The death of Hans-Valentin Hube on 21 April 1944 came as a sudden and tragic blow to the German Wehrmacht at a moment when its armored forces on the Eastern Front were under increasing strain. Hube, a battle-hardened general who had lost his right arm during the First World War and earned the enduring nickname “Der Mensch” or “The Man” from his troops for his tough yet fair and courageous leadership, had just reached a pinnacle of recognition. On 20 April, he had been summoned to the Obersalzberg to join Adolf Hitler’s 55th birthday celebrations. There, in a personal audience, Hitler awarded him the rare Diamonds to the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross—one of only twenty-seven such distinctions granted during the entire war—and promoted him to the rank of Generaloberst. The honors were bestowed in acknowledgment of Hube’s masterful command of the 16th Panzer Division in the early campaigns against the Soviet Union, his leadership of XIV Panzer Corps during the defense of Sicily and the Salerno landings, and above all his skillful extrication of the 1st Panzer Army from the Kamenets-Podolsky Pocket earlier that spring, an operation that saved tens of thousands of German soldiers and their equipment from certain destruction. Rumors even circulated within the high command that Hitler had briefly considered elevating Hube to Commander-in-Chief of the Army itself, though that appointment was ultimately postponed.
The following morning, 21 April, Hube boarded a Heinkel He 111 transport plane at Reichenhall-Berchtesgaden Airport in Ainring, near Salzburg, intending to fly back to his headquarters on the Eastern Front to resume command of the 1st Panzer Army. The aircraft lifted off normally but crashed shortly after takeoff into the mountainous terrain a few miles from Berchtesgaden. All aboard perished except for Walther Hewel, a senior diplomat traveling on the same flight, who survived with severe injuries. Hube’s adjutant, Major von Schwanenfeld, had been spared only because he was on personal leave and had not joined the flight. The wreckage yielded few intact remains; the sole clearly identifiable fragment of Hube’s body was his black metal prosthetic right arm, a grim reminder of the wound he had carried since 1916. Official reports classified the crash as an accident, yet the timing—mere hours after Hitler’s birthday festivities and amid growing paranoia within the Nazi leadership—prompted quiet speculation among some officers about possible sabotage, echoes later with the still-unexplained plane crash that would killed Generaloberst Eduard Dietl two months after. No concrete evidence ever emerged to support foul play, and the incident was accepted as one of the many wartime tragedies that claimed senior commanders without warning. Hitler himself was reportedly shaken by the news and, in the weeks before his own death in 1945, continued to lament the loss of “Der Mensch,” describing Hube as one of the three finest commanders produced by the Second World War and a general whose straightforward reliability could always be counted upon in the fiercest fighting.
Hube’s passing was accorded the full solemnity of a state funeral, reflecting both his personal standing with Hitler and the regime’s desire to honor a figure whose battlefield record had become emblematic of determined resistance. On 26 April 1944, exactly five days after the crash, a grand ceremony took place in Berlin. Hube’s coffin, draped with a swastika flag, lay in state within the Reich Chancellery, where it was viewed by senior Nazi officials and military leaders. Adolf Hitler attended in person, a rare gesture by that stage of the war that underscored the depth of the Führer’s regard for the fallen general. Heinz Guderian, himself a legendary panzer commander and one of Hube’s closest comrades in the armored branch, delivered the eulogy, paying tribute to Hube’s tactical brilliance, his unyielding spirit, and the personal example he had set for the troops under his command. A guard of honor composed of four fellow generals—Walther Nehring, Hermann Breith, Heinrich Eberbach, and Hans Gollnick—stood vigil beside the coffin throughout the service, their presence a visible symbol of the respect Hube commanded within the officer corps. Following the formal rites, Hube was laid to rest with full military honors at the Invalidenfriedhof, the historic Invalids’ Cemetery in Berlin’s Mitte district. His grave lies near those of other prominent figures from the Nazi era, including the Luftwaffe aces Ernst Udet and Werner Mölders, Field Marshal Walther von Reichenau, Gestapo chief Reinhard Heydrich, and armaments minister Fritz Todt.
