
14.06.1916: 232nd Artillery-Flying-Battalion
27.01.1917: 1st Adjutant of Artillery-Flying-School East
01.06.1918: Flying-Group-Commander 21, Training in General Staff Service to XXI. Reserve-Corps
15.12.1918: Adjutant of the Commander of Flying 9, Kurland
01.01.1919: Battery-Leader in the Kurland Field-Artillery-Regiment
01.06.1919: General-Staff-Officer with General-Command of VI. Reserve-Corps
05.12.1919: 12th Field-Artillery-Regiment
01.04.1920: Adjutant of Artillery-Leader 12
01.01.1921: 4th Artillery-Regiment
03.01.1921: training of Officers with Special Duties with the Staff of 4th Division, Dresden
18.05.1921: training as Subsidiary Detached Officer
01.10.1921: subsidiary-Leadership-Training with the Staff of 4th Division
01.10.1922: 4th Artillery-Regiment
01.05.1923: Staff of 4th Division
01.10.1925: 4th Artillery-Regiment
01.10.1926: Staff of the 4th Division
01.04.1928: Chief, 5th Battery, 4th Artillery-Regiment
22.10.1928: Firing-Course for Artillery Officers in Munster
01.10.1931: Staff, II. Battalion, 4th Artillery-Regiment
31.10.1932: retired
01.11.1932: instructor in China
01.03.1934: reactivated, Staff of the 4th Artillery-Regiment
01.10.1934: Commander, IV. Battalion, Artillery-Regiment Naumburg
15.10.1935: Commander, I. Battalion, 60th Artillery-Regiment
12.10.1937: Commander, 24th Artillery-Regiment
25.11.1940: Artillery-Commander 140 (Artillery-Leader of LII. Army-Corps)
15.07.1941: Severely Wounded (lost left arm and left leg) - in Hospital the Führer-Reserve
01.05.1942: Commander, Special-Purpose-Division 407
10.09.1942: Commander, 390th Field-Training-Division
01.04.1943: Commander, 87th Infantry-Division
20.11.1943: Führer-Reserve OKH
05.01.1944: course for Commanding Generals
05.02.1944: Army-Group North for Use as Representative for Leave and Sick Commanding Generals
01.02.1944-30.03.1944: delegated with the Leadership of I. Army-Corps
01.04.1944-28.04.1944: delegated with the Leadership of X. Army-Corps
02.05.1944: Army-Group South Ukraine for Use as Representative for Leave and Sick Commanding Generals
10.05.1944: commanding General, XXXXIX. Mountain-Corps
28.05.1944-13.06.1944: delegated with the Leadership of 17th Army
10.09.1944: commanding General, VIII. Army-Corps
18.04.1945: commanding General, XXIV. Panzer-Corps
08.05.1945: US POW
20.06.1947: released
Awards and Decorations:
- Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse 1914 (28 September 1914)
- Ritterkreuz des Königlich Sächsischen Militär-St.-Heinrichs-Ordens (9 March 1915)
- Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse 1914 (30 September 1916)
- Ritterkreuz II. Klasse des Königlich Sächsischen Albrechts-Ordens mit Schwertern
- Königlich Preussisches Flugzeugbeobachter-Abzeichen
- Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer (1934)
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung 4. bis 1. Klasse (1936)
- Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 2. Klasse 1939 (21 September 1939)
- Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 1. Klasse 1939 (1 October 1939)
- Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Gold (July 1941)
- Anerkennungsurkunde des Oberbefehlshabers des Heeres (30 July 1941)
- Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes #409 (10 August 1941) as Oberst and Artillerie-Kommandeur 140 (Arko 140), supporting the 100. Leichte Infanterie-Division of the 17. Armee in Heeresgruppe Süd. The division was tasked with breaking through the heavily fortified Stalin Line near the village of Koserowka, on 15 July 1941. The Soviet defenses consisted of deep field fortifications, bunkers, anti-tank obstacles, and concentrated artillery and machine-gun fire. As the German infantry assault began to stall under furious enemy resistance, Hartmann moved forward to the foremost line, exposing himself directly to Soviet fire. From this advanced position, he personally directed the artillery fire with exceptional skill and calmness.
By observing the battlefield in real time, he adjusted the barrage swiftly and flexibly to match the rapidly changing needs of the attacking infantry. His precise fire support suppressed Soviet strongpoints, neutralized counter-attacking forces, and created gaps in the enemy line. This decisive artillery leadership enabled the 100. Leichte Infanterie-Division to achieve a swift and successful breakthrough. Only hours later, Hartmann himself was severely wounded in the same sector and lost his left arm and left leg.
- Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #340 (30 November 1943) as Generalleutnant and Kommandeur 87. Infanterie-Division. In September 1943, the division faced repeated heavy Soviet attacks and local penetrations. On 19 September 1943, a dangerous Soviet breakthrough occurred near Beljanskaja. Hartmann personally led two platoons of Jäger-Bataillon 1 into the breach to seal off the penetration. Moving with determination on his artificial limbs, he directed the small force in close combat and restored the line.
On 23 September 1943, Soviet forces advanced up to 15 kilometers behind the German front and threatened divisional supply units along the Janowitschi–Demidow road. Hartmann immediately assembled a small battle group consisting of about 20 men from his own divisional staff and personally led them in a counterattack. Through aggressive leadership and rapid action, they engaged the enemy and eliminated the threat to the rear areas.
The following day, on 24 September 1943, he cleared another critical situation near Tischanowo by committing reserves and coordinating localized counterthrusts. These actions, carried out under extreme personal physical hardship, demonstrated exceptional leadership and bravery. For his outstanding command of the 87. Infanterie-Division and these specific deeds, Hartmann was awarded the Eichenlaub.
- Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern #139 (18 March 1945) as General der Artillerie and Kommandierender General VIII. Armeekorps. By late January and early February 1945, the corps was engaged in desperate defensive battles along the Oder front in Silesia, holding a sector from Cosel to Oppeln (later extended toward Grotkau).
Facing overwhelming Soviet superiority in men, tanks, and artillery during the Vistula-Oder Offensive, the corps came under repeated heavy assaults. Soviet forces achieved several dangerous local break-ins. Hartmann organized a tenacious defense, rapidly shifting limited reserves and launching targeted counterthrusts even when they were numerically weak. These swift and determined counterattacks prevented the penetrations from expanding into a full breakthrough.
His leadership was particularly effective in the fighting northeast of Ratibor, in the area between Grotkau and Neiße, and east of the Zobten. Through skillful use of terrain, coordinated artillery and anti-tank fire, and personal example, the VIII. Armeekorps held its positions long enough to delay the Soviet advance toward the interior of Germany. These defensive successes in the final phase of the war, conducted under enormous pressure, earned him the Schwerter.
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Walter Hartmann was a German general of artillery in the Wehrmacht during World War II who rose to prominence through his leadership in both world wars and his extraordinary resilience after suffering devastating injuries. Born on 23 July 1891 in Mülheim an der Ruhr in the Rhine Province, he entered military service in October 1910 as a Fahnenjunker with the 1st Royal Saxon Field Artillery Regiment No. 12. During World War I he served primarily on the Eastern Front with Saxon artillery units, later transferring to aerial observation roles where he acted as an observer and adjutant in flying formations. He earned several decorations for bravery, including the Iron Cross First and Second Class and the Knight's Cross of the Saxon Military Order of St. Henry. After the war he continued in the Reichswehr, holding various staff and command positions within artillery regiments based in Dresden.
In the interwar years Hartmann advanced steadily through the ranks while serving in artillery units and briefly acting as an instructor in China between 1932 and 1934. He commanded the 24th Artillery Regiment from 1937 onward, leading it through the invasion of Poland in 1939 and the campaign in the West in 1940. In November 1940 he was appointed Artillerie-Kommandeur 140, a role that placed him in charge of coordinating heavy fire support for corps-level operations. Promoted to Oberst, he brought his artillery expertise to the early stages of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, supporting the 100th Light Infantry Division in Army Group South as German forces pushed deep into Soviet territory.
The action that earned Hartmann the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross occurred on 15 July 1941 near the village of Koserowka during the assault on the heavily fortified Stalin Line. Soviet defenses featured dense bunkers, anti-tank obstacles, and intense machine-gun and artillery fire that threatened to stall the German infantry attack. Ignoring personal safety, Hartmann moved forward to the foremost lines under furious enemy fire and personally directed the artillery barrage with remarkable precision and flexibility. By adjusting fire in real time to suppress strongpoints and neutralize counterattacks, he enabled the 100th Light Infantry Division to achieve a swift breakthrough. Hours after this success, however, he was severely wounded in the same sector, resulting in the amputation of his left arm and left leg. Despite this life-changing injury, he was awarded the Knight's Cross on 10 August 1941 and later promoted to Generalmajor.
After a long period of recovery, Hartmann insisted on returning to active front-line duty in May 1942. He first commanded Division z.b.V. 407 and then the 390th Field Training Division before taking charge of the 87th Infantry Division in April 1943 in the central sector of the Eastern Front near Welish. In September 1943, as Soviet forces launched strong local offensives, he demonstrated exceptional personal courage despite his disabilities. On 19 September he led two platoons of Jäger Battalion 1 into a dangerous penetration at Beljanskaja to seal the gap through close combat. Days later, on 23 September, he assembled a small battle group of about twenty men from his divisional staff and personally led them in a counterattack against Soviet troops that had advanced fifteen kilometers behind German lines to threaten supply routes along the Janowitschi–Demidow road. The following day he resolved another critical situation near Tischanowo by committing reserves and directing localized counterthrusts. These determined actions helped stabilize the division's sector during a difficult defensive battle and earned him the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross on 30 November 1943.
In early 1944 Hartmann briefly led the I Army Corps before assuming command of the XXXXIX Mountain Corps in May 1944, overseeing the difficult evacuation of Crimea by sea to Romania. By September 1944 he had taken command of the VIII Army Corps, which faced the full weight of the Red Army's advances in Silesia and along the Oder River. During the heavy Soviet assaults of late January and early February 1945, his corps held a critical sector from Cosel to Oppeln and later toward Grotkau. Through skillful coordination of limited reserves, rapid counterattacks, and tenacious use of terrain and artillery, Hartmann prevented several dangerous penetrations from developing into a complete breakthrough, particularly in the fighting northeast of Ratibor and east of the Zobten. For his leadership in these desperate defensive battles he received the Swords to the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves on 18 March 1945. In April 1945 he assumed command of the XXIV Panzer Corps and led it until the final days of the war.
Hartmann was taken prisoner by American forces on 8 May 1945 and was released from captivity on 20 June 1947. He spent his remaining years in Hameln, Lower Saxony, where he died on 11 March 1977 at the age of 85. Throughout his career he was noted not only for his tactical competence as an artillery officer but also for his remarkable determination to continue serving despite profound physical handicaps, qualities that made him one of the few severely disabled generals to hold high command positions on the Eastern Front until the end of hostilities.
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Hartmann
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/34591/Hartmann-Walter-General-der-Artillerie.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20091028010435fw_/http://geocities.com/orion47.geo/WEHRMACHT/HEER/General/HARTMANN_WALTER.html
https://generals.dk/general/Hartmann/Walter/Germany.html
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/H/HartmannWa.htm
https://rk.balsi.de
