Frans von Hauptmann

Brenner Hauptmann (brother, younger)

Guinevere Hauptmann (sister-in-law)

Knights Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds

Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross

Francis "Frans" von Hauptmann is Planty's identical twin brother. He is a supporting character in the series after his debut in the chapter "Secret Mission". Similar to Planty, he was born and raised in Passau and is mathematical genius, similar to the likes of Albert Einstein; he is a German stereotype similar to his brother. He too, served in the Wehrmacht during World War Two and was a tank commander who was feared amongst his enemies, especially the Russians. However during Operation Citadel, he and his tank was hit by artillery after being surrounded by Soviet troops.

## Appearance

Frans, being Planty's twin brother, shares his thick blonde hair, however he has auburn shades compared to cinnamon shades. Frans, having not suffered an eye injury, does not require glasses and thus does not wear them (although he has been rumored to wear contacts). Similar to Planty, he is also thin, however does not have a metal hand replacement and still has both of his natural hands.

Frans is usually seen wearing a white polo shirt with a red sweatervest to counteract Planty's green sweater. Since he lives in England, he is more inclined to wear a thick black jacket that goes mid-thigh. Unlike Planty, he usually wears a dark shade of jeans or slacks and does not wear boots, but rather some regular black shoes.

## Personality

Since, he never had bipolar disorder, his personality is more direct. Often times, he is too busy with his work (since he is a teacher) that he doesn't often spend time outside of his house socializing. It is known that he does have a few friends (similar to Paul) but they are mostly colleagues who go together in groups more or less. This causes him to have antisocial behaviors and unless with family or students, does not engage in small talk.

## Biography

Their luck finally ran out during the Battle of Kiev, ironically not due to Hans' poor communication skills. He had actually brought them to the right place, but Frans had miscalculated the amount of enemy tanks that were at their position. Franz managed to lure their tanks into traps on numerous occasions, but their tank was immobilised while attempting to charge a line. Even though they were unable to move, their tank had stopped at just the right position to keep them in the fight while taking minimal damage. While contemplating retreating, they all instead decided to stay and hold them back as long as possible. During the night, Peter fixed the transmission and the tracks.

The next morning, the wrecked T-34s that blocked the road were pushed aside and once again, they were off dipping behind different corners and alleyways, whittling down the onslaught. However, through their confusion, they were pushed into a corner between some buildings and could not get out. The tanks proceeded down the road, but they were once again able to hold them off for several hours. Eventually, something fired a high explosive round into the front of the tank. This instantly killed Peter and badly burnt Hans, injuring him.

They still kept the gun firing, and after killing the T34, Dietrich went to help the injured Hans. However, down the street, a SU-85 fired an armour piercing round into the side of the tank. The shell penetrated and the explosion decapitated Dietrich, before the shrapnel killed Hans and mortally wounded Friedrich and Franz. To the Soviet's surprise, they still managed to turn the turret and destroyed the SU-85 before Friedrich succumbed to his wounds. Franz briefly climbed partially out of the tank and lobbed an AT grenade that disabled an approaching IS- 2 before he bled out sitting inside on his commander seat.

In the aftermath, the IS-2 commander wound up being Akiel, and the radio operator Vassily from Raseiniai. Having been immobilized and trapped in the street with their maintenance company still stuck on the opposite end of the Dnieper, they decided to check out the Panther tank and discovered who was really inside the tank. Both of the men, having had similar experiences with him decide to bury him and his crew in the nearby park; Akiel took his scarf and a couple of his belongings to give to his family.

After his death, he was awarded the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds as his diversion allowed for the continued evacuation of German units. Otto held onto this medal for a while before giving it to the Imperial War Musuem in Vienna for their World War Two tank exhibit, as well as other personal effects including his "Lucky Scarf" which still had his blood on it.

In 1993, following the collapse of the Soviet Union and some legal arrangements, he and the rest of the crew's bodies were exhumed and moved to a memorial site within Germany, getting full military honours funeral. A royal one was not prepared as well since Frans was always opposed to it.

## Quotes

> "All units... gott mit uns." -Last words on record.
>
>

> "I did not kill your brother, but I wish I had. He died a heroic, but gruesome death. I would've done it correctly." -Akiel speaking to Otto at the Kursk memorial.
>
>