Karl Mauss

Karl Mauss
Dr. Karl Mauss
Born	(1898-05-17)17 May 1898 Ploen in Schleswig-Holstein
Died	9 February 1959(1959-02-09) (aged 60) Hamburg
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1922) Nazi Germany
Years of service	1914 – 1922, 1934 – 1945
Rank	General der Panzertruppe
Unit	10th Panzer Division 7th Panzer Division
Commands held	Panzergrenadier-Regiment 33 7th Panzer Division
Battles/wars	World War I Battle of the Somme Italian front World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Moscow Battle of Kursk
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds
Other work	Dentist

Karl Mauss (May 17, 1898 – February 9, 1959) was one of the most distinguished tank commanders of the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a lieutenant general and commander of the 7th Panzer Division, and one of only 27 ever to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade the Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Early career

Karl Mauss was born in the town of Ploen in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. In 1914, at only sixteen years of age he volunteered to serve during World War I. Thanks to his obstinacy and the support of his father, he was accepted and joined Jägerregiment 162, serving during the war at Arras, La Bassee, Flanders, Somme and Isonzo. In 1915, barely seventeen as the youngest man in the division, he was awarded the Iron Cross, 2nd class for distinguishing himself as the best scout in the region during the Battle of the Somme. The year after, he was promoted to 2nd lieutenant (becoming one of the youngest commissioned officers of the entire army) and, a short time later after the transfer of his division to the East into the Carpathians, received the Iron Cross, 1st class.

Mauss stayed in the military until 1922 when he moved to Hamburg to study dentistry, and attained his doctorate in 1929. Apparently, civilian life did not suit him, so he re-enlisted as a captain in 1934, serving with Infanterieregiments 69 in Hamburg. He was promoted to Major on April 1, 1938.

World War II & Post-war career

At the start of the war, Mauss served with the 20th motorized infantry division, with which he participated in the 1939 Invasion of Poland. In May 1940 his 10th Panzer Division travelled west to take part in the Battle of France together with Heinz Guderian's XIX Army Corps.

Already in these first engagements Mauss successfully utilized his war experiences from 1914/18, his energy and enthusiasm transferring to his men. In the second phase of the French campaign, Mauss participated in the battles against the French 7th Army.

Mauss, now lieutenant colonel (promoted on April 1, 1941), also fought in the Soviet campaign, Operation Barbarossa, from its outset. In November 1941, when his battalion successfully defended their positions on the bridgehead by Ugra despite heavy Soviet attacks and calamitous weather conditions, Mauss was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

In the year 1942 Mauss was promoted to Colonel, and after leading his troops with small losses from the Battle of Kursk, he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross in November, 1943. In January 1944 he took command of the famous 7th Panzer Division. In April the same year, he was promoted to Major General. Furthermore, on October 23, 1944 he received the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves and Swords before he was seriously injured by artillery shell fragments in February, 1945 in Gotenhafen and had a leg amputated. He was promoted to Lieutenant General in April, and received as the last commander of the 7th Panzer division the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves, Swords, and Diamonds on April 15, 1945.

Following the surrender to British troops, Mauss learned that his wife Minna (maiden name Lohoff), the mother of three of their children, had died. A request to go to Lübeck for the funeral was denied. In 1949 he remarried and a year later his son Dietrich was born.

After the war Mauss worked as a dentist in his own practice. His request for re-enlistment was rejected by the Bundeswehr for health reasons. Karl Mauss died of a heart attack following a lengthy illness on 9 February 1959 in Hamburg, at the age of 60.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (16 September 1915)
  • 1st Class (21 October 1916)
• Wound Badge in Gold
• Panzer Badge in Silver (3rd Class)
• Close Combat Clasp in Bronze
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (28 September 1939)
  • 1st Class (25 May 1940)
• German Cross in Gold on 11 March 1943 as Oberst in the Panzergrenadier-Regiment 33
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
  • Knight's Cross on 26 November 1941 as Oberstleutnant and commander of the II./Schützen-Regiment 69
  • 335th Oak Leaves on 24 November 1943 as Oberst and commander of the Panzergrenadier-Regiment 33
  • 101st Swords on 23 October 1944 as Generalmajor and commander of the 7. Panzer-Division
  • 26th Diamonds on 15 April 1945 as Generalleutnant and commander of the 7. Panzer-Division
• Mentioned three times in the Wehrmachtbericht on 13 March 1944, 15 August 1944 and 20 February 1945

References in the Wehrmachtbericht

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
13 March 1944	In den schweren Abwehrkämpfen der letzten Tage haben sich im Raumöstlich von Tarnopol die 1. SS-Panzerdivision "Leibstandarte SS AdolfHitler" unter der stellvertretenden Führung des Obersturmbannführers Lehmann und die thüringische 7.Panzerdivision unter Oberst Dr. Mauß hervorragend bewährt.	During the heavy defensive battles of the past few days in the area east of Tarnopol, the first SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" under the deputy leadership of Obersturmbannführer Lehmann and the Thuringian 7.Panzerdivision under Colonel Dr. Mauss have proved themselves to be excellent.

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Berger, Florian (1999). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges (in German). Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 3-9501307-0-5.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945 (in German). Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
• Fraschka, Günther (1994). Knight's of the Reich, Atgen, PA: Schiffer Military. ISBN 0-88740-580-0.
• Huß, Jürgen & Viohl, Armin (2003). Die Ritterkreuzträger des Eisernen Kreuzes der preußischen Provinz Schleswig-Holstein und der Freien und Hansestadt Lübeck 1939-1945 (in German). VDM Heinz Nickel. ISBN 3-925480-79-X.
• Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Ritterkreuzträger 1939 - 1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 3-7648-2300-3.
• Williamson, Gordon (2006). Knight's Cross with Diamonds Recipients 1941-45. Osprey Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84176-644-5.
• Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 (in German). München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3.

External links

Media related to Karl Mauss at Wikimedia Commons

• Lexikon der Wehrmacht

Military offices
Preceded by Oberst Wolfgang Gläsemer	Commander of 7th Panzer Division January 30, 1944 – May 2, 1944	Succeeded by Generalmajor Gerhard Schmidhuber
Preceded by Generalmajor Gerhard Schmidhuber	Commander of 7th Panzer Division September 9, 1944 – October 31, 1944	Succeeded by Generalmajor Hellmuth Mäder
Preceded by Generalmajor Hellmuth Mäder	Commander of 7th Panzer Division November 30, 1944 – January 5, 1945	Succeeded by Generalmajor Max Lemke
Preceded by Generalmajor Max Lemke	Commander of 7th Panzer Division January 23, 1945 – March 23, 1945	Succeeded by Oberst Hans Christern