Ritterkreuzträger of 35. Infanterie-Division

The 35. Infanterie-Division was established in October 1936 in Karlsruhe within Wehrkreis V as a standard first-wave formation of the German Heer. Subordinated primarily to the Western theater at the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the division guarded border sectors before actively participating in the Western Campaign in May 1940. Advancing through Belgium and northern France under General der Infanterie Walther Fischer von Weikersthal, its subordinate elements—including 34. Infanterie-Regiment, 109. Infanterie-Regiment, 111. Infanterie-Regiment, and 35. Artillerie-Regiment—fought tenaciously against Allied formations. In June 1941, the division joined Heeresgruppe Mitte for Operation Barbarossa, taking part in major advances toward Smolensk, Vyazma, and the severe winter battles near Moscow. Later commanders such as General der Artillerie Rudolf Freiherr von Roman, Generalleutnant Ludwig Merker, and Generalleutnant Johann-Georg Richert led the formation through heavy attrition during defensive struggles across the central sector, where regiments were eventually reorganized into Grenadier-Regiment formations and a dedicated Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon. In 1944, elements under the division became implicated in severe anti-partisan atrocities in Belarus, notably around Ozarichi, leading to Richert being executed after the postwar Minsk Trial. By early 1945, the battered division retreated toward East Prussia and Danzig, where its remnants surrendered to Soviet troops in the Hel peninsula area under Generalmajor der Reserve Dr. Ernst Meiners, marking the end of its wartime operations.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RITTERKREUZTRÄGER


General der Artillerie Rudolf Freiherr von Roman (1893-1970) was born on 19 November 1893 in Bayreuth and died on 18 February 1970 in Schernau near Dettelbach. He entered the Bavarian Army as Fahnenjunker on 1 August 1912 in the 6. Feldartillerie-Regiment and was promoted to Leutnant on 1 August 1914. During the First World War he served on the Western Front, earning both classes of the Eisernes Kreuz and the Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz. After the war he joined a Freikorps before transferring to the Reichswehr and later the Wehrmacht, where he was promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1 August 1936 and to Oberst on 1 March 1939. From 1937 he worked in the Oberkommando des Heeres in artillery matters, briefly commanding the Artillerie-Regiment 10 during the invasion of Poland in September 1939, and later serving as Artillerie-Kommandeur 3. Promoted to Generalmajor on 1 September 1941, he assumed command of the 35. Infanterie-Division on 1 December 1941. On 13 December 1941, after the withdrawal from the Istra position, he remained with the covering force at Gorki to direct the defence personally; under his leadership the troops repelled multiple Soviet attacks including tanks, destroyed five hostile tanks, and withdrew in good order that evening, thereby securing the safe extraction of most of the force together with light artillery and anti-tank guns and enabling the V. Armee-Korps to fall back orderly to the Seestra position. For this action he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 19 February 1942 as Generalmajor and Kommandeur of the 35. Infanterie-Division. On 10 September 1942 he took command of the XX. Armeekorps, being promoted to Generalleutnant on 1 October and to General der Artillerie on 1 November 1942. He retained command of the corps through the heavy defensive fighting around Gomel in September 1943, for which he was awarded the Eichenlaub (313th award) to the Ritterkreuz on 28 October 1943 as General der Artillerie and Kommandierender General of the XX. Armeekorps. He continued to lead the corps until early 1945, briefly commanded the LXIV. Armeekorps, was captured by American forces in May 1945 and released in June 1947.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/35th_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)

Ritterkreuzträger of 61. Infanterie-Division

Formed in Wehrkreis I at Insterburg in August 1939 as part of the second mobilization wave, the 61. Infanterie-Division served as a frontline combat formation of the German Heer throughout the Second World War. Originally commanded by General der Infanterie Siegfried Haenicke, the division comprised Infanterie-Regiment 151, Infanterie-Regiment 162, and Infanterie-Regiment 176, supported by Artillerie-Regiment 161, Pionier-Bataillon 161, and auxiliary reconnaissance and anti-tank units. In September 1939, it crossed the frontier into Poland under I. Armeekorps, clashing intensely at the Battle of Mława, bridging the Narew River near Pułtusk, and finishing near Warsaw. Transferred west for the 1940 campaign, it advanced through Belgium, engaged Allied forces at Dunkirk, and performed occupation duties in Brittany before returning to East Prussia. During Unternehmen Barbarossa in June 1941, the formation pushed into the Baltic states with 18. Armee under Heeresgruppe Nord, capturing Tallinn, securing the Moonsund Archipelago, and advancing toward Leningrad and Tikhvin. Successive leadership fell to officers including Generalmajor Franz Scheidies, Generalleutnant Werner Hühner, and Generalleutnant Günther Krappe. Reorganized with Grenadier regiments and later redesignated as 61. Volksgrenadier-Division in late 1944, it endured grueling defensive warfare along the Volkhov, Narva, and Kurland fronts before shifting back to East Prussia. Trapped during the Soviet Heiligenbeil pocket battles in early 1945, the battered unit dissolved as its remnants were incorporated into 21. Infanterie-Division, with the divisional staff retreating to Königsberg before surrendering at war's end. Decorated extensively, its soldiers earned thirty-seven Knight's Crosses.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


Oberst Hans-Gotthard Pestke (1914-2001) was born on 17 June 1914 in Preußisch-Stargard, West Prussia, and died on 30 April 2001 in Celle. After completing school at the Gymnasium Marienwerder, he entered the Infanterie-Regiment 45 on 1 November 1935. In 1936, as Gefreiter and Reserve-Offiziersanwärter, he transferred to the II. Bataillon of the Infanterie-Regiment 24, where he was promoted to Leutnant on 18 January 1938. At the outbreak of the Second World War he served as Zugführer in the 13. Kompanie of the Infanterie-Regiment 176 and took part in the Westfeldzug in Belgium and France; in 1940 he became Adjutant of the II. Bataillon. From June 1941, as Oberleutnant and Chef of the 3. Kompanie, Infanterie-Regiment 176 of the 61. Infanterie-Division, he fought on the Eastern Front. On 12 October 1941, acting on his own initiative near Hindu on the southwestern corner of the island of Dagö, he captured a Soviet artillery battery. This action eliminated the threat and allowed the 61. Infanterie-Division to bring reinforcements, especially artillery, across the Soela Sound from Soela to Soru without losses, contributing decisively to the rapid and relatively bloodless conquest of Dagö; for this feat he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 15 November 1941. Early in 1942 he became Regimentsadjutant and in autumn 1942 Kommandeur of the I. Bataillon of the Infanterie-Regiment 176 (later Grenadier-Regiment 176). On 15–16 September 1943, south of Lake Ladoga along both sides of a railway junction, his Bataillon repelled five determined Soviet attacks launched from Posselok and, through skillful counterattacks, regained the ground previously lost despite overwhelming enemy strength. For this leadership he was awarded the Eichenlaub (311st award) to the Ritterkreuz on 14 October 1943 as Hauptmann (promoted Major on 1 October 1943). He was subsequently posted to the Stab of the 16. Panzer-Division, attended the Kriegsakademie in Hirschberg, and served as Major i. G. in the Generalstab of the 12. Luftwaffen-Feld-Division. During the fighting for Danzig and West Prussia he was wounded for the fifth time and, while in hospital, fell into British captivity at the end of the war, from which he was released on 31 May 1947. After the war he worked as a master watchmaker before rejoining the Bundeswehr on 26 April 1956; he served until 30 September 1972 in various staff and command roles, including Chef des Stabes of the 1. Luftlandedivision, Kommandeur of the Luftlandebrigade 25 from December 1962 to April 1965, and finally as Oberst im Generalstab and Leiter der Studiengruppe des Heeres at the Führungsakademie.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/61st_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)

