Otto Stapf (officer)

Otto Stapf
Field Marshal Walther von Reichenau and Otto Stapf (right)
Born	13 November 1890
Died	30 March 1963(1963-03-30) (aged 72)
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Army
Rank	General der Infanterie
Commands	111th Infantry Division XXXXIV. Armeekorps
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Otto Stapf (13 November 1890 – 30 March 1963) was a German general during World War II who commanded the 111th Infantry Division and the XXXXIV. Army Corps and led the Economic Staff East. He was the only recipient of both the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and the Knight's Cross of the War Merit Cross with Swords of Nazi Germany.

Early years and World War I

Otto Johann Leonhard Stapf was born on 13 November 1890 in Hellmitzheim in Middle Franconia as the son of Paul Stapf, a businessman in Kitzingen, and his wife Blondine, née Meyer. After receiving his Abitur from the Altes Gymnasium in Würzburg, Stapf entered the Bavarian Army as a Fahnenjunker (officer candidate) on 1 August 1910 and was commissioned as a Leutnant (lieutenant) in the 22nd Bavarian Infantry Regiment (Königlich Bayerisches 22. Infanterie-Regiment Fürst Wilhelm von Hohenzollern) on 28 October 1912. He served with this regiment in World War I and was promoted to Oberleutnant on 14 January 1916. On 28 June 1918 he was named Adjutant of the 21st Bavarian Infantry Brigade, where he served until the end of the war.

Interwar period

After the end of World War I, he was carried over in the Reichswehr, serving in various infantry and cavalry units and staff positions. He was provisionally promoted to captain on 1 July 1921 (later receiving a seniority date of 18 October 1918), to major on 1 February 1931 (with a seniority date of 1 April 1929) and to lieutenant colonel on 1 October 1933.

Stapf married Carin Fjellmann on 25 November 1923 in Munich. The couple had two sons and one daughter.

Stapf was in command of the 7. Kraftfahr-Abteilung in Munich when the Reichswehr became the Wehrmacht in 1935, but was soon promoted to colonel on 1 August 1935 and transferred as a section chief to the Army General Staff in Berlin in September. In February 1938, he was attached to Hermann Göring's staff as army liaison officer to the Luftwaffe staff. On 10 November 1938, he was named Oberquartiermeister III in the Army General Staff while remaining concurrently as liaison officer to the Luftwaffe. He was promoted to Generalmajor on 1 April 1939

World War II

Stapf was named commander of the 111th Infantry Division with effect from 5 November 1940 and promoted to Generalleutnant on 1 February 1941. He was briefly commanding general of the XXXXIV. Army Corps in January and February 1942, but was soon transferred to the army's leaders' reserve (Führerreserve).

In July 1942, Stapf was named chief of the Economic Staff East (Wirtschaftsstab Ost) under the Economic Organization East (Wirtschaftsorganisation Ost), whose task was the economic exploitation of the occupied eastern territories. Stapf headed the Economic Staff East until it was dissolved in the fall of 1944. On 1 October 1942, Stapf was promoted to General der Infanterie. With the reorganization of the German military economic organization in late 1944, Stapf became chief of the Field Economic Office (Feldwirtschaftsamt) of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht on 15 October 1944, where he remained until the end of the war.

Post–war

After the war, Stapf worked with the United States Army Historical Division. He died on 30 March 1963 in Munich.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (16 November 1914)
  • 1st Class (21 January 1916)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (4 October 1939)
  • 1st Class (4 June 1940)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 31 August 1941 as Generalleutnant and commander of 111. Infanterie-Division
• Knight's Cross of the War Merit Cross with Swords 10 September 1944 as General der Infanterie and Chef Wehrmachtwirtschaftstab Ost
• Bavarian Military Merit Order, 4th Class with Swords (29 April 1915)
• Bavarian Military Merit Order, 4th Class with Crown and Swords (24 June 1918)
• Bavarian Prince Regent Luitpold Medal on the Ribbon of the Jubilee Medal of the Bavarian Army (12 March 1911)
• Princely Hohenzollern Honor Cross, 3rd Class with Swords (15 July 1915)
• Oldenburg Friedrich August Cross, 1st and 2nd Class (15 December 1917)
• Wound Badge in Black (5 May 1918)
• Honor Cross for Combatants (29 December 1934)
• Wehrmacht Long Service Award, 4th through 1st Classes (2 October 1936)
• Spanish Cross of Military Merit with White Decoration, 3rd Class (Cruz blanca del Merito Militar de 3a clasa) (12 April 1939)

References

Bibliography

• BArch PERS 6/354: Bundesarchiv - Personalakte des Otto Stapfs https://invenio.bundesarchiv.de/invenio/direktlink/3a49e7f7-a174-43d0-96ae-eb6c5981c685/
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [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] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.