Kurt Eberhard (12 September 1874 – 8 September 1947) was a German professional military officer who served the German Empire, the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. He fought in both world wars and attained the rank of Generalmajor. He was also a member of the Nazi Party and the Schutzstaffel (SS), reaching the rank of SS- Brigadeführer.
After the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Eberhard served as the city commandant in occupied Kiev (today, Kyiv). He was directly involved in the planning of the Babi Yar Massacre, one of the largest Nazi genocide crimes, in which more than 33,000 Jews were murdered on 29–30 September 1941. Arrested by the Allies after the war, he took his own life while still in custody and never was tried for his offenses.
Early life
Eberhard was born in
Rottweil in the Kingdom of Württemberg. After completing his secondary education, he joined the Army of Württemberg on 3 August 1892. He was assigned to Field Artillery Regiment 13 "King Karl" (1st Württemberg) in
Ulm as a
Fahnenjunker (officer cadet). He advanced to
Fahnrich on 18 March 1893, and was promoted to
Leutnant and
Oberleutnant on 25 November 1893 and 25 February 1902, respectively. From October 1902 to July 1905, Eberhard attended the Prussian War Academy in
Berlin. He was next posted as an
adjutant with the 27th Field Artillery Brigade (2nd Württemberg). Promoted to
Hauptmann on 25 February 1908, he was assigned as a battery commander in the Field Artillery Regiment 65 (4th Württemberg) in
Ludwigsburg on 25 July 1910. Eberhard remained in this position until his transfer on 1 October 1913 as an instructor at the Field Artillery School.
First World War
With the outbreak of the First World War, Eberhard returned to Field Artillery Regiment 65, again assuming the role of battery commander, and was deployed on the eastern front. After promotion to
Major on 27 January 1915, he was given command of the regiment's
Abteilung (department) II. Effective 10 April 1918, he was appointed commander of the 501st Field Artillery Regiment, with which he served on the western front. During the course of the war, he was awarded the
Iron Cross, 1st and 2nd class. After the end of the war, he led his regiment back home, where it was demobilized in
Minden in December 1918 and disbanded in June 1919.
Reichswehr
Eberhard was accepted into the provisional
Reichswehr of the
Weimar 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 the Treaty of Versailles, he was reassigned as commander of the regiment's
Abteilung II (Baden) in Ulm, and was promoted to
Oberstleutnant on 18 October 1920. On 1 October 1922, Eberhard joined the staff of the artillery commander of
Wehrkreis V, headquartered in
Stuttgart. He was appointed
commandant of Ulm on 1 April 1923, and promoted to
Oberst on 1 November 1923. Eberhard retired from active service on 31 March 1925 with the rank of brevet
Generalmajor.
Nazi Party and SS
On 1 May 1937, Eberhard joined the
Nazi Party (membership number 5,645,459). In addition, he became a member of the
Schutzstaffel (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. He attained his highest SS rank on 9 November 1942, when he was made an SS-
Brigadeführer.
[Andreas Schulz, Günter Wegmann, Dieter Zinke: Die Generale der Waffen-SS und der Polizei. Die militärischen Werdegänge der Generale, sowie der Ärzte, Veterinäre, Intendanten, Richter und Ministerialbeamten im Generalsrang. Band 2: Hachtel-Kutschera. Biblio-Verlag, Bissendorf 2005, ISBN 3-7648-2592-8, p. 349, Fußnote 17.]
Second World War
Shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, Eberhard was recalled to active duty in the German Army in August 1939. With the start of the Battle of France on 10 May 1940, Eberhard was assigned to the staff of Field Command 550. He was assigned to organize the artillery on the right bank of the
Rhine river in
Wehrkreis V in what became known as Artillery Staff Eberhard. This unit was disbanded on 7 July 1940, after the Armistice of Compiègne.
From 13 May 1941, to 20 June 1942, Eberhard served as commander of Field Command 195 and, after the German invasion of the Soviet Union, he was named commandant of the occupied city of Kiev.[Josef Fiala: Österreicher in den SS Einsatzgruppen und SS Brigaden – Die Tötungsaktionen in der Sowjetunion 1941-1942, Diplomica-Verlag, Hamburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-8428-0015-1, p. 51] Eberhard cooperated by providing the SS with a propaganda company to persuade the residents that they were being transported for resettlement.[ Mass Shootings at Babyn Yar (Babi Yar) in the Holocaust Encyclopedia] Eberhard also participated in the registration of the Jews of Kiev, ordered the execution of hostages, and opened the city to Sonderkommando 4a.[Bastian Keller: Verantwortung und Beteiligung der Wehrmacht an der Ermordung der Juden im Russland-Feldzug, Grin-Verlag, Norderstedt 2010, ISBN 978-3-640-77117-2, p. 13]
Eberhard was transferred to the Führerreserve in July 1942 and left active service at the end of November 1942, having earned the War Merit Cross, 1st and 2nd class with swords. 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.
Sources
Further reading
-
Dermot Bradley (Ed.): Die Generale des Heeres 1921–1945. Band 3: D–Fi. Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1994, .
External links
