Adelbert (Adalbert) Schulz
Date of Birth: 20.12.1903 - Berlin, Brandenburg (German Empire)
Date of Death: 28.01.1944 - Shepetovka, Khmelnitsky Oblast (Soviet Union)
Promotions:
20.12.1925 Polizeianwärter
00.00.1927: Polizeiwachtmeister
20.04.1934 Polizeileutnant
01.10.1935 Oberleutnant
00.00.1940 Hauptmann
01.01.1942 Major
00.01.1943 Oberstleutnant
01.11.1943 Oberst
01.01.1944 Generalmajor
Career:
00.00.192_ Abitur in Bankfach
00.00.1923 - 00.00.1924 Handelshochschule
20.12.1925 Entered the Polizei as Anwärter
12.10.1937 Chef 1.Kompanie / Panzer-Regiment 25
06.06.1940 Kommandeur I.Abteilung / Panzer-Regiment 25
05.03.1943 Kommandeur Panzer-Regiment 25
01.01.1944 - 28.01.1944 Mit der Führung beauftragt 7. Panzer-Division, but first home leave with reception of the Brillanten on 09 January 1944 in the Führerhauptquartier. It was not until 26 January 26 1944 that von Manteuffel left the 7.PzD. 2 days later, on January 28th, 1944, the successor Schulz fell during the recapture of Schepetovka, through two head hits when shells hit near the command tank. It was his 178th tank deployment. He died on the flight to the hospital.
Awards and Decorations:
00.00.193_ Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 13. März 1938
00.00.1939 Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938
00.00.19__ Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung, IV. und III.Klasse
24.05.1940 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
29.05.1940 Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
00.00.194_ Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz
00.00.194_ Verwundetenabzeichen in Silber
00.00.194_ Panzerkampfabzeichen in Bronze
00.00.194_ Panzerkampfabzeichen in Silber
29.09.1940 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, as Hauptmann and Chef 1.Kompanie / I.Abteilung / Panzer-Regiment 25 / 7.Panzer-Division. Hauptmann Schulz led a company, and later a full battalion, of Panzers over a total of 17 armoured attacks during the Western campaign, where he showed himself to be a fine commander of armour. Over the course of the campaign he particularly distinguished himself on 14 May 1940 during the heavy fighting in the Dinant bridgehead, and later on 23 May 1940 where he helped resolve a critical combat situation near Hersin.
31.12.1941 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #47, as Hauptmann and Kommandeur I.Abteilung / Panzer-Regiment 25 / 7.Panzer-Division. Awarded for distinguishing himself near Klin during the winter of 1941/1942. Despite having only a handful of operational tanks, being outnumbered 8-1 and having to contend with -40 Celsius weather, he nevertheless was able to successfully cover the retreat of friendly German forces. These included a full field hospital with over 4000 wounded men.
00.00.1942 Medaille "Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/1942" (Ostmedaille)
06.08.1943 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern #33, as Oberstleutnant and Kommandeur Panzer-Regiment 25 / 7.Panzer-Division. On 11 July 1943, during the attack of the 7. Panzer-Division in the southern sector of the battle of Kursk, Schulz was able to conduct a successful armoured breakthrough south of Scheino. Smashing through Soviet fieldworks, and in spite of enemy probes on all sides, he launched an armoured pursuit with his Kampfgruppe and was able to catch a foot-bound Soviet group in the process of withdrawing. Schulz's men were able to capture almost 600 prisoners, 83 cannons and over 100 heavy machine guns and mortars. In addition to this notable success, Schulz and his regiment were also able to destroy a total of 76 enemy tanks over the course of 11 days of battle in the attempted attack towards Kursk. In recognition of these achievements.