The funeral marked the end of a remarkable military career that had spanned two world wars and seen Hube rise from a young infantry officer to one of the Wehrmacht’s most capable armored leaders. His death removed from the battlefield a commander whose innovative tactics and personal courage had repeatedly turned potential disasters into orderly withdrawals, most notably during the desperate fighting at Stalingrad and in the Ukraine. In the broader context of the collapsing German war effort, Hube’s loss was felt acutely by both the high command and the ordinary soldiers who had served under him; many recalled his habit of appearing at the front lines, directing operations with one hand while maintaining an almost superhuman calm amid chaos. Though the precise circumstances of the crash remain shrouded in the fog of wartime records, the state funeral and the public mourning that accompanied it ensured that Hans-Valentin Hube’s name would endure as a symbol of steadfast duty in the final, bitter phase of the conflict.
The funeral ceremony of Generaloberst Hans-Valentin Hube which was held at the Neue Reichskanzlei in Berlin on 26 April 1944. Adolf Hitler (Führer und Oberster Befehlshaber der Wehrmacht) and Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring (Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe) flanking the bereaved family, who are likely the widow or children of the deceased. In the background we can see Reichsminister Dr. Joseph Goebbels and Reichskommissar Dr. Arthur Seyss-Inquart.
The funeral ceremony of Generaloberst Hans-Valentin Hube which was held at the Neue Reichskanzlei in Berlin on 26 April 1944. Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring (Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe) performing the marshall salute, while generals and recipients of high and highest decorations for bravery escort the coffin. From left to right: General der Panzertruppe Walther Nehring (Kommandierender General XXIV. Panzerkorps), General der Panzertruppe Heinrich Eberbach (Inspekteur der Panzertruppe beim Befehlshaber des Ersatzheeres), General der Infanterie Hans Gollnick (blocked by Eberbach, Führerreserve), and General der Panzertruppe Hermann Breith (Kommandierender General III. Panzerkorps). Two panzer officers are holding the ordenskissen (medal pillow).
From left to right: Unknown Heer officer, General der Infanterie Wilhelm Wegener (Kommandierender General L. Armeekorps), Generalleutnant Rudolf Schmundt (Chefadjutant des Heeres beim Führer und Oberbefehlshaber der Wehrmacht), General der Infanterie Werner Kienitz (Kommandierenden General Stellvertretenden Generalkommando II. Armeekorps in Stettin und Befehlshaber vom Wehrkreis II), and General der Infanterie Joachim von Kortzfleisch (Kommandierenden General Stellvertretenden Generalkommando III. Armeekorps in Berlin und Befehlshaber vom Wehrkreis III). The picture was taken during the funeral of Generaloberst Hans-Valentin Hube in Berlin, 26 April 1944.
The grave of Hans-Valentin Hube at the Invalidenfriedhof, Berlin. The cemetery address is Scharnhorststraße 25 (or sometimes listed as 9 or 33 in sources), 10115 Berlin-Mitte, near the Berlin-Spandauer-Schifffahrtskanal. Coordinates for the cemetery: approx. 52.53194°N, 13.37111°E. It is open to the public and one of Berlin's oldest cemeteries (founded 1748), historically used for Prussian military veterans and later notable figures. Hube's grave still exists and can be visited. The original tombstone was replaced in 2000 (a simpler or restitution-style marker is now there), but the burial site remains undisturbed. Photos from 2007 and 2013 show the grave marker in the cemetery.
Source:
Die Deutsche Wochenschau Nr. 713 - 3 May 1944
David Stahel, Hitler’s Panzer Generals: Guderian, Hoepner, Reinhardt and
Schmidt Unguarded (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023)
https://audiovis.nac.gov.pl/obraz/36625/dee40d08bd916e4c667770046a213080/
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www.ww2gravestone.com/people/hube-hans-valentine-der-mensch/