Ritterkreuzträger of 78. Infanterie-Division / 78. Sturm-Division / 78. Grenadier-Division / 78. Volksgrenadier-Division

The 78. Infanterie-Division was established in August 1939 in Wehrkreis V (Stuttgart) as part of the second mobilization wave. After serving in the Western Campaign in France, the formation participated in Operation Barbarossa under Heeresgruppe Mitte, advancing through Smolensk toward the defensive lines outside Moscow. Surviving the brutal winter of 1941–1942 and enduring the attritional meat-grinder battles at Rzhev, the division earned a reputation as a stubborn frontline unit. Recognizing its combat capability, the Oberkommando des Heeres reorganized it on 30 December 1942 into an experimental assault formation designated as 78. Sturm-Division. This specialized elite reorganization heavily reinforced its infantry regiments—Sturm-Regiment 14, Sturm-Regiment 195, and Sturm-Regiment 215—with mechanized transport, heavy infantry guns, Sturmgeschütz assault guns from Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 189, and heavy anti-tank units like schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 519. In July 1943, under Generalleutnant Hans Traut, the division formed the spearhead of the northern pincer during Unternehmen Zitadelle (Battle of Kursk), clashing violently with heavily fortified Soviet positions at Ponyri. Following the retreat from Kursk, the division anchored the defenses around the strategic highway hub of Orsha during the harsh winter of 1943–1944. However, the Soviet summer offensive of 1944, Operation Bagration, brought total catastrophe. Encircled east of Minsk alongside the remnants of 4. Armee, the division was shattered, with Generalleutnant Hans Traut captured on 12 July 1944. Surviving cadres reconstituted as 78. Grenadier-Division and subsequently 78. Volksgrenadier-Division, ending its combat existence in Czechoslovakia in May 1945.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


Leutnant Josef Schreiber (1919-1945) was born on 24 December 1919 in Mindersdorf, Baden, and volunteered for the Wehrmacht on 14 August 1938, joining the 7. Kompanie of Infanterie-Regiment 14 in Konstanz. Promoted to Unteroffizier on 11 October 1940, he served on the Eastern Front from 1941 and earned the Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse on 18 September 1941 after temporarily leading a Zug and repelling a Soviet counterattack. He remained Zugführer in the 4. Kompanie as the unit became Sturm-Regiment 14 of the 78. Sturm-Division. On 8 March 1943, during a nine-hour Soviet assault by the 70th Army south of Orel near Dmitrowsk, Schreiber’s Zug of two Gruppen defended Hill 266.0 overlooking the Nessa valley. The Soviets attacked the height up to regimental strength eleven times during the night, yet Schreiber’s men repulsed every assault and held the vital position. For this defence he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 31 March 1943 as Feldwebel and Zugführer of the 4./Sturm-Regiment 14. Promoted to Oberfeldwebel on 1 July 1943, he returned to the 7. Kompanie and took part in Unternehmen Zitadelle. On 11 July 1943 his Zug of twenty-five men captured fifteen bunkers and ninety prisoners in the Trossna depression. After the Kompaniechef was killed he assumed command of the depleted 7. Kompanie of only thirty men, later returning as Zugführer to the 4. Kompanie where successive counterattacks drove out penetrating Soviet forces. These actions earned him the Eichenlaub on 5 October 1943 as Oberfeldwebel and Zugführer of the 7./Sturm-Regiment 14 (309th award). Late in 1944 he was posted as instructor to Kriegsschule V in Posen; during the fighting around the city he was listed missing in action on 1 February 1945 and posthumously promoted to Leutnant.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/78th_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)

Ritterkreuzträger of Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 237

Formed on 1 July 1943 in Jüterbog under Wehrkreis III, Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 237 was established as an independent assault gun battalion comprising three combat batteries primarily equipped with Sturmgeschütz III armored fighting vehicles. Placed under the leadership of Major Paul Friedrich Schaupensteiner, the formation was deployed to the Eastern Front in the autumn of 1943, serving in the central sector under Heeresgruppe Mitte. Tasked with direct infantry fire support and mobile antitank defense, the unit saw intense defensive engagements during the battles around Smolensk, Gomel, and Mogilev. During these brutal clashes, personnel demonstrated notable tactical skill against massed Soviet armor; most famously, Hauptmann Bodo Spranz, serving as Batteriechef of 1. Batterie, achieved international renown within the Sturmartillerie when he was simultaneously awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes and the Eichenlaub on 3 October 1943 after suffering severe combat wounds. On 14 February 1944, the unit was redesignated as Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 237 to conform to standardized doctrine, taking part in heavy defensive operations around Kovel and the Pripyat Marshes under subsequent commanders, including Hauptmann Ludwig Bertram and Hauptmann Günter Liethmann. Following devastating casualties during the Soviet summer offensive of 1944 and a fierce breakout toward Międzyrzec, the survivors retreated through Warsaw to Möckern near Magdeburg, where the remnants were reorganized in September 1944 into Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 219. Through documentation preserved across historical archives, Wikipedia, and TracesOfWar, Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 237 stands as an emblematic assault gun formation that bore the relentless attrition of the Eastern Front until its transformation late in the conflict.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


Hauptmann Bodo Spranz (1920-2007) was born on 1 January 1920 in Nordhausen and entered the Wehrmacht in 1938 as Fahnenjunker with the 8. Batterie of Artillerie-Regiment 12. He took part in the Polish and French campaigns, earning both classes of the Iron Cross, before transferring to Sturmgeschütz units. Serving with Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 185 he received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold and multiple Panzervernichtungsabzeichen. On 2 June 1943 he became Chef of the 1. Batterie of Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 237 under 2. Armee of Heeresgruppe Mitte. In the Smolensk sector during late August and early September 1943 his Batterie destroyed 61 enemy tanks in six days of intense fighting while supporting the 330. Infanterie-Division. By 3 September he had personally accounted for 50 tanks since the beginning of the war. In mid-September his Batterie crushed a major Soviet armoured assault, knocking out 27 tanks in a single engagement. By 17 September 1943 Spranz had raised his personal total to 76 tanks destroyed, four of them in close combat, and was wounded for the ninth time. For these outstanding achievements as Chef of the 1. Batterie of Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 237 he was simultaneously awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes and the Eichenlaub (308th award) on 3 October 1943 as Hauptmann! Captured near the end of the war in the Halbe pocket, he was released in October 1945. After the war he studied ethnology, earned a doctorate in 1958 and habilitation in 1969, and served as director of the Museum für Völkerkunde in Freiburg from 1962 to 1984. He died on 1 September 2007 in Bremen.

Source :
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/Sturmgeschutzeinheiten/Sturmgeschutzabteilung237.htm

Ritterkreuzträger of 299. Infanterie-Division

The 299. Infanterie-Division was established on 9 February 1940 as part of the eighth mobilization wave in Wehrkreis IX, drawing personnel primarily from Hessen and Thüringen. Its initial combat structure consisted of Infanterie-Regiment 528, Infanterie-Regiment 529, Infanterie-Regiment 530, Artillerie-Regiment 299, and divisional support units. During the Western Campaign in May 1940, it operated in northern France under Generalleutnant Willi Moser, who served as its first commander until late 1942. In June 1941, the division joined Operation Barbarossa with Heeresgruppe Süd, advancing through Ukraine, breaching the Stalin Line near Nowograd-Wolynskij, and capturing Kiev. It subsequently redeployed to Heeresgruppe Mitte, participating in exhausting engagements near Orel, Kursk, and Gomel, during which its infantry regiments were redesignated as Grenadier-Regimenter. Commanding officers throughout these bloody Eastern Front campaigns included Generalleutnant Hans Bergen and Generalleutnant Ralph Graf von Oriola. In June 1944, during the Soviet Operation Bagration near Vitebsk and Minsk, the division was annihilated, leading to its remnants being incorporated into Korps-Abteilung G. Officially reconstituted as 299. Infanterie-Division on 1 September 1944, the unit saw action along the Narew River in Poland under Generalmajor Karl Göbel before retreating into Ostpreußen. In February and March 1945, the division was shattered in the Heiligenbeil pocket, with remnants disbanding near Danzig. Dozens of its soldiers earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes and Deutsches Kreuz in Gold, marking its extensive, devastating combat path.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


