Hans von Obstfelder

Hans was born the son of Lutheran Superintendent Gustav Adolf Obstfelder (1847–1930) and his wife Lina, née von Ziegler (c. 1860 – 19 November 1930). He had (at least) seven siblings. Superintendent Obstfelder received the right to use the title "von Obstfelder" on 20 November 1918. His son, Captain Hans Obstfelder, received the right from the Reichswehr Ministry in December 1922 to henceforth use the family name "von Obstfelder".

"Gustav Adolf Obstfelder was born on 18 February 1847 in Gotha, the son of a farmstead manager. He attended the cathedral grammar school and studied at the universities of Erlangen, Leipzig, and Halle. He passed his first examination in Gotha. On 25 March 1873, he was ordained in the Augustinian Church in Gotha by General Superintendent Petersen. On 1 April 1873, he became the third pastor in Gotha, and after a trial sermon before the Duke, he became Ducal court preacher on 1 October 1874. However, because his duties were made very difficult by the very liberal approach of the chief court preacher, he took over the parish in Schönau an der Hörsel (near Eisenach) on 1 October 1875. [...] The local branch of the "Patriotic Women's Association of the Red Cross" was founded on 12 August 1886, by Pastor Obstfelder and affiliated with the Patriotic Women's Association in Kassel. The pastor's wife served as chairwoman, and the pastor was the secretary. The association consisted primarily of women from the upper classes and undertook tasks related to the Red Cross and poor relief. [...] On 9 December 1888, Elias Rommel and Richard Pfeffer beat the forest warden Hengelhaupt from Rotterode to death with wooden clubs near the Zion Church. Rommel's parents had already quarreled with Hengelhaupt, probably over poaching. On 24 October 1889, the murderers were beheaded in Erfurt. Pastor Obstfelder was present at the execution and offered spiritual support. [...] At the behest of his superiors, he applied for the position of senior pastor in Schmalkalden, having already served as acting superintendent since 1891. On 30 July 1892, he became senior pastor and on 19 September 1892 superintendent in Schmalkalden. Obstfelder was considered a "dashing man" and was often feared, even hated, for his strictness and straightforwardness. But he was also a good preacher and his ministry in Schmalkalden was a blessing. During his time, the interior of the town church was renovated and rededicated on 31 October 1909 (at which time the Martin Luther figure was inserted into the pillar of the nave), the cemetery church and the hospital chapel were refurbished, the upper parish church on what is now Geschwister-Scholl-Straße was built according to his designs, a children's choir was founded, and the men's church choir was transformed into a mixed choir. Obstfelder received various decorations [...] On 30 March 1919, he held his last confirmation service and farewell sermon and retired on 1 April 1919, after 47 years of service. Gustav Adolf von Obstfelder died in Schmalkalden on 12 January 1930."^[1]

In September 1941, during Operation Barbarossa, the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, Obstfelder commanded the 29th Army Corps, which was among the first units of the Wehrmacht to reach Kyiv.^[2]

In October 2021, against the background of official commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the Babi Yar Massacre, Obstfelder's name appeared among the 161 names of the perpetrators of that crime, released by the Babi Year Holocaust Memorial Center.^[3] Obstfelder was never tried for his alleged involvement in the Babi Yar massacre.^[2]