Otto Stapf (officer)


Otto Johann Leonhard Stapf 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.

Life

Early years and World War I

Otto Stapf was born on 13 November 1890 in Hellmitzheim in Middle Franconia as the son of Paul Stapf, a merchant in Kitzingen, and his wife Blandine Barbara, née Meyer. After receiving his Abitur from the Altes Gymnasium in Würzburg, Stapf entered the Bavarian Army as a Fahnenjunker on 1 August 1910 and was commissioned as a Leutnant in the
22nd Bavarian Infantry Regiment 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, to major on 1 February 1931 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.
In July 1942, Stapf was named chief of the Economic Staff East under the Economic Organization East, 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 of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht on 15 October 1944, where he remained until the end of the war.

Post–WWII

After the war, Stapf worked with the United States Army Historical Division.

Promotions

  • 1 August 1910 Fahnenjunker
  • 27 September 1910 Fahnenjunker-Gefreiter
  • 26 October 1910 Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier
  • 3 March 1911 Fähnrich
  • 28 October 1912 Leutnant
  • * 26 September 1919 received improved Patent from 28 October 1910
  • 14 January 1916 Oberleutnant
  • 28 September 1921 Rittmeister with effect from 1 July 1921
  • * 1 February 1922 received Rank Seniority from 18 October 1918
  • * 1 October 1922 reclassified as Hauptmann
  • 1 February 1931 Major with RDA from 1 April 1929
  • 1 October 1933 Oberstleutnant
  • 1 August 1935 Oberst
  • 31 March 1939 Generalmajor with effect and RDA from 1 April 1939
  • 17 January 1941 Generalleutnant with effect and RDA from 1 February 1941
  • 16 October 1942 General der Infanterie with effect and RDA from 1 October 1942

Awards and decorations