Hans-Jürgen von Arnim

Germany state institutions Counter-revolutionary forces 1889–1962 ○ Died

German general who was the last commander of Axis forces in North Africa and surrendered in Tunisia

Born into a military family in Prussian Silesia, he joined the army in 1907 and fought on the Western and Eastern fronts in the First World War. In the Second World War he commanded the 52nd Infantry Division in Poland and France, the 17th Panzer Division from October 1940 and, during Operation Barbarossa, XXXIX Panzer Corps from October 1941. In 1943 he took the 5th Panzer Army in Tunisia and on 10 March succeeded Rommel as commander of Army Group Africa. Tunisian Jews were put to forced labour on his defences and the community was plundered for gold. He surrendered to British forces on 12 May, was held in Britain and the United States, and was released in 1947.

Also known as: Hans-Jürgen Bernhard Theodor von Arnim