14.12.1943 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten #9, as Oberst and Kommandeur Panzer-Regiment 25 / 7.Panzer-Division. Awarded for the distinguished command of his Panzer-Regiment during the fluid battles around Kiev and Zhitomir in October/November 1943
30.01.1944 Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht: "The commander of an armoured division major general Schulz, who received the highest award for bravery from the Führer a few days ago, found at the head of his division a heroic death in this combat. With him the army loses one of his best officers, the armoured force an exemplary commander."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adelbert Schulz (20 December 1903 – 28 January 1944) was born on 20 December 1903 in Berlin. The Berliner worked as a bank clerk before joining the police on December 2, 1925 as a police officer. Albert Schulz's son went to the Brandenburg police academy. From October 1, 1926 to March 31, 1933, he belonged to the Berlin police stand-by. In 1932 he married Hildegard Holz. He then decided on an officer's career and attended the Higher Police School in Eiche near Potsdam from April 1, 1933. On April 20, 1934 he was promoted to lieutenant. On August 1, 1935, he was promoted to Oberleutnant in the police force.
When the associations were exposed during the expansion of the Reichswehr into the Wehrmacht, he was accepted into the army on October 15, 1935 as a lieutenant. He was appointed chief of the 2nd company of the anti-tank battalion 40. As a result, Schulz completed several tactics and weapons courses at infantry schools before switching to the tank force, which was under construction. On October 6, 1936, he was appointed commander of a company from Panzer Regiment 3. On October 12, 1937 he was appointed chief of the 1st company of the 25th Panzer Regiment in Erlangen. As such, he was promoted to captain on March 1, 1938. The intelligent and extremely energetic Adelbert Schulz also stayed with the reorganization of the 2nd light division to the 7th armored division in October 1939 when the captain took over the 1st company of the 25th armored regiment under Pour-le-Mérite-Colonel Rothenburg. Under the command of the later legendary Erwin Rommel, the 7th PD went on the campaign in the West in May 1940. In just a few days, the division's tanks advanced more than 500 kilometers at high speed, broke all resistance, destroyed several French divisions and distinguished themselves at Dinant, Cambrai, Lille, Rouen and Le Havre, among others. When Hauptmann Schulz and his 1st company fought free the tenaciously defended forest of Saumont on June 7, 1940 and fended off a counterattack by French tanks, he was awarded both classes of the Iron Cross together with Colonel Rothenburg at the request of his division commander, as well as the still very rare Knight's Cross. At the age of 36 he was also promoted to major and commander of the 1st Section of the 25th Panzer Regiment. On June 22, 1941, the 1st Division at the head of the "Ghost Division" rolled across the Russian border. Dozens of Soviet infantry and armored brigades were crushed by rapid and powerful attacks, and Wilna, Smolensk, Minsk and Klin were taken. In the Battle of Vyazma, the division fought in the formation of the "Panzergruppe Guderian", whereby more than 600,000(!!) Soviet soldiers could be forced to surrender. In all these skirmishes, the man who later called him "Panzer-Schulz" showed excellent leadership and tactical qualities. His inner peace always ensured his success. Heavy defensive fighting followed in the Lama sector, along the Königsberg line and around Montrowskopje. When Lieutenant Colonel (01.43.43) Schulz at the head of a combat group stopped a much superior opponent in the attack, forced him to retreat and finally rolled up, he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross as the eighth armored officer in the army. His counterattack had enabled, among other things, the timely transfer of more than 4,000 wounded from a hospital near the front, which had been threatened by the Russians. During the war year 1942 "Panzer-Schulz" again led its formations at the Königsberg line and at Rshew before the division was refreshed in France. After security tasks on the Atlantic coast, the association took part in occupying the previously free zone in southern France with the II SS Panzer Corps (Hausser). In the winter of 1942/43 the order to move east was again issued. In the first battles on the Donets, Adelbert Schulz once again distinguished himself as a brilliant tank leader. On March 11, 1943, the 7th Panzer Division, part of the 4th Panzer Army (Hoth), launched a counter-offensive in the direction of Kharkov, which had just been evacuated. Schulz, who had taken over the 25th Panzer Regiment just a few days earlier, led his battle groups in one of the most successful battles of the "Ghost Division" - during the destruction of the 3rd Soviet Panzer Army, his crews shot down over 100 enemy tanks and blew up several artillery positions. The mass deployment of 12 battle-experienced tank divisions finally succeeded in recapturing the city, with the Red Army losing over 52 divisions