Korfes was born on November 23, 1889, in
Wenzen, the son of a pastor. He attended secondary school in
Blankenburg. On March 17, 1909, Korfes enlisted in the
Imperial German Army as an
Fahnenjunker (officer cadet), joining the 3rd Magdeburg Infantry Regiment No. 66 of the
7th Division. He was promoted to
Fähnrich on October 18, 1909, and to
lieutenant on August 22, 1910. With the outbreak of the
First World War, Korfes was assigned to command a
platoon on the
Western Front. He took part in the
Battle of Liège, one of the first battles of the war. On February 25, 1915, he was promoted to
Oberleutnant, receiving command of a
battalion. His last promotion before the conclusion of the war occurred on December 18, 1917, to the rank of
captain. After the end of the war, Korfes was retained in the
Reichswehr of the
Weimar Republic, reaching the rank of
major on September 30, 1920. Korfes then studied at the
Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin. In 1923, he received as a doctorate in
political science under the tutelage of
Max Sering and
Werner Sombart. From April 1920 to June 1937 he was employed at the
Reichsarchiv in
Potsdam, performing military research. In 1929, he married Gudrun (1907–1979), who descended from a minor noble family. In 1933, his first daughter, was born. Korfes returned to active service from the
reserves in October 1937. On February 1, 1938, he was promoted to
Oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel). On February 5, 1940, Korfes took command of the 518 Regiment of the
295th Infantry Division. He was promoted to
Oberst (colonel) on January 1, 1941. Korfes' regiment and division were part of the spearhead of
Operation Barbarossa. On November 2, 1942, Korfes relinquished command and was placed in the
Führerreserve. On November 16, 1942, Korfes was reactivated and placed in command of the
295th Infantry Division, succeeding
Rolf Wuthmann. By this time, the 295th was deeply involved in the
Battle of Stalingrad. The division was destroyed in the battle, and Korfes was taken prisoner by the
Red Army on January 31, 1943. Following his capture, Korfes was detained at the
Voikovo prison camp. He joined the anti-Nazi
National Committee for a Free Germany (NKFD) and took part in radio broadcasts calling for German soldiers to surrender. He was succeeded as chairman by
Arno von Lenski. On August 24, 1964, Korfes died of a heart attack; he was buried at the Neuer Friedhof in
Potsdam. == Awards ==