Hermann Hoth (12 April 1885 – 25 January 1971) was a Generaloberst of Nazi Germany during World War II, commanding the 4th Panzer Army.
Biography[]
Hermann Hoth was born on 12 April 1885 in Neuruppin, Prussia, German Empire. At the start of World War I he was promoted to captain and remained in the Reichswehr in the Interwar Years, and in 1935 he was made a Major-General when the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany replaced the Reichswehr. He led the German XV Army Corps during the Invasion of Poland at the start of World War II, and in 1940 he was made a Generaloberst in command of the German 4th Panzer Army. In October 1941 he replaced Carl-Heinrich von Stulpnagel as commander of the German 17th Army in the Ukraine during Operation Barbarossa, and he wanted the Jews to have harsh punishments. Hoth's finest hour came at the 1943 Battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle in history that resulted in a Soviet Union victory despite heavy German resistance. He was blamed for the losses and dismissed, and in April 1945 he was briefly recalled to lead Axis Powers forces in the Harz Mountains of northern Germany. After the war, he was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for war crimes, but he was released in 1954 and died in 1971 at the age of 85.