Erich Hoepner

Erich Hoepner (September 14, 1886 - August 8, 1944) was a German general in World War II.

Hoepner was born in Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany and served in the German Army during World War I. He remained in the army in the post-war years and reached the rank of general in 1936. Hoepner was an early advocate of armored warfare and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and given command of the XVI Panzer Corps in 1938.

Hoepner led forces in the invasions of Poland and France. He was promoted to the rank of Colonel General in 1941 and given command of the Fourth Panzer Group for the invasion of the Soviet Union. Hoepner pulled back his forces in the face of a Russian offensive at Moscow in January 1942 and was relieved of his command.

While Hoepner was opposed to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, he was also an early opponent of Adolf Hitler's rise to power. Hoepner participated in several conspiracies to overthrow Hitler. In a 1938 attempt, his forces were assigned the task of supressing the SS following Hitler's assassination (the plot failed but Hoepner's role went undiscovered).

Hoepner was also a participant in the July 20 Plot in 1944, but this time he was caught after the attempt failed. He was arrested and tortured by the Gestapo, given a summary trial by a "People's Court", sentenced to death, and executed (hanged naked) on August 8.