Oberst Hans Fritsche (1909-1993) was born on 24 June 1909 in Tillowitz, Silesia, and joined the Schutzpolizei in 1928 before transferring to the Wehrmacht as Unterfeldwebel on 1 October 1935. Assigned to Infanterie-Regiment 30 and later Infanterie-Regiment 528, he served as Adjutant of the II. Bataillon during the Westfeldzug and was promoted to Oberleutnant as Chef of the 8. Kompanie in October 1940. From June 1941 he led his company on the Eastern Front and was promoted to Hauptmann in February 1942. On 1 October 1942 he took command of the II. Bataillon of Grenadier-Regiment 528 of the 299. Infanterie-Division. During fighting southeast of Orel near Stara Iwanowka in the Liwny area he was deployed against Soviet forces that had penetrated a neighbouring sector; through swift independent action and repeated counterattacks he held off two Soviet rifle regiments for an entire day, preventing a breakthrough and stabilising the flank. For this achievement he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 10 March 1943 as Hauptmann and Kommandeur of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 528. Promoted to Major and appointed Kommandeur of the I. Bataillon, he distinguished himself again during the summer defensive battles around Orel in 1943 by repeatedly eliminating strong enemy penetrations with small forces while leading from the front. These leadership successes earned him the Eichenlaub on 2 October 1943 as Major and Kommandeur of the I./Grenadier-Regiment 528 (307th award). He later commanded Grenadier-Regiment 528 and from July 1944 Grenadier-Regiment 11, reaching the rank of Oberst in January 1945. Captured by American forces in May 1945 and released in June, he died on 27 May 1993 in Hanau.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/299th_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)

Ritterkreuzträger of 98. Infanterie-Division

The 98. Infanterie-Division was mobilized in Wehrkreis XIII during the fifth mobilization wave in September 1939 under Generalmajor Erich Schröck, originally drawing its personnel primarily from Franconia and the Sudetenland. Assigned initially to reserve roles in the west, the division took part in the campaign in France in 1940, advancing through the Somme and Aisne before settling into occupation duties. In June 1941, under Generalleutnant Erich Schröck, the unit was transferred east for Operation Barbarossa, serving under Heeresgruppe Süd in the push across Ukraine toward Kiev. Reassigned to Heeresgruppe Mitte in autumn 1941, the division participated in the advance on Moscow, where it endured heavy casualties, bitter cold, and severe Soviet counteroffensives near Maloyaroslavets and the Vyazma salient. Throughout 1942 and early 1943, under commanders such as Generalleutnant Martin Gareis, the division remained engaged in grueling defensive and anti-partisan operations in central Russia, suffering catastrophic losses among its regiments, Infanterie-Regiment 282, 289, and 290. In spring 1943, it was relocated south to the Kuban bridgehead, fighting stubborn withdrawal actions across the Taman Peninsula before being pushed into the Crimea. By late 1943 and early 1944, elements fought encircled at Kerch and Sevastopol under Generalleutnant Alfred-Hermann Reinhardt; those who evaded capture were evacuated by sea to Romania. Rebuilt in Croatia during the summer of 1944 as a modern division under Generalleutnant Otto-Ernst Flickenschildt, it was transferred to Italy under Heeresgruppe C. There it fought along the Gothic Line, defending the Senio River and the plains around Bologna until finally surrendering to Allied forces near Lake Garda in early May 1945.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SCHWERTERTRÄGER


Generalleutnant Alfred-Hermann Reinhardt (1897-1973) was born on 15 November 1897 in Affalterbach, Württemberg, and enlisted as a Kriegsfreiwilliger in the 5. Württembergisches Grenadier-Regiment „König Karl“ Nr. 123 on 7 January 1916. He fought on the Western Front, earning both classes of the Iron Cross and the Württemberg Military Merit Medal, and left the army as Leutnant in 1920 to join the Württembergische Polizei. Transferred to the Heer as Hauptmann in 1935, he rose to Oberstleutnant by 1940 and commanded the III./Infanterie-Regiment 480 during the Battle of France. In July 1941 he took command of Infanterie-Regiment 421 of the 125. Infanterie-Division; for leading the capture of Tarassowka on 20 September 1941 that sealed the Kiev pocket he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 4 December 1941 as Oberstleutnant. Promoted to Oberst, he later commanded the redesignated Grenadier-Regiment 421. On 25–26 July 1943, during the Kuban bridgehead battles, he counter-attacked a Soviet breakthrough between Dolgaja-Berg and Neberdshajewskaja, restoring the German line along the Kamm river and preventing the collapse of the bridgehead; for this he was awarded the Eichenlaub on 28 September 1943 as Oberst (306th award). Appointed Kommandeur of the 98. Infanterie-Division on 1 February 1944, he led it through the Crimean retreat and its reformation in Croatia, then in the defence of the Adriatic coast near Rimini and Bologna. For the division’s outstanding defensive performance in late summer and autumn 1944 he was promoted to Generalleutnant and received the Schwerter on 24 December 1944 (118th award). Captured in May 1945, he was released in 1948 and died on 15 January 1973 in Öhringen.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/98th_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)

Ritterkreuzträger of 9. SS-Panzer-Division "Hohenstaufen"

Formed in February 1943 in France and named after the imperial Germanic Hohenstaufen dynasty, the 9. SS-Panzer-Division "Hohenstaufen" was an elite armoured formation of the Waffen-SS that fought extensively on both the Eastern and Western Fronts of World War II. Initially organized as a Panzergrenadier division under SS-Obergruppenführer Wilhelm Bittrich before being upgraded to a full Panzer division in October 1943, its ranks were filled by young German conscripts stiffened by a veteran cadre from the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. The division entered combat in March 1944 on the Eastern Front, spearheading the successful relief operation for encircled Axis troops in the Kamenets-Podolsky pocket under the II. SS-Panzerkorps. Rushed to Normandy following the Allied invasion in June 1944, the unit engaged in savage defensive clashes around Caen, Hill 112, and the Falaise pocket under the leadership of commanders including SS-Standartenführer Thomas Müller and SS-Oberführer Friedrich-Wilhelm Bock. While resting and refitting in the Netherlands, it played an instrumental role alongside SS-Obersturmbannführer Walter Harzer in defeating Allied airborne forces during Operation Market Garden at Arnhem in September 1944. Later commanded by SS-Brigadeführer Sylvester Stadler, the division participated in the Ardennes Offensive before being transferred east to Hungary in early 1945 for Operation Frühlingserwachen near Lake Balaton. After suffering heavy attrition against Soviet counter-offensives and staging fighting retreats into Austria, the battered remnants of the division ultimately surrendered to the United States Army near Steyr on 8 May 1945.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SCHWERTERTRÄGER


SS-Brigadeführer Sylvester Stadler (1910-1995) was born on 30 December 1910 in Fohnsdorf, Styria, Austria-Hungary, the son of a miner, and trained as an electrical engineer before joining the NSDAP and SS in May 1933 with SS-Nr. 139.495. After attending the SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz he rose through the ranks of the SS-Verfügungstruppe, serving as a company commander in the early campaigns in Poland, France—where he was wounded near Arras—and the Balkans, then on the Eastern Front. From March 1942 he commanded the II. Bataillon of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment “Der Führer” in the 2. SS-Panzer-Division “Das Reich”. On 1–2 March 1943 near Jefremowka during the recapture of Kharkov he independently launched a night assault with assault guns, capturing the fortified town, destroying twelve tanks and numerous guns, and enabling the encirclement of Soviet forces; for this he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 6 April 1943 as SS-Sturmbannführer. Appointed Kommandeur of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 4 “Der Führer” in May 1943, he distinguished himself again on 22 August 1943 at Korotitsch during the Fourth Battle of Kharkov by holding a key village against repeated tank and infantry assaults, closing a six-kilometre gap and preventing the encirclement of German divisions around Kharkov, earning the Eichenlaub on 16 September 1943 as SS-Obersturmbannführer (303rd award). He later commanded the 9. SS-Panzer-Division “Hohenstaufen” from July 1944 through Normandy, Arnhem, the Ardennes and Hungary, rising to SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS. Although recommended for the Schwerter and claimed to have received it on 6 May 1945, no formal confirmation of the award has been found. He surrendered in Austria in May 1945, was interned until 1948, and died on 23 August 1995 in Königsbrunn.

