German infantry units during World War II constituted the primary combat formations of the Heer and were structured around the Infanterie-Division, which in its 1939–1941 configuration typically comprised three Infanterie-Regimenter, each with three Bataillone plus a schwere Kompanie and a Panzerjäger-Kompanie, supported by an Artillerie-Regiment of three Abteilungen, an Aufklärungs-Abteilung, a Panzerjäger-Abteilung, a Pionier-Bataillon, and various supply and signals elements, giving the division a nominal strength of approximately 15,000 to 17,000 men equipped largely with horse-drawn transport and light infantry weapons; as the war extended into the Eastern Front and other theaters, mounting casualties prompted repeated reorganizations, including the reduction of many divisions to two regiments, the redesignation of Infanterie-Regimenter as Grenadier-Regimenter from late 1942 onward, and the creation of specialized variants such as Jäger-Divisionen optimized for mobile operations in forests and rough terrain with lighter equipment and higher mobility, Gebirgsjäger-Divisionen trained and equipped for mountain warfare with specialized mountain artillery and pack animals, and late-war Volksgrenadier-Divisionen that featured simplified two-regiment structures, increased allocation of automatic weapons like the Sturmgewehr 44, and greater integration of Volkssturm personnel to offset severe manpower shortages; within these units the rank structure followed standard Heer patterns, with enlisted personnel progressing from Schütze and Gefreiter through Obergefreiter and Unteroffizier to senior non-commissioned officers such as Feldwebel and Oberfeldwebel, while commissioned officers commanded at company level as Leutnant or Oberleutnant, at battalion level as Hauptmann or Major, and at regimental or divisional level as Oberstleutnant, Oberst, or Generalmajor, emphasizing small-unit tactics centered on the Gruppe of ten men led by a Gruppenführer and coordinated fire-and-maneuver supported by heavy weapons companies and attached artillery.
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SCHWERTERTRÄGER
General der Infanterie Karl Eibl (1891-1943) was an Austrian-born general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who rose from service as an officer in the k.u.k. Landwehrregiment 21 during the First World War to become one of the most highly decorated commanders on the Eastern Front. Having been absorbed into the Wehrmacht after the Anschluss as a Major and later Oberstleutnant commanding III./Infanterie-Regiment 131 of the 44. Infanterie-Division, he earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 15 August 1940 as Oberstleutnant for his personal leadership in storming the heavily fortified French strongpoint at Chuignolles during the Westfeldzug, an action that broke through determined resistance and enabled the continued German advance toward Proyart. Transferred to command Infanterie-Regiment 132 of the same division for Operation Barbarossa, Eibl distinguished himself further in the battles around Schitomir and Uman, leading his regiment in decisive successes at the Zwiahel bridgehead that earned him the Eichenlaub on 31 December 1941 as Oberst. Promoted to Generalmajor on 1 February 1942 and given command of the newly formed 385. Infanterie-Division, he led the unit through intense fighting along the Don and at Woronesch as part of the 6. Armee; during the defensive battles in the Rossosch area amid the Soviet Operation Little Saturn in late 1942, Eibl’s division repelled overwhelming enemy attacks for weeks despite heavy losses, holding the line against breakthrough attempts in the great Don bend and securing his award of the Schwerter on 19 December 1942 as the 21st recipient overall and the second soldier of the Heer after Erwin Rommel, while simultaneously being promoted to Generalleutnant. Shortly afterward, on 20 January 1943, Eibl assumed temporary command of the XXIV. Panzerkorps northwest of Stalingrad following the suicide of Generalleutnant Arno Jahr, but the next day he was mortally wounded by hand-grenade fragments from Italian Alpini troops who mistook his vehicle for a Soviet armored car in a snowstorm; he succumbed to his injuries after an emergency amputation at a casualty collection point in Kravzoka near Rossosch and was posthumously promoted to General der Infanterie on 1 March 1943.
General der Infanterie Hans Jordan (1892-1975) entered the Royal Prussian Army in 1912, served through World War I as an Oberleutnant, continued in the Reichswehr, and rose steadily in the Wehrmacht during World War II, commanding Infanterie-Regiment 49 (of the 28. Infanterie-Division) from 1939 to 1941, the 7. Infanterie-Division from December 1941 to November 1942, the VI. Armeekorps from November 1942 until May 1944, and briefly the 9. Armee in the summer of 1944 before being relieved during the opening phase of the Soviet Operation Bagration. As Oberst and Kommandeur of Infanterie-Regiment 49 he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 5 June 1940 for overcoming the fierce defenses of the Maas river with his regiment during the Western Campaign; he then took the necessary measures to exploit this success and complete the victory on that day, personally directing the capture of numerous hostile fortifications whose elimination proved of decisive importance for the overall operation in the Maubeuge sector. On 16 January 1942, still credited in connection with the command of Infanterie-Regiment 49, he was awarded the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes for the regiment’s successful defensive battles near Duchowtschina in August and September 1941 as well as its major contribution to the liquidation of the Vyazma pocket on the Eastern Front. Finally, as General der Infanterie and Kommandierender General of the VI. Armeekorps, he earned the Schwerter on 20 April 1944 for his outstanding leadership throughout the repeated summer and winter battles in the Rzhev salient and the stubborn defensive fighting near Vitebsk in the winter of 1943–1944, during which his corps prevented every Soviet attempt to achieve a breakthrough.
