Hans-Ulrich Back was born on 26 August 1896 in Saarbrücken; he had served in the Ottoman Army, the Reich Army, the Liberal Corps, served as an officer in the police and the Wehrmacht, was a distinguished Panzer Major General, and was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Second World War.
Ottoman army
Hans Ulrich Bac joined the German Legion of the Ottoman Empire on 4 August 1914 as a volunteer.
first world war
On 19 October 1914, Barker joined the 74th Hanover Infantry Regiment of the Imperial Army as an alternate officer. On 30 July 1915 he was promoted to second lieutenant and came to the front of World War I with the 74th Hanover 1st Infantry Regiment. He was wounded several times during the battle and was awarded the Silver Medal of Trauma, the Iron Cross of two classes, and a number of other medals. After World War I, Buck joined the Freikorps, responsible for the security of the Reichstag, and then transferred to the 19th Infantry Regiment of the Provisional German Wehr (Reichswehr), and on 30 June 1920 he retired from active service as a lieutenant. Shortly thereafter, Buck found a new job at the police station, and because of his experience in the army, on June 20, 1921, he was promoted to lieutenant of the police. On 30 June 1926, he was promoted to police chief.
second world war
In the autumn of 1935, Buck returned to the Wehrmacht, where he moved to the 60th Infantry Regiment, where he was promoted to major on 1 January 1936. On 12 October 1937, Buck was transferred to the 4th Cavalry Regiment. On 1 February 1938, he was appointed commander of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Rifle Regiment. On 1 February 1939, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
Before the outbreak of World War II in the summer of 1939, Buck became commander of the 2nd Infantry Regiment, where he led his regiment to the Polish Campaign, and Buck was awarded the Iron Cross. He then took over as commander of the 1st Infantry Regiment. In the spring of 1940, he led the regiment in the Western Campaign. On 5 August 1940, he was awarded the Knight's Cross. On 9 August 1940 he was appointed commander of the 304th Infantry Regiment, and then he commanded the regiment in the Balkan Campaign in the spring of 1941.
In the summer of 1941, Buck commanded his regiment to the Eastern Front and took part in the campaign against the southern Soviet Union. After a brief break back to France, the regiment was deployed in the autumn to return to the middle of the Eastern Front. On January 1, 1942, Buck was promoted to colonel. On 23 July 1942, he relinquished command of the regiment and was transferred back to the regimental commander's reserve. In mid-September 1942, Buck was appointed brigade commander of the 11th Panzergrenadier Brigade. Beginning in November 1942, he relinquished his position as brigade commander and was again placed in the reserve of divisional commanders. On 15 November 1942, he was appointed commander of the 17th Rapid Force.
On 1 November 1943, Colonel Buck took over as commander of the 16th Panzer Division. On 31 January 1944, he was mentioned in his Wehrmacht report that "it turned out that under the command of Major General Buck, the 16th Panzer Division of Westphalia and a heavy tank regiment were successful here." On 1 February 1944, Buck was promoted to major general and officially became the commander of the 16th Panzer Division. In mid-August 1944, he relinquished command and was transferred to the reserve depot of division commanders. In September 1944 he served as commander of the 10th Panzer Corps in Hamburg for a month. On 9 October 1944, he was appointed commander of the 178th Panzer Division. On 1 January 1945 he was appointed commander of the Tatra Panzer Division, later renamed the 232nd Panzer Division.
On March 28, 1945, he was seriously wounded in Raab, Hungary. After his recovery, he was no longer arrested by the occupying forces. He died on 14 February 1976 in Hagen at the age of 79.
Major General Hans Barker (left) and SS Deputy Commander-in-Chief Wilhelm Trabandt