Source :
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/9._SS-Panzer-Division_%E2%80%9EHohenstaufen%E2%80%9C

Ritterkreuzträger of 7. Flieger-Division / 1. Fallschirmjäger-Division

The 7. Flieger-Division was formed on 1 September 1938 in Berlin under Generalleutnant Kurt Student to consolidate all Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger units for secrecy as Germany’s first airborne division; it was redesignated 1. Fallschirmjäger-Division on 1 May 1943. Initially comprising two Fallschirmjäger-Regimenter and later expanded to three plus supporting artillery, pioneer, anti-tank and flak elements, the division first saw action in Unternehmen Weserübung in April 1940, seizing airfields in Denmark and Norway. In May 1940 during the invasion of the Low Countries its troops captured the fortress of Eben-Emael by glider assault and secured key bridges and airfields in the Netherlands, though the assault on The Hague incurred heavy aircraft and personnel losses. In May 1941 the division spearheaded Unternehmen Merkur, the airborne invasion of Crete, capturing the island after fierce fighting and severe casualties that led Hitler to restrict large-scale parachute operations thereafter. Transferred to the Eastern Front near Leningrad and Smolensk in 1941–42 and later to France for training for a cancelled Malta invasion, elements also fought in North Africa. As 1. Fallschirmjäger-Division under General der Fallschirmtruppe Richard Heidrich it deployed to Sicily in July 1943, then fought throughout the Italian Campaign, distinguishing itself in the defence of Ortona, the Winter Line and especially at Monte Cassino from February to May 1944, where it earned a reputation for tenacious resistance before withdrawing north of Rome. Later engaged along the Adriatic and Senio River, the division retreated toward the Po and the Alps until the German surrender in Italy on 2 May 1945 under Generalmajor Karl-Lothar Schulz.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RITTERKREUZTRÄGER


Generaloberst Kurt Student (1890-1978) was born on 12 May 1890 in Birkholz in the Prussian province of Brandenburg and died on 1 July 1978 in Lemgo, West Germany. Entering the Prussian Army as a Fähnrich in 1910, he was commissioned Leutnant in 1911, qualified as a pilot in 1913 and during the First World War scored six aerial victories while commanding Jagdstaffel 9. After the war he remained in the Reichswehr, studied gliding and observed Soviet airborne exercises. When the Luftwaffe was re-established he transferred to it and in 1938 was appointed commander of airborne forces and of the 7. Flieger-Division, Germany’s first Fallschirmjäger formation. In the Western Campaign of May 1940 his troops seized the fortress of Eben-Emael with a small glider force and captured vital bridges and airfields in the Netherlands; for these successes Student, then Generalleutnant and Kommandeur of the 7. Flieger-Division, received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 12 May 1940. Wounded in the head at Rotterdam, he returned to duty in 1941 as Kommandierender General of the XI. Fliegerkorps and directed Unternehmen Merkur, the airborne invasion of Crete, the last major German parachute operation of the war. In September 1943, as General der Flieger commanding the XI. Fliegerkorps, he ordered the planning of Unternehmen Eiche, the glider-borne rescue of Mussolini from Gran Sasso, and for the overall performance of his forces in the Mediterranean that summer—including Sicily, the disarmament of Italian units around Rome and the Mussolini operation—he was awarded the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 27 September 1943 as the 305th recipient. Later he commanded the 1. Fallschirm-Armee and briefly Heeresgruppe H, reaching the rank of Generaloberst in 1944. Captured in 1945, he was tried in 1947 for war crimes committed by his men on Crete, convicted on three counts relating to prisoners of war and sentenced to five years, but released in 1948.

Source :
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/Fliegerdivision/Fliegerdiv7.htm

Ritterkreuzträger of Sturm-Division Rhodos

The Sturm-Division Rhodos was a German Army formation of the Wehrmacht established on 31 May 1943 on the Italian-occupied Greek island of Rhodes in the Dodecanese during the Second World War, drawing primarily upon elements of the 22. Infanterie-Division transferred from Crete, remnants of the 164. Infanterie-Division and 999. leichte Afrika-Division that had been unable to reach Tunisia, together with existing fortress troops already stationed on Rhodes and other Aegean islands. Despite its designation as a division, the unit never exceeded brigade strength and was equipped mainly with light weapons, though it incorporated motorized and armoured elements including the Grenadier-Regiment Rhodos (also known unofficially as Sturm-Regiment Rhodos), the Panzer-Abteilung Rhodos with Panzer IV tanks and assault guns, the Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 999, an artillery detachment drawn from the 999. Artillerie-Regiment, a Fla-Kompanie Rhodos, a Pionier-Kompanie and supporting signals and supply units. Command was assumed by Generalleutnant Ulrich Kleemann, who established headquarters at Campochiaro and conducted intensive training near Italian defensive positions. Following the announcement of the Italian armistice on 8 September 1943, Generalleutnant Kleemann ordered a surprise offensive against the larger Italian garrison beginning on 9 September; after brief but intense fighting the Germans secured control of the island by 11 September, disarming and internment of tens of thousands of Italian troops and thereby forestalling British plans to seize Rhodes as the key to the Dodecanese. The division thereafter performed occupation, coastal defence and security duties under the direct subordination of Heeresgruppe E while remaining on constant alert against possible Allied landings. In September 1944 larger portions of the infantry, stripped of heavy equipment, were airlifted by Ju 52 transports via Saloniki to the Belgrade area, where they were incorporated into the newly formed Panzergrenadier-Division Brandenburg and suffered heavy losses in subsequent fighting against Soviet and partisan forces; the divisional staff was used to reconstitute the IV. Panzerkorps. The residual garrison remaining on Rhodes came under the authority of the Kommandant Ost-Ägäis, Generalmajor Otto Wagener, and continued defensive duties until the final capitulation to British forces on 9 May 1945.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


General der Panzertruppe Ulrich Kleemann (1892-1963) was born on 23 March 1892 in Langensalza and entered military service in October 1911 as Fahnenjunker in the 2. Badische Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 21. He fought in the First World War as Leutnant, suffering wounds in 1915, and ended the conflict as Oberleutnant and regimental adjutant, receiving both classes of the Eisernes Kreuz. Remaining in the Reichswehr, he advanced through cavalry units, becoming Major in 1933, Oberstleutnant in 1936 and Oberst in 1938 while commanding Schützen-Regiment 3 of the 3. Panzer-Division. In the Second World War he led this regiment in the Polish campaign of 1939 before taking command of the 3. Schützen-Brigade for the 1940 Western campaign and the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. As Oberst and commander of the 3. Schützen-Brigade he earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 13 October 1941 for outstanding leadership south of Smolensk, where his Kampfgruppe successfully crossed the rivers Ssosh, Iput and Desna, forestalling Soviet defensive lines and later helping seal the Kiev pocket near Lochwiza. Promoted Generalmajor, he commanded the 90. leichte Afrika-Division in North Africa from April to November 1942, distinguishing himself in operations around El Adem, Marsa Matruh and the First Battle of El Alamein until severely wounded by a mine. After recovery he took charge of the newly formed Sturm-Division Rhodos in May 1943 and was promoted Generalleutnant. Following Italy’s capitulation he directed the rapid disarmament of the far larger Italian garrison on Rhodes, capturing its commander and securing the island within two days against potential Allied intervention; these decisive actions, accomplished despite numerical inferiority and logistical difficulties, prevented British occupation of key Aegean positions and earned him the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 16 September 1943 as the 304th recipient. Later he commanded Panzerkorps Feldherrnhalle on the Eastern Front from late 1944, fighting in Hungary until the corps was destroyed at Budapest. Captured by American forces in 1945 and released in 1947, Kleemann reached the rank of General der Panzertruppe and died on 1 January 1963 in Oberursel.

