Full name: Hermann August Fredrich Priess
Nickname: No information
Date of Birth: 24 May 1901 - Marnitz, Mecklenburg (German Empire)
Date of Death: 22 February 1985 - Ahrensburg, Schleswig-Holstein (West Germany)
Battles and Operations: Estonian War of Independence (1919), Eastern Front (1941-1943, including Demyansk Pocket and Kharkov), Ardennes Offensive (1944), Operation Southwind (1945), Operation Spring Awakening (1945)
NSDAP-Number: 1,472,296 (joined 1 December 1933)
SS-Number: 113,258 (joined 10 July 1934)
Religion: Protestant
Parents: Ernst Priess (butcher) and Dorothea Thiede
Siblings: No information
Spouse: Hildegard Schmidt (married, born 22 April 1913, died 26 December 1989)
Children: Three children (born 27 November 1937, 21 April 1939, and one with no date available)
Promotions:
26 February 1935 SS-Untersturmfûhrer
15 September 1935 SS-Obersturmfûhrer
13 September 1936 SS-Hauptsturmfûhrer
20 April 1939 SS-Sturmbannfûhrer
1 August 1940 SS-Obersturmbannfûhrer
21 June 1941 SS-Standartenfûhrer
13 July 1942 SS-Oberfûhrer
15 July 1943 SS-Brigadefûhrer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS
20 April 1944 SS-Gruppenfûhrer und Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS
Career:
January 1919 Volunteered for service in the Reichsheer
1919-1920 Served in Freikorps von Brandis in the Baltikum
1920-1931 Service in the Reichswehr, discharged as Oberfeldwebel
10 July 1934 Joined the SS-Verfuegungstruppe
1935-1939 Various artillery training and command roles in SS units
1939-1941 Commander of artillery battery and regiment in SS-Division Totenkopf
1941-1943 Commander of SS-Artillerie-Regiment Totenkopf during Eastern Front operations
26 February 1943-21 June 1944 Commander of 3. SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf
7 August 1944-24 October 1944 Commander of XIII. SS-Armeekorps
30 October 1944-8 May 1945 Commander of I. SS-Panzerkorps Leibstandarte
Awards and Decorations:
Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse (22 September 1939)
Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse (15 October 1939)
Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz
Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (6 January 1942 as SS-Standartenfuehrer in the SS-Artillerie-Regiment Totenkopf)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (28 April 1943) as SS-Oberfûhrer and commander of Artillerie-Regiment of the SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf. The award recognized Priess's outstanding leadership in artillery command during critical defensive operations on the Eastern Front. Specifically, it was for his actions in the Demjansk Pocket from February to April 1942, where the "Totenkopf" Division was encircled by Soviet forces. As artillery commander, Priess effectively coordinated the combined batteries of Group Eicke, repelling week-long Soviet attacks and destroying enemy concentrations without losing ground along a 41 km front. His efforts were crucial in holding "Fortress Demjansk" until relief arrived. Additionally, sources highlight his role in the Third Battle of Kharkov (February-March 1943), where, after assuming division command following Theodor Eicke's death on 26 February 1943, he led the division in bitter fighting that contributed to the destruction of the Soviet 3rd Tank Army and the recapture of Kharkov. The official recommendation emphasized his experience and tactical acumen in these encirclement battles, preventing collapse and enabling the division's survival.
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #297 (9 September 1943) as SS-Brigadefûhrer and Generalmajor of the Waffen-SS and commander of SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf. This higher grade honored Priess's continued exemplary command during intense summer combats on the Eastern Front following the Third Battle of Kharkov. Key actions included the division's heavy involvement in Operation Citadel (the Battle of Kursk) in July 1943, particularly in the southern sector of the salient, where the "Totenkopf" Panzer regiment engaged in massive tank battles around Prokhorovka against overwhelming Soviet armor. Despite high casualties, Priess's leadership maintained cohesion and inflicted significant losses. After Kursk's failure, the division repelled a Soviet counteroffensive on the Mius River in late July-early August 1943, before retreating to defensive positions around Kharkov. In the Fourth Battle of Kharkov (August 1943), Priess orchestrated delaying actions that covered the German withdrawal, though the city fell to the Red Army on 22 August. His ability to rally the division under relentless pressure, preserving its combat effectiveness, was cited as pivotal.
