Otto Johann Leonhard Stapf was born on 13 November 1890 in Hellmitzheim in Middle Franconia as the son of Paul Stapf, a businessman in Kitzingen, and his wife Blondine, née Meyer.[1] After receiving his Abitur from the Altes Gymnasium in Würzburg, Stapf entered the Bavarian Army as a Fahnenjunker (officer candidate) on 1 August 1910 and was commissioned as a Leutnant (lieutenant) in the
22nd Bavarian Infantry Regiment (Königlich Bayerisches 22. Infanterie-Regiment Fürst Wilhelm von Hohenzollern) on 28 October 1912. He served with this regiment in World War I and was promoted to Oberleutnant on 14 January 1916.[2] On 28 June 1918 he was named Adjutant of the 21st Bavarian Infantry Brigade, where he served until the end of the war.[3]
Interwar period
After the end of World War I, he was carried over in the Reichswehr, serving in various infantry and cavalry units and staff positions. He was provisionally promoted to captain on 1 July 1921 (later receiving a seniority date of 18 October 1918), to major on 1 February 1931 (with a seniority date of 1 April 1929) and to lieutenant colonel on 1 October 1933.[4]
Stapf married Carin Fjellmann on 25 November 1923 in Munich. The couple had two sons and one daughter.[5]
Stapf was in command of the 7. Kraftfahr-Abteilung in Munich when the Reichswehr became the Wehrmacht in 1935, but was soon promoted to colonel on 1 August 1935 and transferred as a section chief to the Army General Staff in Berlin in September. In February 1938, he was attached to Hermann Göring's staff as army liaison officer to the Luftwaffe staff. On 10 November 1938, he was named Oberquartiermeister III in the Army General Staff while remaining concurrently as liaison officer to the Luftwaffe. He was promoted to Generalmajor on 1 April 1939 [6]
World War II
Stapf was named commander of the 111th Infantry Division with effect from 5 November 1940 and promoted to Generalleutnant on 1 February 1941. He was briefly commanding general of the XXXXIV. Army Corps in January and February 1942, but was soon transferred to the army's leaders' reserve (Führerreserve).[7]
In July 1942, Stapf was named chief of the Economic Staff East (Wirtschaftsstab Ost) under the Economic Organization East (Wirtschaftsorganisation Ost [de]), whose task was the economic exploitation of the occupied eastern territories. Stapf headed the Economic Staff East until it was dissolved in the fall of 1944.[8] On 1 October 1942, Stapf was promoted to General der Infanterie. With the reorganization of the German military economic organization in late 1944, Stapf became chief of the Field Economic Office (Feldwirtschaftsamt) of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht on 15 October 1944, where he remained until the end of the war.[9]
Post–war
After the war, Stapf worked with the United States Army Historical Division. He died on 30 March 1963 in Munich.[10]
Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN978-3-7909-0284-6.