and 1,000 tanks! But one difference to the earlier German victories was striking - in contrast to the hundreds of thousands of prisoners in 1941/42, only almost 9,000 Red Army soldiers surrendered to the German troops in Kharkov. And so it was also said in the battle report of a German general: “...the Russians are no longer surrendering so quickly. The majority of the troops are now fighting extremely tough and motivated.” Tough operations followed for the 25th Panzer Regiment at Isjum, Oboyan and in the Kremenschug area. In July, the 7th Panzer Division joined the III. Panzer Corps (Breith) near Kursk for the most massive tank offensive of the eastern campaign to date. Although the offensive under the alias "Zitadelle" was unsuccessful, Adelbert Schulz was only the 8th army officer to receive the Swords of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves for his services during the tank battles at Bjelgorod, Dorogobushino, Scheino and Prokhorowka. In the autumn of 1943, the 25th Panzer Regiment was partially equipped with the new, heavy Tiger tanks. Schulz achieved particular success with this type. Again and again his tanks shot up dozens of enemy tanks and anti-tank guns, sealed off attacks and then attacked in turn. Schulz often jumped out of his tank immediately after a successful defense, gathered his department commanders, took a quick look at the situation on the staff map and summarily ordered a counterattack - usually he was very successful. In the fall and winter of 1943, the Wehrmacht was increasingly forced onto the defensive, with the 7th PD deployed as a "fire brigade" in the southern section of the eastern front. In November, after lengthy trench warfare, the division launched a counterattack on Zhitomir, near Kiev. At the head of his tanks, Schulz, who had already been promoted to colonel (01.11.43), fought his way to the outskirts of the city, overcame a defensive belt manned with anti-tank guns and, together with a reinforced grenadier battalion, forced the evacuation of the city. In the heavy battles, his tanks shot down over 200 Russian tanks in just 12 hours! For this success as well as outstanding achievements in the leadership of the regiment, Colonel Schulz was awarded the diamonds of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords on December 14, 1943 as the 9th soldier and only 2nd Army officer - after his former division commander Erwin Rommel! When he received the order to report to Berlin for the presentation of the high decoration, the colonel simply refused, referring to the unstable situation at the front in the divisional area. Only when the situation was under control did Schulz fly to Germany. On January 26, 1944, Adelbert Schulz was once again highly honored when he took over command of the glorious 7th Panzer Division as the successor to the later diamond bearer Hasso von Manteuffel and, at the age of 41, was preferably promoted to major general. As the commander of this elite unit, the Berliner had big plans, but as is so often the case, things turned out very differently. On January 28, 1944, the "Ghost Division" tanks attacked enemy positions near Shepetovka. These were secured with minefields and anti-tank belts, defended by experienced regiments and supported by masses of artillery. When the attack threatened to get stuck despite initial successes, Major General Schulz had his commanders line up for battlefield briefings. A few moments later, Russian mortar fire suddenly began on the German positions. Standing in the turret hatch of his tank, Schulz was hit in the head by shrapnel. Although he was immediately taken to a nearby field hospital, he died the same day. On January 30, 1944, his death was announced in the Wehrmacht report
The German army later honored the fallen diamond bearer with the "General Schulz" barracks in Munster.
Portrait of Generalmajor Adelbert Schulz in January 1944 by Walter Frentz.
Generalmajor Adelbert Schulz smiling amongst happy spectators all around him. In his neck is the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten (Knight's Cross of the Iron Crosses with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds), which he received on 9 January 1944 from the hand of the Führer, almost a month after the initial radio announcement (14 December 1943). Schulz became the 9th recipient of the prestigious medal, and it was given for his brilliant leadership as a commander of Panzer-Regiment 25 / 7.Panzer-Division. On 1 January 1944 he was promoted from Oberst to Generalmajor, and on 26 January 1944 he became the commander of 7. Panzer-Division. Tragically, only two days after he got elected, Schulz was wounded in action in the area of Shepetivka on 28 January 1944, and died the same day.
Source :
Jim Haley photo collection
https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Schulz,_Adelbert
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelbert_Schulz
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/S/SchulzA-R.htm
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/216/Schulz-Adelbert.htm
https://www.weitze.net/militaria/87/Heer_Originalunterschrift_von_Ritterkreuz_u_Brillantentraeger_Oberst_Adalbert_Schulz__413387.html
