Hasso von Manteuffel
A Prussian baron turned panzer commander, he led Germany's last major offensive in the West, a desperate gamble that defined the war's final winter.
1897–1978 (age 81)·German general·Birthday: January 14·The Lost Generation
Biography
Hasso von Manteuffel was born into the Prussian military aristocracy, a heritage that charted his course. His career in the German army, which began in the cavalry, accelerated with the rise of mechanized warfare. By the Second World War, he had become a master of fast-moving armored tactics, commanding divisions on the brutal Eastern Front. His most famous moment came in late 1944 when he was given command of the 5th Panzer Army for the Ardennes offensive, known as the Battle of the Bulge. Manteuffel's forces drove deep into Allied lines, but the operation ultimately failed, exhausting Germany's last reserves. After the war, he entered West German politics, serving in the Bundestag and contributing to the debate over rearmament, a complex final chapter for a soldier whose name became synonymous with a pivotal, doomed campaign.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Hasso was born in 1897, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Hasso Was Born
The biggest hits of 1897
Hasso's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1897Born
President: William McKinley
1902Started school
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Became a teenager
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1913Could drive
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1915Could vote
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1918Turned 21
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1927Turned 30
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1937Turned 40
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1947Turned 50
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1957Turned 60
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1967Turned 70
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1977Turned 80
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1978Died at 81
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
Key Achievements
- Commanded the 5th Panzer Army during the pivotal Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944-45.
- Received one of Nazi Germany's highest military honors, the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds.
- Successfully led the 7th Panzer Division in several difficult defensive battles on the Eastern Front in 1943-44.
- Served as a member of the West German Bundestag for the Free Democratic Party from 1953 to 1957.
Did You Know?
He was a direct descendant of the Prussian field marshal Edwin von Manteuffel.
After the war, he was a technical advisor on the 1965 Hollywood war film 'Battle of the Bulge'.
He was one of only 27 soldiers in the German military to be awarded the Knight's Cross with Diamonds.
“A commander must live with his troops. He is nothing without them.”
