Nickname: No information
Date of Birth: 10.11.1913 - Ludwigshafen, Rheinland Provinz (German Empire)
Date of Death: 19.06.1979 - Ludwigshafen-Oggersheim, Rheinland-Pfalz (West Germany)
Battles and Operations: Battle of France, Invasion of Yugoslavia, Operation Barbarossa, Battle of Uman, Battle of the Caucasus, Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive, Cherkassy Pocket, First Jassy-Kishinev Offensive, Baltic Offensive, Battle of Memel, East Prussian Offensive, Battle of Halbe
NSDAP-Number: No information
SS-Number: Not applicable (Heer)
Religion: No information
Parents: No information
Siblings: No information
Spouse: No information
Children: No information
Promotions:
05.04.1934 Schütze
01.06.1935 Gefreiter
01.06.1936 Unteroffizier
01.11.1939 Feldwebel
01.07.1941 Oberfeldwebel
01.03.1943 Leutnant
01.11.1943 Oberleutnant (268)
01.08.1944 Hauptmann (178)
Career:
05.04.1934 Joined 5.Kompanie / Infanterie-Regiment 13 in Ludwigsburg
01.09.1939 - 25.10.1940 Zugführer in 6.Kompanie / Infanterie-Regiment 13
03.09.1939 - 10.11.1939 Forward operation area in Mosel und Rhein
10.11.1939 - 25.04.1940 Employment in the rear operational area of Heeresgruppe C
24.04.1940 - 09.05.1940 Transferred to the Western Front
10.05.1940 - 20.06.1940 Westfeldzug
25.10.1940 - 31.11.1942 Zugführer in 6.Kompanie / Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 13
01.04.1941 - 06.06.1941 Balkanfeldzug
22.06.1941 - 31.10.1942 Eastern Front
00.00.1941 During the advance on Pultowzy-Vinnitsa, his platoon leadership enabled the rapid capture of the town and neutralization of enemy heavy weapons, opening the road for the division.
30.11.1941 Severely wounded and hospitalized in Reserve-Lazarett Gulaj-Pole
00.10.1942 Appointed Chef 6. Kompanie / Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 13; one day later severely wounded again by grenade splinter to the neck and transferred to Gebirgs-Jäger-Ersatz-Bataillon II/98
24.08.1943 - 24.12.1943 Zugführer in 4.Kompanie / Wach-Bataillon "Großdeutschland" in Berlin
25.12.1943 Chef 5.Kompanie / Wach-Bataillon "Großdeutschland"
00.08.1944 took command again of the 4.Kompanie; promoted to Oberleutnant and later Hauptmann; commanded 4./Wachbataillon GD during the 20 July 1944 plot suppression at the Bendlerblock (a Leutnant from his company commanded the firing squad that executed von Stauffenberg)
Later commanded II./Wachregiment GD
30.04.1945 captured by Soviet forces near Frankfurt an der Oder; held in Soviet captivity until 1947
Postwar, returned to Ludwigshafen.
Awards and Decorations:
Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht 4. Klasse (04.04.1938)
Deutsches Schutzwall-Ehrenzeichen (15.03.1940)
Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse (08.06.1940)
Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse (03.08.1940)
Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen in Silber (25.08.1940)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (23.10.1941) as Oberfeldwebel and Zugführer in 6.Kompanie / II.Bataillon / Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 13 / 4.Gebirgs-Division. In late September 1941, during the advance through Ukraine as part of Operation Barbarossa, Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 13 received orders to clear a heavily defended Soviet position blocking the critical Pultowzy-Vinnitsa road. Command expected a prolonged, bloody two-day fight against strong enemy defenses. However, Oberfeldwebel Schlee led his platoon in a swift, determined assault. With superior tactical leadership and bold initiative, his men thrust through to the southern edge of Pultowzy within a single hour. They crushed the well-equipped and stubbornly resisting Soviet forces there, neutralizing heavy weapons positions and securing the key objective. This decisive action opened the march route for the entire regiment and 4. Gebirgs-Division, enabling the subsequent capture of Vinnitsa and accelerating the broader advance. For this outstanding platoon leadership under fire, Schlee received the Ritterkreuz.
