Erich Löwe with His Sons

Major Erich Löwe with three of his five children. The photo is privately owned by the family. Erich Löwe (24 September 1906 – 23 December 1943) rose to the rank of Major and was posthumously promoted to Oberstleutnant, earning both the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes and the Eichenlaub as a highly experienced panzer commander, particularly noted for his leadership of schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501 equipped with Tiger I tanks on the Eastern Front. Born in Mühlhausen, he joined the Reichswehr in 1923 initially as a Kraftfahrer, was commissioned Leutnant in 1935, and served as Hauptmann and Chef 3./Panzer-Abteilung 65 during the 1940 French campaign where his Ritterkreuz was awarded on 4 September 1940 for decisive actions as vanguard leader of a reinforced Kampfgruppe, including securing intact river and canal bridges over the Oise after bitter street fighting on 17 May, playing a key role in capturing the staff of the French 9th Army at Le Catelet the next day, and later forcing a path through the heavily defended village of Doullens with his Kompanie on 20 May to enable continued advances. He subsequently commanded I. Abteilung/Panzer-Regiment 11, receiving the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold in March 1943, before taking over schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501 in September 1943; in December 1943 near Witebsk his Abteilung supported the 14. Infanterie-Division (mot.) in fierce defensive and counterattack operations, notably during the fighting around Losovka on 20 December where despite harsh winter conditions and infantry struggling to keep pace, the Tigers destroyed numerous Soviet tanks and guns, with Löwe personally leading assaults by transferring from tank to tank after his own Tiger received two hits, maintaining command momentum until he was mortally wounded by enemy artillery fire on 23 December 1943. For his sustained exemplary leadership, personal bravery under fire, and the battalion's critical impact in staving off Soviet thrusts along the Rollbahn to Welisch, he was posthumously awarded the 385th Eichenlaub on 8 February 1944.

Source :
Ltn Rackow photo collection
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