Hans Schmidt (general of the Infantry)

Hans Schmidt (28 April 1877 – 5 June 1948) was a German general during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany.

Schmidt was born at Ulm in 1877 and joined the Imperial German Army in 1895. He served in World War I and, at the end of the war, he was a Major on the staff of the 9th Infantry Division. He was awarded both classes of the Iron Cross, the House Order of Hohenzollern and many other decorations. He remained in the post-war Reichswehr as a career officer. Schmidt was promoted to Generalmajor in October 1929, to Generalleutnant in September 1940 and to General der Infanterie in January 1942. In World War II, he commanded the 260th Infantry Division from September 1939 until January 1942. At that time, he was given the command of IX Army Corps until October 1943 when he was placed into the Führerreserve.^[1] He returned to command the newly formed German 24th Army on the western front from November 1944 until it surrendered in May 1945.