Full name: Karl Heinz Hausmann
Nickname: None widely documented
Date of birth: 10.01.1912 - Neuweistritz-Habelschwerdt, Glatz, Provinz Schlesien (German Empire)
Date of death: 27.07.1997 - Edling, Bavaria (Germany)
Campaign and Operation: Invasion of Sudetenland (1938), Invasion of Czechoslovakia (1939), Invasion of Poland (1939), Invasion of Low Countries and France (1940), Unternehmen Barbarossa (1941), Eastern Front (1941-1944)
Religion: Catholic
Parents: Leo Hausmann (Landwirt) and Anna Guder
Siblings: No detailed records available.
Spouse: Christel Jendralski (married 26.02.1942)
Children: No confirmed public information on children.
Promotions:
00.00.1935 Gefreiter
00.00.1936 Unteroffizier
00.00.1938 Feldwebel
00.00.1940 Oberfeldwebel
01.06.1942 Leutnant (406 C)
01.11.1942 Oberleutnant (310)
06.06.1956 Hauptmann (Bundeswehr)
Career:
04.04.1934 Enlisted in the Heer as a soldier in the 6.Kompanie / Infanterie-Regiment 7 in Glas (Silesia)
00.09.1939 Served in the 8. Infanterie-Division during the Polish Campaign.
00.00.1940 Participated in the campaign in the West as a Stab and adjutant.
00.00.1940 - 00.12.1941 Zugführer in Infanterie-Regiment 28 / 8.Infanterie-Division.
00.00.1941 Transferred with the division to the Eastern Front as part of Operation Barbarossa.
00.12.1941 - 00.00.1942 Zugführer in Jager-Regiment 28 / 8.leichte-Division
00.06.1942 8. leichte-Division was redesignated as 8. Jager-Division.
00.00.1942 - 00.00.1944 Führer and then Chef of 3.Kompanie / Jager-Regiment 28 / 8.Jager-Division
15.05.1942 Awarded the Ritterkreuz for outstanding bravery and leadership against Soviet forces.
03.06.1942 Lightly wounded by grenade splinter in the left elbow.
04.06.1942 Fell ill with influenza / Feldlazarett 8 in Aleskino.
10.12.1942 Transferred to Jäger-Ersatz-Bataillon 28 in Metz (as the only son left in the family).
00.00.1944 - 04.05.1945 Kompaniechef in Wachbataillon "Großdeutschland".
04.05.1945 - 01.01.1950 Survived the war and became a prisoner of war.
01.01.1950 Released from the POW camp and settled in bavaria.
06.06.1956 Enlisted in the West German Bundeswehr. Served in Personal-Abteilung / Bundesminister der Verteidigung
30.09.1967 Retired
He Lived quietly until his death in 1997. He occasionally signed postcards and photos for collectors as a ritterkreuztrager.
Awards and Decorations:
00.11.1939 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
00.00.194_ Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen
18.08.1941 Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
00.00.1942 Medaille "Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42" (Ostmedaille)
00.00.194_ Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz
00.00.194_ Nahkampfspange in Bronze
15.05.1942 Ritterkreuz des eisernen kreuzes #990 as Oberfeldwebel and Führer 3.Kompanie / I.Bataillon / Jäger-Regiment 28 / 8.leichte-Division. In early 1942, Soviet forces had trapped around 100,000 German troops in the Demyansk area, south of Lake Ilmen near Staraya Russa. The pocket endured months of brutal winter isolation, supplied only by air. The 8. leichte-Division, together with the 5. leichte-Division, took part in Operation Bruckenschlag, the ground relief attack to link up with the encircled forces.
The offensive launched on 21 March 1942 under extreme winter conditions: temperatures dropping below -30 degrees Celsius, waist-deep snow, dense forests, and frozen swamps. The Jager troops advanced through this frozen wasteland toward the Lovat River and the village of Ramushewo. Hausmann led his company in these assaults as part of Jager-Regiment 28. His leadership and bravery stood out during what the original account described as "a fight of superhuman exertions, courage, intrepidity and bravery and many sacrifice."
The Jager moved forward in white winter camouflage that helped them blend into the snow but gave almost no protection against the freezing wind. Their breath turned to ice on scarves and beards. Rifles and machine guns frequently jammed as the cold thickened the oil inside the mechanisms. Soldiers dragged sleds loaded with ammunition and wounded comrades, or pushed ahead on skis wherever the terrain allowed.
