Hans Gollnick (22 May 1892 – 15 February 1970) was a General der Infanterie of the German Wehrmacht during World War II.
Biography[]
Hans Gollnick was born in Gut Gursen, West Prussia, German Empire on 22 May 1892, and he joined the Imperial German Army in 1912. He became an officer during World War I, and he became a Lieutenant-Colonel in 1936 and a Colonel in 1938. At the start of World War II, he commanded an infantry regiment during the invasion of Poland, and he also fought in France in 1940. Gollnick became a Major-General on 15 October 1941 and led the German 36th Infantry Division during Operation Barbarossa, distinguishing himself on the Eastern Front. He was promoted to Lieutenant-General on 1 January 1943, and he led the XXXXVI Panzer Corps from 10 August 1943 to 22 March 1944. On 1 October 1943, he received his final promotion, General der Infanterie. He commanded the XXVIII Armeekorps of Army Group North in 1944, and his corps defended Klaipeda during the Battle of Memel later that year. From 8 February to 1 April 1945, he commanded Army Department Samland, and he was sent into the Fuhrerreserve in mid-April 1945. He was imprisoned by the Allies from 1945 to February 1946, when he was released to Hamburg. He died in 1970.