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern #65 (24 April 1944) as SS-Brigadefûhrer and Generalmajor of the Waffen-SS and commander of the 3. SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf. The award acknowledged Priess's sustained leadership in defensive and counteroffensive operations on the Eastern Front from late 1943 into early 1944, amid the German retreat after the Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive. Following the loss of Kharkov, the division fought rearguard actions during the retreat to the Dnieper River in September-October 1943, holding bridgeheads and disrupting Soviet advances. In November-December 1943, Priess led counterattacks in the Krivoi Rog area, stabilizing lines against superior Soviet forces. During the winter of 1943-1944, the "Totenkopf" participated in relief efforts for encircled German units in the Korsun Pocket (January-February 1944), breaking through to evacuate survivors despite harsh conditions and heavy losses. The division's repeated successes in crisis situations, earning praise from Wehrmacht commanders for its reliability and combat prowess, underscored Priess's strategic and motivational skills. He relinquished divisional command in July 1944.
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Hermann August Fredrich Priess (24 May 1901 - 2 February 1985) was a German general in the Waffen-SS and a convicted war criminal during World War II. He commanded the 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf following the death of Theodor Eicke in February 1943 and later led the I SS Panzer Corps from October 1944 until the end of the war. Priess was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords for his leadership on the Eastern Front. During the Ardennes Offensive, units under his command were involved in the Malmedy massacre, leading to his postwar conviction and imprisonment. He served in various artillery and divisional roles throughout the conflict, rising to the rank of SS-Gruppenfuhrer and Generalleutnant of the Waffen-SS.
Priess was born on 24 May 1901 in Marnitz, a small town in Mecklenburg, German Empire, to Ernst Priess, a butcher, and Dorothea Thiede. Raised in a Protestant family, he completed his schooling and worked on his family's farm until January 1919, when he volunteered for service in the German army amid the chaos following World War I. Although the war on the Western Front had ended, threats persisted on Germany's eastern borders. His initial unit was disbanded due to the Treaty of Versailles restrictions, prompting him to join the Freikorps von Brandis, where he fought in the Estonian War of Independence from 1919 to 1920. Returning to the Reichswehr in 1920, Priess served a 12-year term, advancing to the rank of Oberfeldwebel before being discharged in June 1931 due to military downsizing. During this interwar period, he maintained a low profile, but his early military experience laid the foundation for his later career in the SS.
In the early 1930s, Priess aligned himself with the rising Nazi regime, joining the NSDAP on 1 December 1933 with membership number 1,472,296, and the SS on 10 July 1934 with number 113,258. He entered the SS-Verfugungstruppe as an SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer and took command of the 13th Company of SS-Standarte Germania. By June 1939, he was involved in establishing an artillery department for the new SS-Verfugungsdivision, earning promotion to SS-Sturmbannfuhrer on 20 April 1939. Priess led this unit during the invasion of Poland in September 1939, followed by participation in the Western Campaign in 1940. Promoted to SS-Obersturmbannfuhrer on 1 August 1940, he assumed command of the SS-Artillerie-Regiment Totenkopf, which he led into the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. His rapid promotions continued, reaching SS-Standartenfuhrer on 21 June 1941, reflecting his specialization in artillery tactics and his integration into the Waffen-SS elite.
On the Eastern Front, Priess's artillery regiment played a crucial role in the brutal campaigns of 1941-1943. During the defense of the Demyansk Pocket from February to April 1942, his coordinated fire support repelled sustained Soviet assaults along a 41-kilometer front, earning him the German Cross in Gold on 6 January 1942. Following Theodor Eicke's death on 26 February 1943, Priess took command of the SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf, redesignated as the 3rd SS Panzer Division. He led it through the Third Battle of Kharkov in March 1943, contributing to the destruction of the Soviet 3rd Tank Army and the recapture of the city. Promoted to SS-Oberfuhrer and later SS-Brigadefuhrer and Generalmajor of the Waffen-SS on 15 July 1943, Priess commanded during Operation Citadel (Battle of Kursk) in July 1943, engaging in fierce tank battles around Prokhorovka. Despite heavy losses, his leadership maintained divisional cohesion against superior Soviet forces.
