World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseErik Hansen was born in Hamburg, Germany. He enlisted in the Germany Army in Oct 1907, joining the cavalry. During the opening stages of WW1, he was a junior cavalry officer on the Western Front, but he spent most of the war as a regimental staff officer. Remaining in the German Army after WW1, he served in various mounted units. In Oct 1929, he was promoted to the rank of major, followed by a promotion to the rank of lieutenant colonel in Feb 1932 while serving as the Chief of Operations of the 1st Division. In May 1934, he was promoted to the rank of colonel while serving as the Chief of Staff of the 3rd Cavalry Division. Between late 1934 and late 1936, he served as commanding officer of infantry regiments. In Aug 1937, he was promoted to the rank of major general while being attached to the Army General Staff. In 1938, Hansen became the commander of the 4th Infantry Division, with which he invaded Southern Poland at the start of the European War at the rank of lieutenant general. In 1940, he commanded the 4th Infantry Division into France, closely cooperating with the spearheading tank forces. After the fall of France, Hansen was awarded the rank of a full general for his accomplishments. Between Oct 1940 and Jun 1941, he served as the chief of German military's mission in Romania. In Jun 1941, he took command of LIV Corps. It was the LIV Corps that led the German invasion of the Crimean Peninsula in Southern Ukraine and then maintained the siege of Sevastopol over the winter of 1941-1942. Aggressive and capable, he was Erich von Manstein's most trusted commander at Crimea. On 20 Jan 1943, he returned to Romania to again head the mission. He was captured by Russian forces on 26 Aug 1944 in Romania and remained a prisoner until 10 Oct 1955. He passed away in Hamburg in 1967.

Erik Hansen Timeline