Rumänische Medaille III. Klasse (05.11.1941)
Bulgarisches Soldatenkreuz III. Klasse (17.03.1942)
Medaille "Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42" (Ostmedaille) (01.08.1942)
Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Silber (04.12.1942)
Nahkampfspange in Bronze
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #222 (06.04.1943) as Oberfeldwebel and Zugführer in 6.Kompanie / II.Bataillon / Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 13 / 4.Gebirgs-Division, for actions in the Caucasus (including leadership in attacks near Suchum and Tuapse). The following divisional order of the day (dated 07.04.1943) explains why Schlee would be awarded the award:
“Since being awarded the Knight’s Cross to the Iron Cross, Oberfeldwebel Schlee has distinguished himself through his brave deeds during the fighting in the Caucasus as the leader of his Jäger platoon. In the memorable battles on the other side of the main ridge of the Caucasus, during the advance on Ssuchum, his determination and personal bravery on the 26. & 28.08.1942 led to the following results…
- The enemy was forced to abandon a village vital for their logistics
- Through the elimination of an enemy flank threat. an important friendly supply route was finally secured.
- Many Russians were either killed or captured and valuable captured weapons were acquired.
On the 29.10.1942 Oberfeldwebel Schlee took over command of the 6./Geb.Jäg.Rgt.13 during the heroic battles before Tuapse on the Sssmachscho ridge after the Kompanie leader was wounded. The next day, Schlee would also be wounded in action.
I congratulate Oberfeldwebel Schlee for receiving this high award on behalf of the whole Division, and hope that he will return to his Regiment after his recovery.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rudolf Schlee was a highly decorated German officer who served in the Wehrmacht during the Second World War. Born on 10 November 1913 in Ludwigshafen in the German Empire, he enlisted in the army on 5 April 1934, joining the 5. Kompanie of Infanterie-Regiment 13 stationed in Ludwigsburg. This unit was later redesignated as Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 13 on 25 October 1940. Schlee rose steadily through the enlisted ranks, becoming an experienced mountain infantryman known for his leadership qualities and resilience in harsh combat conditions. His military career spanned from the early campaigns in the West to the intense fighting on the Eastern Front, eventually transitioning to elite guard duties in Berlin before the war's end.
Schlee participated in the Battle of France in 1940, where his bravery earned him both the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse on 8 June 1940 and the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse on 3 August 1940, along with the Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen in Silber. He also received the Deutsches Schutzwall-Ehrenzeichen and the Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht 4. Klasse prior to major combat operations. Following the campaign in the West, he took part in the Invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941 as Zugführer in the 6. Kompanie of Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 13. His regiment then advanced into the Soviet Union as part of Operation Barbarossa with the 4. Gebirgs-Division under Heeresgruppe Süd, engaging in operations that included the Battle of Uman and subsequent drives through Ukraine.
One of Schlee's most notable achievements occurred in late September 1941 during the advance toward Pultowzy and Vinnitsa. Ordered to clear a strongly defended Soviet position blocking a vital road, the regiment anticipated a prolonged and costly two-day battle. However, as Oberfeldwebel and Zugführer, Schlee led his platoon in a swift and determined assault. Within a single hour, his men thrust through to the southern edge of Pultowzy, neutralizing heavy enemy weapons positions and crushing stubborn resistance. This action decisively opened the march route for the entire regiment and division, facilitating the capture of Vinnitsa and accelerating the broader advance. For this outstanding leadership under fire, Schlee was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 23 October 1941. He was severely wounded on 30 November 1941 and hospitalized in the Reserve-Lazarett Gulaj-Pole.
In 1942, Schlee continued to distinguish himself in the grueling Caucasus campaign, where mountain warfare reached its peak intensity amid rugged terrain, steep ridges, and fierce Soviet counterattacks. On 26 and 28 August 1942, during the advance toward Ssuchum beyond the main Caucasus ridge, his platoon demonstrated exceptional determination and personal bravery. Schlee's leadership forced the enemy to abandon a logistically vital village, eliminated a dangerous flank threat that had jeopardized German supply lines, secured an important route for friendly forces, and inflicted heavy casualties through close-quarters combat, with many Russians killed or captured and valuable weapons seized. Later, on 29 October 1942 during the bitter battles before Tuapse on the Sssmachscho ridge, he assumed command of the 6. Kompanie after its leader was wounded and led aggressive operations the following day before sustaining another severe wound himself from grenade splinters. These repeated acts of courage in one of the war's most demanding theaters earned him the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub as the 222nd recipient on 6 April 1943.
