Carl Hilpert

Carl Hilpert (12 September 1888 – 1 February 1947) was an officer in the German Army during World War II.

Hilpert was born in Nuremberg, Bavaria.

During the last stages of World War II, Hilpert commanded the German troops which had been surrounded by the Soviet Army in the Courland Pocket. On 7 May 1945, Head of State (Staatsoberhaupt) and German President (Reichspräsident) Karl Dönitz ordered Colonel-General (Generaloberst) Carl Hilpert, to surrender Army Group Courland. Hilpert was the army group's last commander-in-chief. Hilpert surrendered himself, his personal staff, and three divisions of the XXXVIII Corps to Marshal of the Soviet Union Leonid Govorov. Hilpert sent the following message to his troops:

He died two years later as prisoner in Moscow on 1 February 1947.

Command history

 * Commanding Officer - Tübingen Regiment - 1935
 * Commanding Officer - 35th Regiment - 1935 to 1937
 * Chief-of-Staff - IX Corps - 1937 to 1939
 * Chief-of-Staff - Army Detachment A - 1939
 * Chief-of-Staff - Frontier Section South, Poland - 1939 to 1940
 * Chief-of-Staff - 1st Army, France - 1940
 * Chief-of-Staff - Army Group D, Occupied France - 1940 to 1942
 * Chief-of-Staff - Commander in Chief West, Occupied France - 1941 to 1942
 * In reserve - 1942
 * Acting General Officer Commanding - LIX Corps - 1942
 * General Officer Commanding - XXIII Corps - 1942 to 1943
 * General Officer Commanding - LIV Corps - 1943
 * General Officer Commanding - XXVI Corps - 1943
 * General Officer Commanding - I Army Corps - 1 January to 20 January 1944
 * General Officer Commanding - I Army Corps - 1 May to 1 August 1944
 * Acting General Officer Commanding - 16th Army, Eastern Front - 1944 to 1945
 * Acting Commander-in-Chief - Army Group North, Eastern Front - 1945
 * Deputy Commander-in-Chief - Army Group Courland, Eastern Front - 1945
 * General Officer Commanding - 16th Army, Eastern Front - 1945
 * Commander-in-Chief - Army Group Courland, Eastern Front - 25 March to 8 May 1945
 * Prisoner of war - 1945 to 1948

Awards and decorations

 * Military Merit Order, 4th class with Swords (Bavaria)
 * Iron Cross (1914)
 * 2nd Class (7 October 1914)
 * 1st Class (18 October 1916)
 * Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
 * Anschluss Medal
 * Sudetenland Medal
 * Iron Cross (1939)
 * 2nd Class (20 April 1940)
 * 1st Class (16 June 1940)
 * Eastern Front Medal
 * German Cross in Gold (19 February 1943)
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
 * Knight's Cross on 22 August 1943 as General der Infanterie and commander of the LIV. Armee-Korps
 * 542nd Oaks Leaves on 8 August 1944 as General der Infanterie and commander of the I. Armee-Korps
 * Mentioned twice in the Wehrmachtbericht (18 August 1944 and 9 May 1945)
 * Ärmelband Kurland