Kurt Eberhard | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Born | 12 September 1874 |
| Died | 8 September 1947 (aged 72) |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Allegiance | Germany |
| Branch | Army of Württemberg Reichswehr German Army Schutzstaffel |
| Rank | Generalmajor SS-Brigadeführer |
| Commands | 501st Field Artillery Regiment 5th Artillery Regiment Field Command 195 Commandant ofKiev |
| Known for | Babi Yar massacre |
| Battles / wars |
|
| Awards | Iron Cross, 1st and 2nd class War Merit Cross, 1st and 2nd class with swords |
Kurt Eberhard (12 September 1874 – 8 September 1947) was a German professional military officer who served theGerman Empire, theWeimar Republic andNazi Germany. He fought in bothworld wars and attained the rank ofGeneralmajor. He was also a member of theNazi Party and theSchutzstaffel (SS), reaching the rank of SS-Brigadeführer.
After theGerman invasion of the Soviet Union, Eberhard served as the city commandant in German-occupied Soviet Kiev (todayKyiv, Ukraine). He was directly involved in the planning of theBabi Yar Massacre, one of the largest Nazigenocidal crimes, in which more than 33,000 Jews were murdered on 29–30 September 1941. Arrested by theAllies after the war, he took his own life while still in custody and never was tried for his offenses.
Eberhard was born inRottweil in theKingdom of Württemberg. After completing his secondary education, he joined theArmy of Württemberg on 3 August 1892. He was assigned to Field Artillery Regiment 13 "King Karl" (1st Württemberg) inUlm as aFahnenjunker (officer cadet). He advanced toFahnrich on 18 March 1893, and was promoted toLeutnant andOberleutnant on 25 November 1893 and 25 February 1902, respectively. From October 1902 to July 1905, Eberhard attended thePrussian War Academy inBerlin. He was next posted as anadjutant with the 27th Field Artillery Brigade (2nd Württemberg). Promoted toHauptmann on 25 February 1908, he was assigned as abattery commander in the Field Artillery Regiment 65 (4th Württemberg) inLudwigsburg on 25 July 1910. Eberhard remained in this position until his transfer on 1 October 1913 as an instructor at the Field Artillery School.
With the outbreak of theFirst World War, Eberhard returned to Field Artillery Regiment 65, again assuming the role of battery commander, and was deployed on theeastern front. After promotion toMajor on 27 January 1915, he was given command of the regiment'sAbteilung (department) II. Effective 10 April 1918, he was appointed commander of the 501st Field Artillery Regiment, with which he served on thewestern front. During the course of the war, he was awarded theIron Cross, 1st and 2nd class. After the end of the war, he led his regiment back home, where it was demobilized inMinden in December 1918 and disbanded in June 1919.
Eberhard was accepted into the provisionalReichswehr of theWeimar Republic and initially was deployed as the commander of the 5th Artillery Regiment from 1 July 1919 to 1 October 1920. After the downsizing and formation of the 100,000 man army mandated by theTreaty of Versailles, he was reassigned as commander of the regiment'sAbteilung II (Baden) in Ulm, and was promoted toOberstleutnant on 18 October 1920. On 1 October 1922, Eberhard joined the staff of the artillery commander ofWehrkreis V, headquartered inStuttgart. He was appointedcommandant of Ulm on 1 April 1923, and promoted toOberst on 1 November 1923. Eberhard retired from active service on 31 March 1925 with the rank ofbrevetGeneralmajor.
On 1 May 1937, Eberhard joined theNazi Party (membership number 5,645,459). In addition, he became a member of theSchutzstaffel (SS) on 20 April 1939 (membership number 323,045) with the rank of SS-Standartenführer and, on 9 November 1940, he was promoted to SS-Oberführer.[1] He attained his highest SS rank on 9 November 1942, when he was made an SS-Brigadeführer.[2]
Shortly before the outbreak of theSecond World War, Eberhard was recalled to active duty in theGerman Army in August 1939. With the start of theBattle of France on 10 May 1940, Eberhard was assigned to the staff of Field Command 550.[3] He was assigned to organize the artillery on the right bank of theRhine inWehrkreis V in what became known as Artillery Staff Eberhard. This unit was disbanded on 7 July 1940, after theArmistice of Compiègne.
From 13 May 1941, to 20 June 1942, Eberhard served as commander of Field Command 195 and, after the German invasion of theSoviet Union, he was named commandant of the occupied city ofKiev.[4] On 26 September 1941, he participated in a meeting in his office with the commander ofEinsatzgruppe C, SS-BrigadeführerOtto Rasch, and the commander ofSS-Sonderkommando 4a, SS-StandartenführerPaul Blobel, in which theBabi Yar massacre was planned.[5][6] Eberhard reported to Berlin on 28 September 1941: "Wehrmacht welcomes measures and requests radical action".[7] Eberhard cooperated by providing the SS with a propaganda company to persuade the residents that they were being transported for resettlement.[8] On 29–30 September 1941, SS and police units shot 33,771 Jews from Kiev at the Babi Yar ravine located outside the city.[9] Eberhard also participated in the registration of the Jews of Kiev, ordered the execution of hostages, and opened the city toSonderkommando 4a.[10]
Eberhard was transferred to theFührerreserve in July 1942 and left active service at the end of November 1942, having earned theWar Merit Cross, 1st and 2nd class with swords.[3] He was taken into custody by American forces in November 1945 and, on 8 September 1947, took his own life in Stuttgart while still being held as a prisoner.[5]
| International | |
|---|---|
| People | |