Source :
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/SturmDivisionen/SDRhodos.htm

Ritterkreuzträger of 340. Infanterie-Division / 340. Volksgrenadier-Division

The 340. Infanterie-Division was formed on 16 November 1940 in the area of Schleswig within Wehrkreis X as a static division of the 14. Aufstellungswelle, drawing personnel and units from elements of the 68. Infanterie-Division, the 170. Infanterie-Division and one battalion of the 290. Infanterie-Division. After initial training near Hamburg it was deployed in June 1941 to northern France around Calais for occupation and coastal defence duties under the 15. Armee. In May 1942 the division transferred to the Eastern Front and was subordinated to Heeresgruppe Süd, taking part in operations with the 4. Panzerarmee near Kiev before fighting under the 2. Armee in the Voronezh sector from August 1942 to January 1943 and later around Kursk in March 1943 as part of the XIII. Armeekorps. Severe losses during the autumn 1943 retreats through the Ukraine from Kiev via Zhitomir to Vinnitsa reduced its strength drastically; remnants of the destroyed 377. Infanterie-Division were absorbed, yet the division still numbered only about 7,200 men, and further incorporation of Divisionsgruppe 327 from the shattered 327. Infanterie-Division occurred in November 1943. By early 1944 trench strength had fallen below 300 men, prompting temporary withdrawal, rebuilding and return to the front in February 1944. Although it escaped one encirclement near Brody in April, the division was largely destroyed during the Soviet Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive in the Brody Pocket in July 1944 and formally dissolved by OKH order in August 1944. Surviving cadres helped form the 572. Volksgrenadier-Division in Wehrkreis XX at Thorn, which on 15 September 1944 was redesignated the 340. Volksgrenadier-Division under Generalleutnant Theodor Tolsdorff. Its organisation comprised Grenadier-Regiment 694, Grenadier-Regiment 695 and Grenadier-Regiment 696 together with Artillerie-Regiment 340, a Divisions-Füsilier-Kompanie, Panzerjäger-Abteilung 340, Pionier-Bataillon 340 and supporting elements; manpower included roughly 1,500 men from the Kriegsmarine, 2,200 from the Luftwaffe, convalescents and limited veterans of the old division. After reaching combat readiness the 340. Volksgrenadier-Division moved west and fought in the Ardennes Offensive of December 1944, participating in the battles around Bastogne as part of the I. SS-Panzerkorps under the LXXX. Armeekorps commanded by General der Infanterie Franz Beyer. Subsequent defensive actions followed with the XIII. Armeekorps in the Eifel and between the Rhine and Ruhr before the division was finally destroyed in the Ruhr Pocket in April 1945, its remaining staff contributing to the short-lived Division Scharnhorst. Earlier commanders of the 340. Infanterie-Division had included Generalleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm Neumann, Generalleutnant Viktor Koch, Generalleutnant Otto Butze, Generalleutnant Josef Prinner, Generalleutnant Werner Ehrig and Generalmajor Otto Beutler.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BRILLANTENTRÄGER

Generalleutnant Theodor Tolsdorff (1909-1978), born on 3 November 1909 at Estate Lehnarten in East Prussia, joined the Infanterie-Regiment 1 of the Reichswehr in Insterburg as a Schütze in 1934 and rose rapidly through the ranks of the Wehrmacht Heer. Promoted to Leutnant in 1936 and Oberleutnant in 1938, he commanded the 14. (Panzerjäger-)Kompanie of Infanterie-Regiment 22 in the 1. Infanterie-Division during the invasions of Poland and France. On the Eastern Front, as Oberleutnant and acting commander of II./Infanterie-Regiment 22, he earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 4 December 1941 by leading a counterattack with hastily assembled reserves against a Soviet breakthrough from the Vyborgsskaja bridgehead, regaining the line despite being wounded three times. As Major and Kommandeur of I. Bataillon, Füsilier-Regiment 22, he received the Eichenlaub on 15 September 1943 for holding his sector for fourteen days and restoring neighboring positions during the Third Battle of Lake Ladoga through personal frontline leadership. In July 1944, as Oberstleutnant commanding Grenadier-Regiment 1067 and Kampfgruppe Tolsdorff, he broke through to the encircled garrison of Vilnius, rescued a field hospital with three thousand wounded, defended the city against overwhelming Soviet and Polish forces, and facilitated the breakout, earning the Schwerter on 18 July 1944 and the nickname Löwe von Wilna while being promoted to Oberst. Appointed Kommandeur of the 340. Volksgrenadier-Division, he led it in the Ardennes offensive, seizing and holding a vital river crossing, then conducted an orderly retreat through the Eifel, for which he received the Brillanten on 18 March 1945 as Generalmajor and was promoted to Generalleutnant, one of the youngest in the Heer, later commanding the LXXXII. Armeekorps. Wounded fourteen times in total, Tolsdorff surrendered in May 1945, was released in 1947, and died in Dortmund on 25 May 1978.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/340th_Volksgrenadier_Division

Ritterkreuzträger of Independent Infanterie Units

Independent Wehrmacht Infanterie units comprised various Infanterie-Regimenter and Infanterie-Bataillone operating outside the organic structure of standard Infanterie-Divisionen, frequently as Heerestruppen allocated by higher commands for specialized tasks such as static fortress defense, rear-area security, or temporary operational requirements. While the majority of Infanterie-Regimenter formed the core of Infanterie-Divisionen and typically included three Infanterie-Bataillone each containing three Schützenkompanien and one Maschinengewehr-Kompanie, supplemented by a thirteenth Infanteriegeschütz-Kompanie and a fourteenth Panzerjäger-Kompanie under the overall command of an Oberst, independent formations diverged in composition and employment. Festungs-Infanterie-Regimenter and Festungs-Regiments-Stäbe directed multiple Festungs-Infanterie-Bataillone, which were raised particularly from August 1944 onward and numbered in the 1400 series, consisting of a Stab with Stabs-Kompanie plus three or four Schützenkompanien or three Schützenkompanien with one schwere Kompanie, manned largely by Landesschützen personnel and equipped primarily with Gewehre, Pistolen, schwere Maschinengewehre, and 8-cm Granatwerfer for the defense of fixed positions along the Westwall, coastal sectors, or Eastern Front festungen. Selbständige Infanterie-Bataillone z.b.V., including Bewährungsbataillone such as Infanterie-Bataillon z.b.V. 500 and various Sturm-Bataillone attached to Armeen or Panzer-Armeen, served as flexible Heerestruppen for assault duties or penal service, often under a Major as Bataillonskommandeur with Hauptleute leading the Kompanien. These independent units retained traditional ranks and designations in the original language even after the 1942 redesignation of many Infanterie elements as Grenadier-Regimenter and Grenadier-Bataillone, and they were frequently sub-allotted temporarily to field divisions or corps for specific operations while remaining administratively independent, reflecting the Wehrmacht’s adaptive use of infantry resources amid evolving wartime demands.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