After recovering from his wounds, Schlee was promoted to Leutnant in May 1943 and transferred in August 1943 to the prestigious Wach-Bataillon Großdeutschland in Berlin. He served as Zugführer in the 4. Kompanie, later taking command of the 5. Kompanie in December 1943 and returning to lead the 4. Kompanie in August 1944 after promotion to Oberleutnant and then Hauptmann. His unit played a direct role in suppressing the 20 July 1944 plot against Hitler at the Bendlerblock, with a Leutnant from his company commanding the firing squad that executed Claus von Stauffenberg. Schlee eventually commanded II./Wachregiment Großdeutschland before the final stages of the war. On 30 April 1945 he was captured by Soviet forces near Frankfurt an der Oder and remained in captivity until his release in 1947.
Returning to civilian life in Ludwigshafen after the war, Schlee lived quietly until his death on 19 June 1979 in his hometown in West Germany. Throughout his service he accumulated additional honors including the Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42, the Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Silber, the Nahkampfspange in Bronze, as well as foreign awards such as the Bulgarisches Soldatenkreuz III. Klasse and Rumänische Medaille III. Klasse. His career exemplified the transition from a dedicated Gebirgsjäger non-commissioned officer, celebrated for frontline mountain combat prowess, to a trusted officer in elite Wehrmacht guard formations during the regime's final defense. Schlee remains remembered among Ritterkreuzträger for his tactical initiative and endurance in some of the Eastern Front's harshest battles.
Oberfeldwebel Rudolf Schlee.
Oberfeldwebel Rudolf Schlee in original color picture.
Oberfeldwebel Rudolf Schlee in original color picture.
Oberfeldwebel Rudolf Schlee.
Oberfeldwebel Rudolf Schlee.
Oberfeldwebel Rudolf Schlee.
Oberfeldwebel Rudolf Schlee.
Oberfeldwebel Rudolf Schlee.
Oberfeldwebel Rudolf Schlee.
Oberfeldwebel Rudolf Schlee next to a political member.
Four Ritterkreuzträger from Wachbataillon "Großdeutschland", from left to right: Unteroffizier Heinrich Ofenloch (Ritterkreuz on 12 July 1943 as Gefreiter and Gruppenführer in 1.Kompanie / Pionier-Bataillon 323 / Infanterie-Division 323), Oberfeldwebel Otto Brakat (Ritterkreuz on 27 July 1941 as Unteroffizier and Gruppenführer in 2.Schwadron / Radfahr-Abteilung 1 / 1.Kavallerie-Division), Oberfeldwebel Rudolf Schlee (Ritterkreuz on 23 October 1941 and Eichenlaub on 6 April 1943, both as Oberfeldwebel and Zugführer in 6.Kompanie / II.Bataillon / Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 13 / 4.Gebirgs-Division), and Oberfeldwebel Heinrich Reinke (Ritterkreuz on 9 January 1942 as Oberfeldwebel and Zugführer in 14.Kompanie / III.Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment 89 / 12.Infanterie-Division). Other pictures from this occasion can be seen HERE.
Leutnant Rudolf Schlee.
Hauptmann Rudolf Schlee.
Drawing of Rudolf Schlee by Wolfgang Willrich.
Rudolf Schlee Ritterkreuz certificate.
Source:
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/65141/Schlee-Rudolf.htm
https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Rudolf_Schlee
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/S/SchleeR.htm
http://www.ritterkreuztraeger.info/rkel/s/EL222Schlee.pdf
https://forum.axishistory.com/
https://gmic.co.uk/topic/80831-schlee-rudolf/
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/forum/wehrmacht-era-militaria/photos-and-paper-items-forum
https://www.weitze.net/militaria/03/Grosse_Verleihungsurkunde_zum_Ritterkreuz_des_Eisernen_Kreuzes_an_den_spaeteren_Eichenlaubtraeger_Oberfeldwebel_Rudolf_Schlee__510603.html
Scherzer, Veit. Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939-1945. Jena 2007.
Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945. Friedberg 2000.
No comments:
Post a Comment