Kay-Bujak, Philip: Generaloberst Erich Hoepner

Erich Hoepner was a talented officer during World War I and a leading panzer commander during World War II. Shaped by the traditional Prussian roots of the Reichswehr and sworn to loyalty, he became a staunch proponent of Guderians new panzer strategy of the 1920s and 1930s. By 1939, he had risen to the rank of corps commander; he spearheaded the occupation of Czechoslovakia and played a leading role in the campaigns against Poland and France. During the Battle of Dunkirk, he protested against atrocities committed by the SS "Totenkopf" Division, describing its commander, Theodor Eicke, as a "butcher." In February 1941, Hoepner assumed command of Panzer Group 4 for Operation Barbarossa and contributed significantly to the early victories of 1941. As an advocate of the war against "Jewish Bolshevism," Hoepner supported the Commissar Order issued by the OKW. During the fighting in the Leningrad campaign, Hoepner came into conflict with Adolf Hitler over military decisions that deprived the army leadership of its freedom of action. In this context, Kay-Bujak examines how such conflicts of conscience affected high-ranking Wehrmacht officers. During the decisive Battle of Moscow, Hoepner clashed with both von Kluge and Hitler and was relieved of his command. Despite an internal struggle between loyalty and conscience, Hoepner joined the military resistance against Hitler between 1942 and 1944. Following Stauffenbergs failed assassination attempt, he was arrested and put on trial. Hoepner, who was executed in a gruesome manner on August 8, 1944while his family was deported to concentration campsis regarded on the one hand as one of the most capable and loyal servants of the German military, and on the other as one of those treated most ruthlessly by Adolf Hitler.