Hans-Hellmuth Pfeifer (18 February 1894 – 22 April 1945) was a German general during World War II.

[3][6] There he belonged to the domestic department (I) of the Wehrmacht General Affairs Office (Amtsgruppe Allgemeine Wehrmachtangelegenheiten, AWA); remaining in that capacity by the beginning of World War II, in the summer of 1939.

From the beginning of the summer of 1941, he led his regiment in the Operation Barbarossa in the attack on Central Russia.

Aged 49, he was described in the divisional history as having "indomitable energy" and of being a "military role model"; unusually for a general, Hans-Hellmuth Pfeifer wore the Infantry Assault Badge on his uniform, and also commanded from the front.

He inherited a badly depleted division, whose complement of conscripted ethnic Germans that regularly deserted and surrendered to the Allies.

The 65th Division has been identified as possibly being responsible for 25 separate acts of violence in which Italian civilians were killed.

Many of the reports lack evidence of specific perpetrators, only noting that the killings occurred in the 65th Division's area of operations.

The first such incident occurred in relation to the Frosini and Moniciano bridge destruction when an Italian civilian was tried by German military tribunal for espionage, found guilty, and a sentence of death was carried out.

Many of the alleged murders involved confirmed members of the Italian resistance movement that sprang up in northern Italy to oppose the fascist puppet state.

[7] One of the interactions in the divisional area was the Ronchidoso massacre [it], Emilia-Romagna, which also included the 42nd Jäger Division, between 28 and 30 September 1944, when 66 civilians were executed.

The Atlas of Nazi war crimes in Italy mentions that it is possible this massacre was actually perpetrated by SS troops.

The Divisional newsletter was named Die Handgranate ("The Hand Grenade"), and for Christmas 1944 large quantities of a special holiday edition were printed with the idea that they should be sent back to families at home.

On 2 June 1944, he was mentioned by name in the daily Wehrmacht report: In this section of the front, the 65th Infantry Division under Lieutenant General Pfeiffer, the 3rd Panzergrenadier Division under Major General Hecker, reinforced by parts of the 4th Parachute Division, and a combat group composed of units of the Army and Parachute Troops under Lieutenant General Greiner, superbly supported by artillery and anti-aircraft artillery of the Luftwaffe, especially excellent.