Priess's command extended into the defensive retreats of late 1943 and early 1944. After Kursk, the division held against Soviet counteroffensives on the Mius River and during the Fourth Battle of Kharkov in August 1943, facilitating German withdrawals to the Dnieper River. In November-December 1943, he orchestrated counterattacks in the Krivoi Rog sector, stabilizing lines amid the Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive. During the Korsun Pocket relief in January-February 1944, Priess's forces broke through to evacuate survivors under harsh winter conditions. Relieved of divisional command on 21 June 1944, he briefly led the XIII SS Army Corps from 7 August to 24 October 1944 before taking over the I SS Panzer Corps on 30 October 1944. Promoted to SS-Gruppenfuhrer and Generalleutnant on 20 April 1944, he commanded this corps during the Ardennes Offensive in December 1944, where subordinated units like Kampfgruppe Peiper committed the Malmedy massacre, murdering 84 American POWs.
In early 1945, the I SS Panzer Corps was redeployed to Hungary, participating in Operation Southwind in February, which destroyed the Soviet Hron Bridgehead near Esztergom. Priess then led the corps in Operation Spring Awakening, the last major German offensive, centered around Lake Balaton from 6 to 16 March 1945, ending in defeat and retreat toward Vienna. Surrendering to American forces in May 1945, Priess was initially held at Camp King, where he contributed to U.S. Army historical studies. From May to July 1946, he stood trial in the Malmedy massacre proceedings at Dachau, one of 73 defendants charged with the deaths of over 300 American POWs and 100 Belgian civilians. Convicted for issuing orders that encouraged "reckless brutality" and terror tactics, he received a 20-year sentence on 16 July 1946 but was released early from Landsberg Prison in October 1954. Priess lived quietly in Ahrensburg until his death on 2 February 1985 at age 83, married to Hildegard Schmidt with three children.
Priess's military decorations highlighted his combat effectiveness, particularly on the Eastern Front. He received the Iron Cross 2nd Class on 22 September 1939 and 1st Class on 15 October 1939, followed by the Wound Badge in Black and Demyansk Shield. The Knight's Cross was awarded on 28 April 1943 for his artillery leadership in the Demyansk Pocket and early Kharkov battles. The Oak Leaves (297th recipient) came on 9 September 1943 for successes during Kursk and the Mius River defenses. The Swords (65th recipient) were granted on 24 April 1944 for defensive actions in the Korsun Pocket and Krivoi Rog. These honors underscored his tactical acumen but were overshadowed by his association with SS atrocities, including the Totenkopf Division's origins in concentration camp guards and the war crimes under his corps command. Post-release, Priess avoided public life, with no further notable activities recorded before his passing.
Source:
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/
https://en.wikipedia.org/
https://www.tracesofwar.com/
https://grokipedia.com/
https://rk.balsi.de/index.php?action=list&cat=300
https://www.unithistories.com/units_index/index.php?file=/officers/personsx.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20091027052912/http://geocities.com/orion47.geo/index2.html
https://forum.axishistory.com/
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/
https://www.bundesarchiv.de/en/
https://www.geni.com/
https://books.google.com/
https://ww2gravestone.com/people/priess-hermann
Books: "Waffen-SS Knights and their Battles" by Peter Mooney (Schiffer Publishing, 2010); "The Waffen-SS: A European History" edited by Jochen Boehler and Robert Gerwarth (Oxford University Press, 2017); "Totenkopf: The Structure, Development and Personalities of the 3.SS-Panzer-Division" by Mark C. Yerger (Bender Publishing, 2000)
The visit of Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler (Chef der SS und Deutschen Polizei) to the headquarters of the SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Totenkopf" near Kharkov, Ukraine, 24 April 1943. To the left of Himmler is SS-Oberführer Hermann Prieß (Kommandeur SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Totenkopf"), while to his right is SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Baum (Kommandeur SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment "Totenkopf"). On the far left is SS-Sturmbannführer Otto Kron (Kommandeur SS-Flak-Abteilung "Totenkopf"), while second from the right is likely SS-Hauptsturmführer Anton "Toni" Laackmann (Kommandeur SS-Panzerjäger Abteilung 3 "Totenkopf").