VERSTÄRKTES GRENADIER-REGIMENT 1067


Generalleutnant Theodor Tolsdorff (1909-1978), born on 3 November 1909 at Estate Lehnarten in East Prussia, joined the Infanterie-Regiment 1 of the Reichswehr in Insterburg as a Schütze in 1934 and rose rapidly through the ranks of the Wehrmacht Heer. Promoted to Leutnant in 1936 and Oberleutnant in 1938, he commanded the 14. (Panzerjäger-)Kompanie of Infanterie-Regiment 22 in the 1. Infanterie-Division during the invasions of Poland and France. On the Eastern Front, as Oberleutnant and acting commander of II./Infanterie-Regiment 22, he earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 4 December 1941 by leading a counterattack with hastily assembled reserves against a Soviet breakthrough from the Vyborgsskaja bridgehead, regaining the line despite being wounded three times. As Major and Kommandeur of I. Bataillon, Füsilier-Regiment 22, he received the Eichenlaub on 15 September 1943 for holding his sector for fourteen days and restoring neighboring positions during the Third Battle of Lake Ladoga through personal frontline leadership. In July 1944, as Oberstleutnant commanding Grenadier-Regiment 1067 and Kampfgruppe Tolsdorff, he broke through to the encircled garrison of Vilnius, rescued a field hospital with three thousand wounded, defended the city against overwhelming Soviet and Polish forces, and facilitated the breakout, earning the Schwerter on 18 July 1944 and the nickname Löwe von Wilna while being promoted to Oberst. Appointed Kommandeur of the 340. Volksgrenadier-Division, he led it in the Ardennes offensive, seizing and holding a vital river crossing, then conducted an orderly retreat through the Eifel, for which he received the Brillanten on 18 March 1945 as Generalmajor and was promoted to Generalleutnant, one of the youngest in the Heer, later commanding the LXXXII. Armeekorps. Wounded fourteen times in total, Tolsdorff surrendered in May 1945, was released in 1947, and died in Dortmund on 25 May 1978.

Source :
https://ww2-history.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Heer_Units

Ritterkreuzträger of Artillerie (Artillery)

German artillery formed the backbone of Wehrmacht fire support throughout the Second World War, remaining the primary cause of battlefield casualties despite the popular focus on Panzers and aircraft. At the outbreak of hostilities each Infanterie-Division fielded an Artillerie-Regiment consisting of three leichte Abteilungen equipped with the 10,5 cm leFH 18 light field howitzer and one schwere Abteilung armed with the 15 cm sFH 18 heavy field howitzer, for a total of thirty-six light and twelve heavy pieces. These guns, horse-drawn in most formations, provided the continuous barrage needed to break enemy resistance during the Polish campaign of 1939 and the rapid advances through France in 1940. On the Eastern Front from 1941 onward the same Artillerie-Regimenter faced immense challenges of distance, mud and extreme cold; batteries under the command of an Oberst or Oberstleutnant were frequently attached to individual Infanterie-Regimenter for close support, while Heeresartillerie units of the general headquarters pool reinforced critical sectors with additional 10 cm Kanone 18 and 21 cm Mörser 18 batteries. During the defensive battles around Voronezh in 1942 and the subsequent retreat to the Dnjepr, General der Artillerie Ernst-Eberhard Hell, commanding the VII. Armee-Korps, concentrated the fire of several Artillerie-Abteilungen to destroy nearly one thousand Soviet tanks and break through successive encirclements. In Normandy in 1944 Heeresküstenartillerie-Regimenter such as the 1261 under Oberst Gerhard Treipel and independent Abteilungen under Majore employed a mixture of German leFH 18, captured French and Soviet pieces to shell the invasion beaches for days after D-Day. Although outranged by certain Soviet guns and increasingly short of ammunition and prime movers, the crews of the Artillerie-Regimenter continued to deliver devastating concentrations until the final collapse in 1945, demonstrating the enduring tactical importance of well-directed field howitzer fire in both offensive Blitzkrieg and prolonged defensive warfare.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HEER


General der Artillerie Rudolf Freiherr von Roman (1893-1970) was born on 19 November 1893 in Bayreuth and died on 18 February 1970 in Schernau near Dettelbach. He entered the Bavarian Army as Fahnenjunker on 1 August 1912 in the 6. Feldartillerie-Regiment and was promoted to Leutnant on 1 August 1914. During the First World War he served on the Western Front, earning both classes of the Eisernes Kreuz and the Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz. After the war he joined a Freikorps before transferring to the Reichswehr and later the Wehrmacht, where he was promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1 August 1936 and to Oberst on 1 March 1939. From 1937 he worked in the Oberkommando des Heeres in artillery matters, briefly commanding the Artillerie-Regiment 10 during the invasion of Poland in September 1939, and later serving as Artillerie-Kommandeur 3. Promoted to Generalmajor on 1 September 1941, he assumed command of the 35. Infanterie-Division on 1 December 1941. On 13 December 1941, after the withdrawal from the Istra position, he remained with the covering force at Gorki to direct the defence personally; under his leadership the troops repelled multiple Soviet attacks including tanks, destroyed five hostile tanks, and withdrew in good order that evening, thereby securing the safe extraction of most of the force together with light artillery and anti-tank guns and enabling the V. Armee-Korps to fall back orderly to the Seestra position. For this action he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 19 February 1942 as Generalmajor and Kommandeur of the 35. Infanterie-Division. On 10 September 1942 he took command of the XX. Armeekorps, being promoted to Generalleutnant on 1 October and to General der Artillerie on 1 November 1942. He retained command of the corps through the heavy defensive fighting around Gomel in September 1943, for which he was awarded the Eichenlaub (313th award) to the Ritterkreuz on 28 October 1943 as General der Artillerie and Kommandierender General of the XX. Armeekorps. He continued to lead the corps until early 1945, briefly commanded the LXIV. Armeekorps, was captured by American forces in May 1945 and released in June 1947.



General der Artillerie Siegfried Thomaschki (1894-1967) was born on 20 March 1894 in Miswalde, East Prussia, as the third child of Protestant pastor Paul Thomaschki and Elisabeth née Schucht. After graduating from the Collegium Fridericianum he entered the Imperial German Army on 4 March 1913 as Fahnenjunker in the 2. Ostpreußisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 52, was commissioned Leutnant in 1914 and served throughout the First World War as battery officer and adjutant, earning the Iron Cross Second and First Class while being wounded three times. Remaining in the Reichswehr he advanced through artillery staff and command posts, becoming Oberst and commander of Artillerie-Regiment 3 by 1939. He led the regiment in the Polish and French campaigns, then as Artillerie-Kommandeur 123 on the northern sector of the Eastern Front, receiving the German Cross in Gold. On 26 January 1942 he assumed command of the 11. Infanterie-Division, being promoted Generalmajor on 1 March 1942. Under his leadership the division stubbornly defended the Kirishi bridgehead on the east bank of the Volkhov River, a narrow foothold only four kilometres wide and two kilometres deep, against 154 Soviet assaults between 5 June and 5 September 1942; this epic defence, later nicknamed the “Verdun of the North,” earned him the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 1 November 1942. Further masterful defensive fighting around Sinyavino in July–August 1942, during which the division was again mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht, led to the award of the Eichenlaub on 11 September 1943 while he was Generalleutnant and still commander of the 11. Infanterie-Division. He subsequently served as Höherer Artillerie-Kommandeur 303, briefly commanded Kampfgruppe Thomaschki, and from December 1944 led the X. Armeekorps in the Courland Pocket, rising to General der Artillerie on 1 March 1945. He surrendered to Soviet forces on 8 May 1945, was convicted as a war criminal and held until 1955. Thomaschki died on 31 May 1967 in Bad Neuenahr.

