Hauser, Hans, born 31-01-1916 in Tirol, visited the Real School and the States School from 1922 until 1935. 18 years old on 01-04-1934, he joined the SS Standarten “Deutschland”
in Munich. He went to the Junker School in Braunschweig,
on 01-04-1937 and transferred to Vienna as a Untersturmführer SS
and Leutnant of the Security Police in Mannheim. After a training on the Police School in Fürstfeldenbrück he became the leader of the Police Battalion in Heideheim. Promoted to Oberleutnant he was assigned as the commander of the Security Police in Mannheim. On 01-03-1942 he was transferred to the Wehrmacht and became the Chief of the Field Gendarmes Troop 498B in Catania on Silesia, following in Tripolis and Bengasi in Libya with the Africa Corps
of Erwin Rommel.
On 20-04-1943 he became the rank of Hauptmann. He was back in Germany on 01-10-1942, ordered by SS Obergruppenführer, Alfred Wünnenberg
to join the Police Forces, as a SS Hauptsturmführer.
He took the command of the 2nd Company of the 1st Motorized Battalion with the new 3rd Police Protection Regiment in Debica, Poland. Involved in the heavy battles in the North Area of the Eastern Front near Leningrad he received the Iron Cross second Class
on 17-02-1943. In the summer Hauser was appointed to commander of the II Battalion of the Kampfgruppen of the SS Police Division, which Division was sent to help the Luftwaffe Field Divisions in the pocket of Oranienbaumer. Hauser was severely wounded
on 10-03-1944 and left the division to recover. Appointed as commander of “Kurland” and on 09-11-1944 promoted to SS Sturmbannführer
and Major of the Protect Police. He was awarded with the Iron Cross first Class also. He was assigned as Regiment commander of the 13th SS Division “Handschar”
but SS Obergruppenführer, Kommandeur der SS-Panzer Grenadier Division “Wiking”, Felix Steiner
intervened this. He then was assigned as commander of a Kampfgruppe, with recovering and returning from vacations, soldiers. This Kampfgruppe was fighting near Münchedorf, South of Vienna and tried to hold the city as long as possible. Hauser took the command of the 2nd SS Panzer Division “Das Reich” ,”My Honour is Loyalty”
(see Adolf Hitler) (did you know). He succeeded SS Obersturmbannführer, Kommandeur der II./SS Pz Reg “Das Reich”, Christian Tychsen.
The symbol for the Das Reich division was the wolf’s hook, or Wolfsangel. As a whole, the Waffen-SS was found guilty of war crimes in the Nuremberg tribunal, with Das Reich itself being notorious for the Oradoure sur Glane, Adolf Diekmann,
massacre. Retreating battles followed, back to the Florisdorfer Bridge
and Dresden were they were attacked by the 4th Polish Panzer Army. His Division was also involved in the upraising Partizan battles of Warsaw and Hauser received the Iron Cross of the Iron Cross on 06-05-1945.
He succeeded to break out with his remaining forces and reached the American line near Rockizcan. Total casualties amongst the Waffen-SS will probably never be known, but one estimate indicates that they suffered 180.000 dead, 400.000 wounded, and 40.000 missing. World War II casualties indicates that the Waffen-SS suffered 314.000 killed and missing, or 34.9 per cent. By comparison, the United States Army suffered 318.274 killed and missing in all theatres of the war.
Death and burial ground of Hauser, Hans.
After his release Hauser retired in Gaggenau where he at the old age of 85 died on 21-11-2001 and he is buried with his wife Elfriede, born Lorenz, who died age 82, in 2003, on the Waldfriedhof of Gaggenau.


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