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Otto KummSS Brigadeführer and Major General of the SS troops.
Date of Birth: 01.10.1909
Country:  Germany |
Content:
Biography of Otto Kumm
Early Life and CareerOtto Kumm was born in a merchant's family and received his education at a higher real school. From April 1, 1925, to March 31, 1929, he studied to become a typesetter and then worked in that profession for five years. Kumm became a member of the NSDAP (Party Card No. 421 230) in October 1930 and joined the 25th Assault (Company) SA in Hamburg. On December 1, 1931, he became a member of the SS (No. 18 727) and received training. In April 1932, he was assigned to the 5th Assault, where he served until October 1933.
Service in the SS
Kumm later recalled his experiences in the SS: on June 1, 1934, he voluntarily joined the SS reinforcement units and underwent military training in Hamburg as the commander of the 3rd platoon of the SS "Germany" regiment. He then attended courses for platoon leaders at the infantry school in Döberitz. In October 1934, he returned to the regular SS and served in the command of the 39th regiment. From May 17, 1935, to December 10, 1936, he served as the commander of a machine gun company in the "Germany" regiment. In December 1936, he was assigned to the staff of the 2nd battalion of the SS "Deutschland" regiment in Munich. From the beginning of February 1937, he served as the commander of the 2nd company in this regiment. Kumm got married in 1938 and had two daughters.
World War II
In 1938, Kumm became the commander of a company in the SS "Führer" regiment and held this position when World War II broke out. In April 1940, he was sent to Gravenwever for battalion commander courses. In May 1940, during the battles in the Netherlands, he was appointed to command a battalion in his regiment and was wounded during the campaign in the West. From June 22, 1941, he participated in the combat operations in Russia. From July 17, 1941, he served as the commander of the 4th motorized infantry regiment of the SS "Führer" division in the SS Reich. Kumm distinguished himself in defensive battles in early 1942 near Rzhev, for which he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He also received Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his participation in the heavy battles for Kharkov in spring 1943.
Later Career and Death
On May 1, 1943, Kumm became the chief of staff of the formation of the 5th SS Mountain Corps. In the summer of 1943, he served as the first officer of the General Staff in the 7th Mountain Division SS "Prinz Eugen." From July 1943 to January 1944, he was the chief of staff of the 5th SS Mountain Corps (under the command of SS Obergruppenführer Arthur Phleps) and participated in combat operations against partisans in Yugoslavia. From January 30, 1944, to January 20, 1945, he served as the commander of the 7th Mountain Division SS "Prinz Eugen," continuing anti-partisan actions in the Balkans (during these battles, the civilian population was subjected to repression). On February 6, 1945, he was appointed commander of the 1st SS Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler," which fought in Hungary and then in Austria. In March 1945, he was awarded the Swords to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. On May 8, 1945, he surrendered to American forces along with his division.
After being released as a prisoner of war, Kumm returned to Hamburg, where he founded the Society for Mutual Assistance of Former SS Members (HIAG) in 1951. For almost 23 years, he worked as the head of the product department at the "Burda" publishing house in Offenburg. In 1978, he published a book. He passed away on March 23, 2004. At the time of his death, he was the last surviving Brigadeführer and Major General of the SS. He was also the last living recipient of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords among representatives of the SS troops.