Source :
https://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-wwii/articles/artillery/german-artillery/

Ritterkreuzträger of 31. Infanterie-Division "Löwen-Division"

The 31. Infanterie-Division, nicknamed the Löwen-Division due to its emblem displaying the Brunswick lion, was established in October 1936 in Braunschweig within Wehrkreis XI. Mobilized in late August 1939 under Generalleutnant Rudolf Kaempfe, the formation originally consisted of Infanterie-Regiment 12, Infanterie-Regiment 17, Infanterie-Regiment 82, and Artillerie-Regiment 31. During the Polish campaign in September 1939, it breached frontier fortifications as part of XVI. Armeekorps under 10. Armee, before being transferred west in 1940 to participate in the invasion of Belgium and France through XI. Armeekorps. In June 1941, reassigned to Panzergruppe 2 under Heeresgruppe Mitte for Unternehmen Barbarossa, the division crossed the Soviet border under Generalmajor Kurt Kalmuekoff, engaging in encirclement actions around Bialystok, Minsk, and Smolensk before driving toward Moscow. Over the following winters, command shifted through several distinguished officers, including Generalmajor Gerhard Berthold, Oberst Friedrich Hoßbach, and later Generalleutnant Kurt Pflieger. The division endured brutal attritional fighting in the Rzhev salient, Orel, and Gomel, suffering heavy casualties while its subordinate infantry regiments were reorganized as Grenadier-Regimenter. In the summer of 1944, during the Soviet Operation Bagration, the unit found itself surrounded near Mogilev and was virtually annihilated alongside the remnants of 4. Armee; its commander, Generalmajor Willifrank Ochsner, went missing and fell into Soviet captivity. Officially disbanded in July 1944, its remnant personnel formed the nucleus of the newly created 31. Grenadier-Division, which fought in Courland and Prussia until final surrender.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RITTERKREUZTRÄGER


General der Infanterie Friedrich Hossbach (1894-1980), born on 21 November 1894 in Unna, entered the Prussian army as Fähnrich in the 2. Kurhessische Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 82 on 29 October 1913 and was promoted to Leutnant in 1914. He served throughout the First World War, ending as Oberleutnant on the staff of the XVIII. Armee-Korps. Remaining in the Reichswehr after the war, he rose through the ranks and from 1934 to 1938 served as Adjutant der Wehrmacht bei Adolf Hitler, during which he authored the famous Hossbach-Niederschrift recording Hitler's expansionist plans of 5 November 1937. Dismissed in the Blomberg-Fritsch crisis for warning Werner von Fritsch of accusations against him, Hossbach returned to troop command as Kommandeur of Infanterie-Regiment 82. During the Westfeldzug, as Oberst, on 12 June 1940 near Dieppe he personally led a rapid intervention against Allied troops embarking by sea, bringing up a Pak-Zug that forced the transports to flee and enabled the capture of about 4200 British and French soldiers along with substantial materiel; later he secured a bridgehead over the Loire. For these and other successes in the French campaign he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 7 October 1940. Promoted to Generalleutnant, he took acting command of the LVI. Panzerkorps in August 1943 and distinguished himself in defensive fighting near Spass-Demensk, along the Desna river and at Gomel, earning the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 11 September 1943 as the 298th recipient. Advanced to General der Infanterie and Kommandierender General of the LVI. Panzerkorps, he later commanded the 4. Armee from July 1944 until dismissed by Hitler in January 1945 for ordering a breakout from East Prussia against explicit orders. Surviving an assassination attempt in April 1945, he was captured by American forces, released in 1947, and died in Göttingen on 10 September 1980.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/31st_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)

Ritterkreuzträger of 10. SS-Panzer-Division "Frundsberg"

The 10. SS-Panzer-Division "Frundsberg" was a German Waffen-SS armoured division formed in early 1943, initially as SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 10 and briefly titled "Karl der Große" before receiving its permanent honor name in October 1943 after the 16th-century Landsknecht commander Georg von Frundsberg. Raised mainly from young conscripts drawn from the Reichsarbeitsdienst, the division trained in occupied France under successive commanders including SS-Standartenführer Michael Lippert, SS-Gruppenführer Lothar Debes and SS-Gruppenführer Karl Fischer von Treuenfeld. Its first combat came in April 1944 near Tarnopol in Ukraine, where it helped relieve German forces trapped in the Kamenets-Podolsky pocket. Transferred westward, the division joined the II. SS-Panzerkorps alongside the 9. SS-Panzer-Division "Hohenstaufen" and fought in Normandy from late June 1944, opposing British Operation Epsom around Caen, defending Hill 112 during Operation Jupiter, and later participating in the chaotic battles of Operation Bluecoat and the Falaise pocket, suffering heavy losses before withdrawing through Belgium. Reconstituted near Arnhem, it played a key defensive role during Operation Market Garden in September 1944, particularly around Nijmegen, again under SS-Brigadeführer Heinz Harmel, who commanded from April 1944 until late April 1945. After further fighting in Alsace during Operation Nordwind in January 1945, the division returned to the Eastern Front, engaging Soviet forces in Pomerania and Saxony. Encircled in the Halbe Pocket, remnants under SS-Obersturmbannführer Franz Roestel broke out, retreated through Moritzburg and reached the Teplice area in Czechoslovakia, where the division surrendered to American forces in May 1945. Its order of battle centred on SS-Panzer-Regiment 10, SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 21 and SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 22, supported by reconnaissance, artillery, pioneer and anti-tank units typical of a late-war SS Panzer formation.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SCHWERTERTRÄGER


SS-Brigadeführer Heinz Harmel (1906-2000) was born in Metz in the German Empire as the son of a military physician and pursued a career in the armed forces from an early age, volunteering for the SS-Verfügungstruppe in 1935 as an SS-Oberscharführer in the SS-Standarte „Germania“ before becoming a company commander in the SS-Standarte „Der Führer“, with which he fought in the Battle of France in 1940, earning both classes of the Iron Cross; in 1941 he took part in the Balkans Campaign and Operation Barbarossa, assuming command of the SS-Infanterie-Regiment „Deutschland“ of the SS-Division „Das Reich“ in December of that year and receiving the German Cross in Gold on 29 November 1941 for distinguished service. As SS-Obersturmbannführer and commander of the SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment „Deutschland“, Harmel was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 31 March 1943 for his outstanding leadership during the fighting south of Kharkov in February 1943, when on his own initiative he personally led a reinforced battalion with a Panzer-Kompanie in a daring night assault through Pereschtschepino, annihilating a surprised Soviet regiment that left some 1500 dead, then expanding the bridgehead by capturing Dimitrijewka-Golubowka after hard combat while directing operations from an armoured radio car under anti-tank fire, actions that halted the enemy advance and enabled the subsequent attack of the SS-Panzergrenadier-Division „Das Reich“ on Pawlograd. Promoted to SS-Standartenführer, he received the Eichenlaub on 7 September 1943 for his conduct on 30 July 1943 during the assault against the Soviet Mius bridgehead, where, fighting from the foremost line despite heavy minefields and flanking fire that disabled several Sturmgeschütze, he repeatedly inspired his men to capture Hill 203.9 near Stepanowka and then immediately ordered the I. Bataillon into the heavily defended village itself, continuing the advance on foot after his vehicles struck mines and ensuring a vital penetration that prevented far greater casualties. In April 1944 Harmel took command of the newly formed 10. SS-Panzer-Division „Frundsberg“, becoming one of the youngest divisional commanders in the Waffen-SS; after fighting in Normandy and the Falaise Pocket he led the division in the successful defence against the Allied airborne Operation Market Garden around Nijmegen and Arnhem in September 1944, for which, as SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS, he was awarded the Schwerter on 15 December 1944. Subsequently engaged in Alsace, Pomerania and the Oder front, he was later dismissed from command but formed an ad hoc battle group before surrendering to British forces in Austria in May 1945; after release he lived quietly in Krefeld until his death at the age of 94.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10th_SS_Panzer_Division_Frundsberg