Soviet positions were well-hidden in the snow, behind fallen trees and in fortified villages. Machine-gun fire ripped across the open ground, with glowing tracer rounds slicing through the dim light. Artillery and mortar shells exploded, throwing up columns of snow, ice, and frozen earth. Shrapnel hissed through the air, cutting men down in sudden sprays of red against the white landscape.
Hausmann's company repeatedly stormed these defenses. In fierce assaults they charged through deep snowdrifts under heavy fire. Hausmann led from the front, shouting encouragement and directing his men. They closed the final distance with grenades and bayonets in savage hand-to-hand combat: rifles swung like clubs, knives flashed, and desperate struggles played out in the snow. Soviet counterattacks came in screaming waves of "Hurrah!" charges, often with superior numbers. Hausmann's troops held their ground or pushed back with disciplined fire and determined counter-charges, relying on their training and willpower.
When April arrived, the thaw transformed the battlefield into a nightmare of mud. Melting snow created knee-deep slush and icy swamps. Vehicles sank and became useless. Men waded through freezing water that soaked their uniforms and worsened frostbite into trench foot. What the cold had not taken, the mud and exhaustion now threatened to destroy. Supplies were scarce, rations minimal, and every step required immense effort.
Despite these conditions, on 20 April 1942 the relief forces, including units from the 8. Jager-Division, finally restored the connection with the encircled comrades at Ramushewo on the Lovat River. The narrow corridor allowed the trapped troops to be relieved after months of suffering.
The Ritterkreuz recommendation: "Reason for the award: Oberfeldwebel (Sergeant Major) Hausmann, through personally exemplary bravery and leadership qualities, when the battalion’s attack came to a halt, used his platoon to seize enemy resistance strongpoints — especially trained for house-to-house combat — despite being heavily outnumbered, and held them until reinforcements arrived three hours later. The independently made decision was of decisive importance for the subsequent fighting.”
(12.05.1942 recommendation received; 13.05.1942 forwarded; 15.05.1942 awarded. Preliminary notification of award and decorations: from 16.05.1942 to the Armee Oberkommando 16)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Karl Hausmann was a German soldier who served in the Heer during World War II. He earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes as an Oberfeldwebel and acting company commander on the Eastern Front for exceptional bravery and leadership in combat. Born on 10 January 1912 in Neuweistritz-Habelschwerdt in Silesia, Hausmann rose through the ranks as a non-commissioned officer known for his steadfastness in the face of overwhelming Soviet opposition. He later lived in Bavaria after the war until his death on 27 July 1997 in Edling.
Hausmann came from Silesia and enlisted in the German Army during the 1930s. He received standard infantry training and was assigned to what became the 8. Infanterie-Division. With the outbreak of war in 1939 he participated in the Polish campaign followed by operations in the west in 1940. When the division moved east for Operation Barbarossa in 1941 it was redesignated first as 8. Leichte Infanterie-Division and then as 8. Jäger-Division. Hausmann served with Jäger-Regiment 28 where he advanced to Feldwebel and then Oberfeldwebel while training as an Offiziersanwärter.
During the harsh fighting on the northern sector of the Eastern Front in 1941 and early 1942 Hausmann demonstrated growing leadership qualities amid mud, snow and relentless enemy attacks. The Jäger troops faced difficult terrain with dense forests and limited visibility that favored Soviet infiltration tactics. As a platoon leader he earned the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse and Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse for repeated acts of courage under fire. His experience in close-quarters combat and ability to maintain unit cohesion under pressure marked him as a reliable frontline commander.
In spring 1942 the 8. leichte/Jäger-Division engaged in intense defensive operations against repeated Soviet attempts to break through German lines. On a critical day in early May waves of Red Army infantry supported by heavy mortar and machine gun fire assaulted the positions held by 3. Kompanie of Jäger-Regiment 28. With communications disrupted and casualties mounting Hausmann as acting Führer of the company personally led from the front. Exposed to enemy fire he rallied his Jäger soldiers and destroyed a key Soviet machine gun nest with hand grenades. His decisive counterattack sealed a dangerous breach, recaptured lost ground and inflicted heavy losses on the attackers preventing a collapse of the sector. For these actions he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 15 May 1942.
