In 1942, Kühn and his division were ordered to assist in the counter-offensive against Russian forces in the Izyum area, which is where the unit was located until the middle of May 1942. On 22 April 1942, Kühn was awarded the German Cross in Gold. During the Second Battle of Kharkov, the division was ordered to relocate to Stalino, which is where it was located at the end of June 1942. On 30 June 1942, Kühn gave up the 14th Panzer Division, and on 1 July 1942, he was promoted to Generalleutnant. On 10 September 1942 he was appointed General of Army Mechanization at the OKH. On 23 February 1943, per orders directly from Adolf Hitler, he was put in charge of all motorization matters for all of the Wehrmacht. On 1 April 1943 he was promoted to General der Panzertruppe. On 15 February 1944, he was killed in a Berlin air raid at the Hotel Bristol.