Ritterkreuzträger of Nachtjagdgeschwader 100 (NJG 100)

Nachtjagdgeschwader 100 (NJG 100) was a Luftwaffe night fighter wing of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War, active from 1 August 1943 until its dissolution on 8 May 1945 following the unconditional surrender. Unlike most Geschwader, it lacked a Stab and Geschwaderkommodore, consisting instead of two independently operating Gruppen that primarily combated Soviet night raids on the Eastern Front, with a brief exception involving Unternehmen Bodenplatte in the West in 1945. The I. Gruppe was formed on 1 August 1943 at Bryansk, Orscha and related bases from elements of II.(Eis)/Nachtjagdgeschwader 5, with its 1. Staffel drawn from 12./NJG 5, the 2. Staffel newly created at Stalino, and the 3. Staffel assembled at Schatalowka from parts of 10. and 12./Zerstörergeschwader 1; successive Gruppenkommandeure included Major Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (1–5 August 1943), Major Rudolf Schoenert (to 31 December 1943), Major Alois Lechner (to 23 February 1944), Hauptmann Kurt Bonow (acting), Hauptmann Theodor Bellinghausen and finally Hauptmann August Fischer until the end. The II. Gruppe was established in June–July 1944 at Nisch in occupied Serbia from three Staffeln of Nachtjagdgeschwader 200, initially under Hauptmann Ulrich von Meien and then Major Paul Zorner from late 1944; its Staffeln operated from bases including Gross Beckereck, Malacky and Prague-Rusin. Equipped mainly with Junkers Ju 88, Messerschmitt Bf 110 and Dornier Do 217 night fighters (also using Bf 109, Fw 189 and others), the unit’s Geschwaderkennung was W7. It relocated frequently across the Eastern Front—Orscha, Baranovitschi, Hohensalza, Gerdauen, Prowehren, Danzig and Greifswald—before remnants concentrated in northern Germany and Bohemia. Notable Ritterkreuzträger included Leutnant Gustav-Eduard Francsi of I./NJG 100, Hauptmann Alois Lechner of 1./NJG 100 and Feldwebel Heinrich Wilke of II./NJG 100. Throughout its existence NJG 100 remained focused on intercepting Soviet night harassment and transport aircraft, contributing to the defence of Army Group sectors until the final collapse.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


Major Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (1916-1944) was born on 14 August 1916 in Copenhagen to diplomat Gustav Alexander Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein and Walburga Freiin von Friesen. After schooling in Switzerland, Bavaria and Freiburg, where he obtained his Abitur, he joined the Hitler Youth and completed Reichsarbeitsdienst before entering the 17. Kavallerie-Regiment in Bamberg in 1937. He soon transferred to the Luftwaffe, trained at the Fliegerschule Braunschweig and was commissioned Leutnant in June 1938. As observer and later pilot with Kampfgeschwader 1 Hindenburg and Kampfgeschwader 51 Edelweiss he flew some 150 combat missions in the Battle of France, the Battle of Britain and Operation Barbarossa with Heeresgruppe Nord. In late 1941 he volunteered for the Nachtjagd and became Staffelkapitän of 9./Nachtjagdgeschwader 2. His first nocturnal victory came on the night of 6/7 May 1942. Rapid success followed; after 22 confirmed night victories he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 2 October 1942 as Hauptmann. Posted to the Eastern Front as Gruppenkommandeur of IV./Nachtjagdgeschwader 5, later redesignated I./Nachtjagdgeschwader 100, he achieved multiple victories including seven in one night near Oryol. Awarded the Eichenlaub on 31 August 1943 after 54 victories, he next commanded II./Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 and II./Nachtjagdgeschwader 2. On 1 January 1944 he was appointed Geschwaderkommodore of Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 and promoted Major, already holding 68 victories. On the night of 21 January 1944, flying a Ju 88 near Berlin, he shot down five British bombers, raising his total to 83 and becoming the Luftwaffe’s leading Nachtjäger. Immediately after the fifth success his aircraft was hit, the left wing caught fire and he ordered his crew to parachute; they survived while he was killed near Lübars by Stendal when his parachute failed to open. Posthumously he received the Schwerter on 23 January 1944 as the 44th recipient, in recognition of his 83 night victories.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nachtjagdgeschwader_100

Ritterkreuzträger of 328. Infanterie-Division

The 328. Infanterie-Division was formed on 18 December 1941 as a so-called Walküre-Einheit of the seventeenth wave from training and replacement personnel of the Ersatzheer across Wehrkreise I, II and III, assembling initially at Mielau with Infanterie-Regiment 547, Infanterie-Regiment 548 and Infanterie-Regiment 549, each of two battalions, plus Artillerie-Regiment 328 with two detachments and supporting Divisionseinheiten 328. Under successive commanders Generalleutnant Albert Fett, Generalleutnant Wilhelm Behrens and then Generalleutnant Joachim von Tresckow (with a brief interval under Generalleutnant Karl Böttcher in May 1943), the division marched on foot from Suwałki into the rear of Heeresgruppe Mitte and fought around Rzhev and Zubtsov in 1942, suffering heavy losses that led to its temporary withdrawal. In October 1942 the remnants were transferred to occupied France for rebuilding, where the remaining regiments were redesignated Grenadier-Regiment 548 and Grenadier-Regiment 549, each expanded to three battalions, and a new Grenadier-Regiment 569 was raised, bringing the formation to nine infantry battalions while Artillerie-Regiment 328 was strengthened. The division took part in Case Anton, the occupation of Vichy France, and assumed control of the Marseille sector. Redeployed to the Eastern Front in June 1943 under 1. Panzerarmee of Heeresgruppe Süd, it engaged in defensive fighting near Izium, Kharkiv and Kursk before being largely destroyed during the retreat to the Dnieper. On 2 November 1943 the division was dissolved; its remnants formed Divisions-Gruppe 328 attached to the 306. Infanterie-Division and were later redesignated Grenadier-Regiment 549, which was destroyed in Romania in August 1944. A second, short-lived 328. Infanterie-Division „Seeland“ was raised on 9 March 1945 in occupied Denmark from Genesenden-Bataillone D under Generalleutnant Ernst Richter with Grenadier-Regiment 593, 594 and 595, but it never reached combat readiness before the German surrender.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


Hauptmann Rolf Rocholl (1918-1943) was born on 8 December 1918 in Berlin and entered military service in 1936 as a Fahnenjunker in Panzer-Regiment 5. Promoted to Leutnant on 1 September 1938 and assigned to the 8. Kompanie, he served with the 3. Panzer-Division during the Polish and French campaigns. Subsequently transferred to the 5. leichten Division, which was sent to North Africa and redesignated the 21. Panzer-Division on 1 August 1941, he distinguished himself in the fighting of 1941–42 and received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 25 March 1942. Promoted to Hauptmann on 1 June 1942, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 28 July 1942 as Oberleutnant and Führer of the 2. Kompanie, I. Abteilung, Panzer-Regiment 5. During the 21. Panzer-Division’s attack toward the Via Balbia linking Gazala and Tobruk, he led a reinforced force that discovered a strong British position on Hill 201 west of Acroma, heavily defended by artillery and Flak. After a hard fight he captured the height, enabling the division to block the road and complete the encirclement of the Gazala line. Following the retreat to the Mareth Line he returned to Germany in April 1943 and was appointed Kommandeur of the III. Bataillon, Grenadier-Regiment 569 of the 328. Infanterie-Division on the Eastern Front. In the fierce defensive battles along the Donez in August 1943 his personal leadership proved decisive in holding a commanding hill position and preventing a Soviet breakthrough in the sector. On 23 August 1943 near Isjum, while leading a counterattack, he was fatally wounded by two shots to the chest. Posthumously he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 31 August 1943 as the 287th recipient.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/328th_Infantry_Division