Hans von Funck

Hans von Funck (23 December 1891 – 14 February 1979) was a German Panzer general in the Wehrmacht during World War II, who commanded the 7th Panzer Division and the XXXXVII Panzer Corps.

Career
Hans von Funck joined the German army in August 1914 and during World War I he was awarded the Iron Cross Class, 1st and 2nd Class. Funck was retained in the Reichswehr after the war. On 1 July 1933 he was appointed as the Adjutant of the Chief of the army and the following year, Major on the General Staff. In 1936 he served in the Spanish Civil War as a leader of the German National Army in Spain. He was also the military attaché at headquarters of the National Government in Spain. At the beginning of 1939 he was appointed Military attache to the German Embassy in Lisbon. In 1940 he was appointed as the commander of the 3rd Panzer Brigade. In 1941 he was promoted to Generalmajor and given command of the 7th Panzer Division as the successor to Erwin Rommel. Originally von Funck was to have commanded the Afrika Corps it, but Hitler loathed von Funck, as he had been a personal staff officer of Werner von Fritsch until von Fritsch was dismissed in 1938. He held this command on the central and southern sections of the Eastern Front. On 15 July 1941 he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in recognition of his actions at Vilnius and Bialystok-Minsk-Wjasna. For his role in operations at the Don and Donets basins, on 14 March 1943 he was awarded the German Cross in Gold.

On 1 February 1944 he was promoted to General der Panzertruppe and appointed as the commanding general of the XXXXVII Panzer Corps, initially on the eastern and later the western fronts. During the Battle for Normandy von Funck (who was thoroughly disliked) accused von Schwerin of passive resistance, cowardice and incompetence over the Vire counterattack on 28 July. Less than four hours before the start of over Operation Luttich, von Kluge received an order from Hitler that Heinrich Eberbach rather than von Funck was to lead it, although von Kluge managed to persuade OKW postpone the transfer of command.

On 4 September 1944 he was moved into the reserve of the OKH.

Following the war, Funck was held as prisoner by the Soviets from August 1945 until his release ten years later, in 1955.

Awards

 * Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class (12 June 1915) & 1st Class (2 December 1917)
 * Spanish Medalla de la Campaña
 * Military Medal (Spain)
 * Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords
 * Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class & 1st Class (May 1940)
 * Panzer Badge in Silver
 * German Cross in Gold on 14 March 1943 as Generalleutnant and commander of the 7. Panzer-Division
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
 * Knight's Cross on 15 July 1941 as Generalmajor and commander of the 7. Panzer-Division
 * 278th Oak Leaves 22 August 1943 on 22 August 1943 as Generalmajor and commander of 7. Panzer-Division