Untersturmfuhrer Hubert Kaufmann

[Jon]

Hello!

I am wondering if anyone has any information on Untersturmfuhrer Hubert Kaufmann that they would like to share. I have a little bit of information, like his birthdate and the fact that he was the commander of Panther #211 with the Leibstandarte during the Ardennes.

I am looking for further information such as assignments, awards, death date and any other useful information. Thank you very much in advance to anyone that can help!

Cheers,

Jon

[Michael Miller]

SS-Ustuf. Hubert Kaufmann

Following data is from John P. Moore’s “Führerliste der Waffen-SS, Part 1":


Kaufmann, Hubert
SS-Untersturmführer

Born: 2 August 1919 in Kufstein / Tirol / Österreich.

SS-Nr.: 475 372

Known Assignments:
SS-Rottenführer in 9.Kompanie / Leibstandarte SS “Adolf Hitler”: (May 1940)
SS-Untersturmführer in 2.Kompanie / SS-Panzer-Regiment 1 “LSSAH”: (July 1944)

Hope this helps somewhat.

Best wishes,
~ Mike Miller
Axis Biographical Research
www.geocities.com/~orion47

[Jon]

Thank you Mike!

Many thanks for the information you have provided! It helps me a great deal to try to piece together this Hubert Kaufmann fellow. Thank you again!

Cheers,

Jon

[Jon]

Now I would like to take a moment to go through everything that I have gathered so far. I am going to share all of this for the benefit of all those who have helped me get this far! Timo, Juha, Greg Walden, Rouille and Mike Miller.

For everyone:

I have several photos and some footage of a Panther approaching Stoumont on December 19, 1944. This Panther seems to be Panther #211 commanded by Untersturmfuhrer Hubert Kaufmann. Several other Panthers can be seen in the background of some of the photos and footage. I cannot identify them but I can make an educated guess. They all seem to be 2nd Kompanie Panthers.

The first Panther into Stoumont, #223 of Rottenfuhrer Prahn, is knocked out and Panther #221 of Hauptscharfuhrer Heinz Knappich is damaged but still usable. The German Panthers and Panzergrenadiers take Stoumont from the U.S. forces. I have a few photos of a Panther that seems to be #211 on it's way through Stoumont. This is the same Panther seen earlier, the commander, the foliage and other objects are similar. Also seen is a bent right front fender.

Now, the Panthers head out of Stoumont on their way to the Railroad Station, which is near a small village called Targnon. On the way there, the U.S. troops retreating from Stoumont, set up an ambush along the road and Panther #225 of Oberscharfuhrer Ropeter is knocked out. Panther #221 rescues some of the crew. The rest of the Panthers continue on.

As they are reaching the village and Railroad Station they are met by U.S. troops who have dug in. Three Panthers are knocked out and the rest retreat to Stoumont. From photos I can see that Panther #211 was one of these three Panthers. It has some leftover foliage and the bent right front fender seen in earlier photos. An educated guess can be made to perhaps identify the other two Panthers.

From the info Timo provided we see that four Panther commanders were killed and one wounded that day in that area. Assuming that they were in their respective Panthers we can speculate which Panthers were there. Prahn and Ropeter are accounted for. Kaufmann was in Panther #211. This is the one that started this entire search for me! This leaves Unterscharfuhrer Brauschke and Unterscharfuhrer Kruger. Kruger was in Panther #215 and Brauschke was in either #233 or #234, I am not sure.

Research is amazing is it not? This all started when I was curious about the identity of a Panther commander. I identified this man as Untersturmfuhrer Hubert Kaufmann, commander of Panther #211. He was born in Kufstein on August 2, 1919. He was a Rottenfuhrer in the 9th Kompanie of LSSAH in May of 1940. By July of 1944 he was an Untersturmfuhrer in the 2nd Panzer Kompanie of LSSAH. In December of 1944 he was still in the 2nd Kompanie and commanding Panther #211. The battles around Stoumont were to be the end for this relatively unknown soldier. Now he is known and identified.

Glimpses of Hubert Kaufmann and Panther #211 can be found here:

-page 49 of Ardennes 1944 Peiper & Skorzeny by Jean Paul Pallud, this shows a close-up of the Panther Commander in the turret.

-page 50 of the same book shows a side/rear view of the same Panther.

-page 99 of The Leibstandarte Volume IV/2 shows the same Panther from the front going through Stoumont.

-Several Documentaries that I have seen on the History Channel and such have shown footage from the Ardennes (captured rolls of film from an SS War Photographer) and in this footage I have seen the same scenes as these photos.

When analyzing all of these photos one can see this is all the same Panther. The picture of Panther #211 knocked out near the Railroad Station is easy, with the foliage moved away; we can clearly see the number 211. The bent right front fender, the oversized rain guard and netting to hold on foliage can also be seen in this photo.

Many other features become identifiable after close inspection of the other available pictures. The oversized rain guard over the gun mantlet, the bent right front fender, and the rather abundant amount of foliage especially one long branch tilted up in the air. One can almost imagine the netting lying underneath all the foliage.

When one looks at the Panther commander himself several features become identifiable in the different pictures. His headset is seen worn tilted back in all the pictures, he is holding a pair of binoculars, you can see part of the rain guard to the left of him, the same rather long tilted branch seen to his right.

Thank you everyone for your help! Thanks go out to: Timo, Juha, Greg Walden, Rouille, Mike Miller and everyone else that I might have forgotten to mention, all of your help has helped me solve this mystery!

Cheers,

Jon Fitzgerald
Calgary,AB,Canada

[bratwurstdimsum]

Panther 211 is back!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sYErZioqeg

[leib1]

aright jon
ss-untersturmfuhrer hubert kaufmann was a platoon leader and survived the ardennes offensive.he was severely wounded at veszprem on 23.3.45 from the book jochen peiper by patrick agte page 522.
hope that helps jamie