Otto Kumm

Otto Kumm
Kumm as a SS-Obersturmbahnführer
Born	(1909-11-01)1 November 1909
Died	23 March 2004(2004-03-23) (aged 94)
Place of birth	Hamburg
Place of death	Offenburg
Buried at	Weingarten cemetery, Offenburg Field 10, Space A
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen SS
Rank	SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS
Commands held	7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH)
Battles/wars	World War II Invasion of Poland Battles of Rzhev Operation Rösselsprung
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Other work	Head of productions Hubert Burda Media printing, Offenburg

Otto Kumm, (1 October 1909 – 23 March 2004) was an SS-Brigadeführer and Generalmajor of the Waffen-SS, and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. After the war, he became one of the founders and the first head of the veteran organization HIAG.

Childhood, education and early career

Kumm was born on 1 October 1909 in Hamburg, at the time a sovereign state of the German Empire. He was the fifth and youngest child of merchant Eduard Kumm and his wife Frieda, née Block. Following his graduation from the Oberrealschule (secondary school) in Hamburg-Hamm he received a vocational education as type setter from 1 April 1925 and 31 March 1929 at the Hamburger Abendblatt (Hamburg Evening Newspaper). He then worked in a printer factory. He joined the SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS Dispositional Troops) on 1 April 1934 and came to the I./SS-Standarte Germania in Hamburg.

Division Commander

SS-Brigadeführer Otto Kumm was officially appointed the new Division Commander of the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH) as of 15 February 1945. This after the LSSAH had been transferred to Hungary to bolster the crumbling situation and the prior LSSAH Division Commander, SS-Brigadeführer Mohnke was injured in an air raid.

Eastern Front 1945

Main article: Operation Frühlingserwachen

As the division commander, Otto Kumm and the LSSAH took part in Operation Spring Awakening (Frühlingserwachen) (6 March 1945 – 16 March 1945). It was the last major German offensive launched during World War II on 6 March 1945. The Germans launched attacks in Hungary near the Lake Balaton area on the Eastern Front. This area included some of the last oil reserves still available to the Germans. Almost inevitably, Operation Spring Awakening was a failure. Despite early gains the offensive was far too ambitious in scope. After the failure of Operation Spring Awakening, Sepp Dietrich's 6th SS Panzer Army and the LSSAH retreated to the Vienna area. The Germans desperately prepared defensive positions in an attempt to guard the city against the fast arriving Soviets, in what become known as the Vienna Offensive.

Final days

After Vienna fell, the bulk of the LSSAH division surrendered to U.S. forces in the Steyr area on 8 May 1945. The demarcation line between the Soviets and U.S. troops was Enns. Therefore, the roads to Enns were jammed with civilians and soldiers as they hurried to get to the west before 0100 hours on 9 May when the bridges over the river would be blocked. For the men of the LSSAH who made it west, they were marched off to different Prisoner of War camps. Most of the men went to the Ebensee camps for captivity.

The rest of the LSSAH (made up of the Leibstandarte SS Guard Battalion assigned to guard the Führer) ended its fighting days in Berlin.

Post-war

Otto Kumm survived the war and went on to become a successful businessman. Kumm was a founder and the first head of the Waffen SS veteran organization, HIAG. He died on the 23 March 2004. At the time of his death, Kumm was the last surviving SS-Brigadeführer and Generalmajor of the Waffen-SS. He was also the last surviving Waffen-SS holder of Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.

Works

• Kumm, Otto (2007). Vorwärts, Prinz Eugen! : Geschichte der 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Division "Prinz Eugen" (in German). Dresden, Germany: Winkelried. ISBN 978-3-938392-13-3.
• Kumm, Otto (1983). 7. [Siebte] SS-Gebirgs-Division "Prinz Eugen" im Bild (in German and English). Osnabrück, Germany: Munin . ISBN 3-921242-54-1.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (30 May 1940)
  • 1st Class (3 June 1940)
• Wound Badge in Black
• Infantry Assault Badge in Silver
• German Cross in Gold on 29 November 1941 as SS-Obersturmbannführer in the SS-Regiment "Der Führer"
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
  • Knight's Cross on 16 February 1942 as SS-Obersturmbannführer and commander SS-Infanterie-Regiment (motorized) "Der Führer"
  • 221st Oak Leaves on 6 April 1943 as SS-Obersturmbannführer and commander SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment "Der Führer"
  • 138th Swords on 17 March 1945 as SS-Brigadeführer and Generalmajor of the Waffen-SS and commander of the 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division "Prinz Eugen"
• Mentioned twice in the Wehrmachtbericht on 6 June 1944 and 10 October 1944

