Hans von Luck

Hans–Ulrich Freiherr von Luck und Witten (15 July 1911 – 1 August 1997), usually shortened to Hans von Luck, was a German officer in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II.

Luck's father, Otto von Luck, served in the Imperial German Navy and died during July 1918 of an influenza virus.

His mother remarried a Reichsmarine Chaplain.

Luck served with the 7th Panzer Division and 21st Panzer Division.

Luck is author of the book Panzer Commander.

Luck was born in Flensburg, into a Prussian family with old military roots.

In 1929, Luck joined the Reichswehr (army).

Through the winter of 1931−1932, Luck attended a nine-month course for officer cadets, led by then Captain Erwin Rommel, at the infantry school in Dresden.

On 30 June 1934 Luck's unit took part in the Night of the Long Knives, arresting several Sturmabteilung (SA) members in Stettin.

In 1939 Luck was posted to the 2nd Light Division, serving in its armoured reconnaissance battalion.

On 1 September 1939 the 2nd Light Division, under General Georg Stumme, participated in the invasion of Poland.

Luck served as a company commander in the division's reconnaissance battalion.

The division was reorganized and reequipped to form the 7th Panzer Division, with Rommel assuming command on 6 February 1940.

Luck served as a company commander in an armoured reconnaissance battalion.

The 7th Panzer Division was a part of the XV Army Corps under General Hermann Hoth in Army Group A. On 10 May 1940 the division participated in the invasion of France.

Luck's reconnaissance battalion led the division's advance into Belgium, reaching the Meuse in three days.

In his memoir Luck describes the division's crossing of the Meuse and Rommel's active role in gaining the crossing.

On 28 May, Luck was appointed commander of the reconnaissance battalion.

Luck's unit advanced through Rouen, Fecamp, and Cherbourg.

In February 1941 Rommel was replaced by General Freiherr von Funk, and in June Luck moved with his division to East Prussia in preparation for the invasion of the Soviet Union.

Luck was made Hauptmann and attached to 7th Panzer Division's headquarters staff.

His division was a part of the 3rd Panzer Group of Army Group Center.

In this capacity he participated in the Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union.

The 7th Panzer Division spearheaded the 3rd Panzer Group as it drove east and the capture of Vilnius in Lithuania, before driving on Minsk to form the northern inner encirclement arm of the Bialystok-Minsk pocket.

Following the capture of Minsk the armored group continued east towards Vitebsk.

At Vitebsk, Luck was assigned as commander of the division's reconnaissance battalion.

The division participated in creating the large pocket around Smolensk, cutting the Smolensk–Moscow road.

Luck and his unit continued on towards Moscow.

In his memoirs he describes the stiffening Soviet resistance and problems the German forces faced relating to weather and road conditions.

Since November Rommel had requested Luck be transferred to Africa to take over command of one of his reconnaissance battalions.

The transfer was approved in late January once the crisis of the Soviet winter offensive had passed.

Luck was promoted to major, spending February and March 1942 on leave.

Reporting back for duty on 1 April 1942, he reached Africa on 8 April and assumed command over the 3rd Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion of the 21st Panzer Division.

Luck spent June to mid-September in Germany, recuperating from a combat wound.

Returning to Africa, he resumed command of the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion.

On 23 October 1942 the British launched the attack of the Second Battle of El Alamein.

The Axis position deteriorated leading to a retreat.

Luck was one of Rommel's most experienced commanders, and he called upon Luck's reconnaissance battalion to screen his withdrawal.

By December the Axis forces had retreated to Tripoli.

On 6 May the forces in Africa surrendered, with more than 130,000 Germans taken prisoner.