Hausmann continued to serve with Jäger-Regiment 28 through the demanding defensive battles of 1942 to 1944. The division participated in numerous withdrawal actions and counterattacks as the Eastern Front shifted westward under growing Soviet pressure. Promoted later to Leutnant he held various leadership roles helping to stabilize positions during critical moments. Some postwar memorabilia connect him through signatures to associations with elements of the Großdeutschland Division though his primary service remained with the 8. Jäger-Division. He survived the final campaigns of 1945 and was taken into captivity as a prisoner of war.
After release from captivity Hausmann settled quietly in Bavaria where he lived a private life. Like many Ritterkreuzträger he occasionally signed postcards and photographs for military history collectors. He passed away on 27 July 1997 in Edling. His military career exemplified the role of experienced non-commissioned officers who provided crucial leadership and resilience for German units throughout the Eastern Front campaigns.
Hausmann received several awards during his service including the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse, the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse, the Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen, the Nahkampfspange and the Ostmedaille for the Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42 along with other campaign and wound badges typical for veteran Jäger soldiers. His story remains part of the historical record of the 8. Jäger-Division and its contributions in the Second World War.
Oberleutnant Karl Hausmann as an officer in the Wachbataillon "Großdeutschland".
This
propaganda photo shows three women donating money to two soldiers
representing the Kriegswinterhilfswerk, a regular fundraising program
aimed at helping underprivileged Germans in winter. The two soldier
asking for donations themselves were not ordinary soldiers, but war
heroes and Ritterkreuzträger from the Wachbataillon (Watch Battalion)
Großdeutschland. They are, from left to right: Leutnant Karl Hausmann
(Ritterkreuz on 15 May 1942 as Oberfeldwebel and Führer 3.Kompanie /
I.Bataillon / Jäger-Regiment 28 / 8. leichte Infanterie-Division) and
Oberfeldwebel Josef Dörfel (Ritterkreuz on 4 March 1942 as Oberfeldwebel
and Zugführer in 6.Kompanie / II.Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment 439 /
134.Infanterie-Division). This photo itself was taken in March 1943.
This famous video - taken from 'Die Deutsche Wochenschau Nr. 726, 3
August 1944 - shows Otto Ernst Remer (then Major, later promoted
straight to Oberst!) giving a propaganda speech to troops of the
Wachbataillon Großdeutschland (Greater German Guard Battalion) in
Berlin, late July 1944. He stands in front of a Nazi flag, addresses the
soldiers, and they march past him. This was a propaganda piece filmed
to celebrate the failure of the 20 July 1944 plot and emphasize the
unity between the Wehrmacht and the Nazi Party (NSDAP). In his speech,
Remer, addressing his troops and emphasizing loyalty to Hitler and the
state after the failed plot. Oberleutnant Karl Hausmann is shown in 00:50.
From
left to right: Oberleutnant Rudolf Schlee (Chef 5.Kompanie /
Wachbataillon "Großdeutschland") and Oberleutnant Karl Hausmann (Kompaniechef in Wachbataillon "Großdeutschland"). This is
a screenshot taken from 'Die Deutsche Wochenschau' Nr. 726 (3 August
1944) which shows the speech of the commander of Wachbataillon
"Großdeutschland", Oberst Otto Ernst Remer, shortly after the failed 20
July 1944 Plot. Other images from this occasion can be seen
HERE.
Karl Hausmann as a Hauptmann (Captain) in the Bundeswehr. He Enlisted in the West German Armed Forces on 6 June 1956, served mostly in the Personal-Abteilung of Bundesminister der Verteidigung, and retired on 30 September 1967 with the last rank as Hauptmann.
Source:
Https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/47768/hausmann-karl.htm
Https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/personenregister/h/hausmann.htm
Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/list_of_knights_cross_of_the_iron_cross_recipients_(ha-hm)
Https://wolfganghistorica.com (memorabilia and signature pages)
https://forum.axishistory.com/search.php?keywords=hausmann&t=29879&sf=msgonly
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/forum/wehrmacht-era-militaria/-1957-medals-orders-and-decorations/705921-kc-group-from-karl-hausmann
http://wehrmachtss.blogspot.com/2018/10/donasi-kriegswinterhilfswerk-oleh.html
.jpg)