Wehrmachtbericht references

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
6 June 1944	In Kroatien haben Truppen des Heeres und der Waffen-SS unter dem Oberbefehl des Generalobersten Rendulic, unterstützt durch starke Kampf- und Schlachtfliegerverbände, das Zentrum der Bandengruppen Titos überfallen und nach tagelangen schweren Kämpfen zerschlagen. Der Feind verlor nach vorläufigen Schätzungen 6240 Mann. Außerdem wurden zahlreiche Waffen aller Art und viele Versorgungseinrichtungen erbeutet. In diesen Kämpfen haben sich die 7. SS-Gebirgsdivision "Prinz Eugen" unter Führung des SS-Oberführers Kumm und das SS-Fallschirmjägerbataillon 500 unter Führung des SS-Hauptsturmführers Rybka hervorragend bewährt.	In Croatia, troops of the Army and Waffen SS under the command of Colonel General Rendulic, supported by strong combat and ground support aircraft detachments, attacked the centers of the Tito's partisan groups and crushed these after days of heavy fighting. According to preliminary estimates, the enemy lost 6240 men. In addition, numerous weapons of all kinds, and many utilities were captured. In this combat have the 7th SS Mountain Division "Prinz Eugen" under the leadership of SS-Oberführers Kumm and the SS Parachute Battalion 500 under the command of SS-Hauptsturmführer Rybka have exceptionally proven themselves.
10 October 1944 (Addendum)	In den erbitterten Kämpfen in Ostserbien haben sich die 1. Gerbirgsdivision unter Führung des Ritterkreuzträgers Generalleutnant von Stettner und die 7. SS-Gebirgsdivision "Prinz Eugen" unter der Führung des Eichenlaubträgers Oberführer Kumm in schwierigstem Gelände durch vorbildliche Standhaftigkeit und schwungvollen Angriffsgeist besonders ausgezeichnet. Die Kämpf wurden wirksam unterstützt durch Luftwaffenverbände unter Führung des Eichenlaubträgers Generalmajor Hagen.	In the fierce fighting in eastern Serbia, the 1st Mountain Division under the leadership of the Knight's Cross holder Lieutenant General von Stettner and 7th SS Mountain Division "Prinz Eugen" under the leadership of the Oak Leaves holder Oberführer Kumm, have particularly distinguished themselves in difficult terrain by exemplary fortitude and spirited sweeping attacks. The combatants were effectively supported by air forces under the command of Oak Leaves holder Major General Hagen.

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Berger, Florian (1999) (in German). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges [With Oak Leaves and Swords. The Highest Decorated Soldiers of the Second World War]. Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-0-6.  (German)
• Dollinger, Hans. The Decline and Fall of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number 67-27047
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) (in German). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 – Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtsteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches]. Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. 
• Fischer, Thomas (2008). Soldiers Of the Leibstandarte. J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, Inc. ISBN 978-0-921991-91-5.
• Kaltenegger, Roland (2008). Totenkopf und Edelweiß: General Artur Phleps und die südosteuropäischen Gebirgstruppen der Waffen-SS 1942–1945 [Skull and Edelweiss: General Artur Phleps and Southeastern European Mountain Troops of the Waffen-SS 1942–1945]. Graz, Austria: Ares Verlag. ISBN 978-3-902475-57-2.
• Krätschmer, Ernst-Günther (1999). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Waffen-SS [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Waffen-SS]. Coburg, Germany: Nation Europa Verlag. ISBN 978-3-920677-43-9. 
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001) (in German). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2]. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. 
• Schaulen, Fritjof (2004) (in German). Eichenlaubträger 1940 – 1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe II Ihlefeld - Primozic [Oak Leaves Bearers 1940 – 1945 Contemporary History in Color II Ihlefeld - Primozic]. Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 978-3-932381-21-8. 
• Thomas, Franz (1997) (in German). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K]. Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6. 
• Scherzer, Veit (2007) (in German). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives]. Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. 
• Tiemann, Ralf (1998). The Leibstandarte – IV/2. Winnipeg: J.J. Fedorowicz. ISBN 0-921991-40-1. 
• (in German) Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 3, 1 January 1944 to 9 May 1945]. München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2. 

External links

• • Otto Kumm in the German National Library catalogue
  • "Otto Kumm" (in German). Lexikon der Wehrmacht. http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/K/KummO.htm. Retrieved 17 July 2013. 
  • "Otto Kumm" (in German). Ritterkreuzträger 1939–45. http://www.ritterkreuztraeger-1939-45.de/Waffen-SS/K/Ku/Kumm-Otto.htm. Retrieved 17 July 2013. 
  • "Der Orden unter dem Totenkopf—Die Geschichte der SS / Von SPIEGEL-Redakteur Heinz Höhne" (in German). 1967. http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-45549385.html. Retrieved 17 July 2013.