General der Infanterie Wilhelm Wegener (1895-1944) was a highly decorated German officer who rose through the ranks of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War, ultimately commanding major formations on the Eastern Front before his death in action. Born in Trebatsch, Brandenburg, Wegener served in the First World War with Grenadier-Regiment Graf Gneisenau (Pommersches Nr. 2) Nr. 9, was taken prisoner by the British in 1916, and later joined the Reichswehr, advancing steadily to become Adjutant of the 32. Infanterie-Division by the late 1930s. At the outbreak of war he served as Adjutant of the II. Armeekorps before assuming command of Infanterie-Regiment 94 of the 32. Infanterie-Division in July 1940. During Operation Barbarossa with Heeresgruppe Nord, his regiment distinguished itself in heavy fighting; on 24 July 1941, when three Soviet divisions struck the division’s left flank at dawn while it was in marching formation, Wegener’s men repelled the main assault and then hunted down infiltrating enemy groups in fierce forest battles, saving the divisional staff from being overrun. Further successes during the attack on Cholm, the defense of its bridgehead, and defensive operations east of Demyansk earned him the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 27 October 1941 as Oberst and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 94. In early 1942, with his regiment encircled in the Kessel von Demjansk, Wegener led a determined counterattack in the Watolino sector after Soviet forces captured Medyanki; using Bataillon Stuppi he recaptured the village in bitter house-to-house fighting on 15 January 1942, destroying a Soviet regiment and preventing a breakthrough that would have isolated Infanterie-Regiment 418, actions that brought him the 66th Eichenlaub on 19 January 1942 while still an Oberst. Promoted through Generalmajor and Generalleutnant, he briefly commanded the 32. Infanterie-Division before taking charge of the L. Armeekorps in September 1943 as General der Infanterie, leading it through grueling withdrawal battles from the Leningrad front across the Luga and Pleskau to Livland. In August and September 1944, as commander of the Wegener group comprising the L., X. Armee and VI. SS-Armee-Korps, he masterfully repelled repeated Soviet attacks in the Modohn area and stabilized the frontline, feats recognized with the 97th Schwerter on 17 September 1944. Just days later, on 24 September 1944 near Wolmar (Valmiera), Latvia, General der Infanterie Wilhelm Wegener was killed by Soviet ground-attack aircraft while returning from the front to his headquarters; Berlin radio announced his “hero’s death” on the Eastern Front two days afterward.
General der Infanterie Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller (1897-1947) was a German officer who rose through the ranks of the Wehrmacht during World War II, earning the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern for his leadership on the Eastern Front before gaining notoriety as a harsh commander in occupied Greece. Born in Barmen, Prussia, he joined the Imperial German Army in 1915 as an infantryman with the 2. Infanterie-Regiment, was commissioned Leutnant der Reserve in Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 266 later that year, and served with distinction in World War I, receiving both classes of the Iron Cross. Remaining in the Reichswehr and then the Heer, he advanced steadily, becoming Oberstleutnant and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 105 by the early stages of the invasion of the Soviet Union; it was here that his regiment's determined actions in heavy fighting, particularly during the reconquest of Feodosia in the Crimea where he demonstrated outstanding personal bravery, decisiveness, and skillful leadership, led to the award of the Ritterkreuz on 22 September 1941 as Oberstleutnant, followed by the Eichenlaub (86th recipient) on 8 April 1942 as Oberst still commanding the same regiment for continued success against Soviet forces. Promoted further, he took command of the 22. Infanterie-Division (Luftlande) in August 1942, leading it in the Dodecanese Campaign in 1943, including the successful capture of Leros, which contributed to his reputation for resolute command and later recognition with the Schwerter (128th recipient) on 27 January 1945 as General der Infanterie commanding LXVIII. Armeekorps. Transferred to Fortress Crete, Müller earned the grim nickname "The Butcher of Crete" for ordering brutal reprisals and massacres against Greek civilians in locations such as Viannos, Anogeia, Amari, Damasta, and the Holocaust of Kedros, as well as the execution of Italian officers on Kos; after the war he was captured, tried by a Greek military court in Athens for war crimes including hostage massacres, convicted, and executed by firing squad on 20 May 1947 alongside Bruno Bräuer.
General der Infanterie Otto Hitzfeld (1898-1990) was a highly decorated German officer who served in both World War I and World War II, rising through the ranks to command major formations on the Eastern and Western Fronts before ending the war as commander of the 11th Army. Born in Schluchsee in the German Empire, Hitzfeld saw extensive combat experience starting in 1914 and continued his career in the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht. He earned his Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 30 October 1941 as Oberstleutnant and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 213 for his outstanding leadership during the German breakthrough at the Perekop isthmus in the Crimea; his regiment played a pivotal role in the assault, breaching deep Soviet defensive positions up to the Tartar ditch amid heavy fighting on 24-25 September 1941, which triggered the collapse of other Soviet lines in the sector. Just months later, on 17 January 1942, he received the 65th Eichenlaub as Oberstleutnant still commanding Infanterie-Regiment 213, in recognition of the regiment's exceptional defensive performance against massive Soviet assaults during the brutal winter fighting in the Crimea in 1941/42. Hitzfeld went on to command the 102nd Infantry Division, serve as an instructor at the infantry school in Döberitz, and later lead the LXVII. Armeekorps in the Ardennes Offensive (Battle of the Bulge); promoted to General der Infanterie on 1 March 1945, he was reportedly awarded the 158th Schwerter on 9 May 1945 as commanding general of the LXVII. Armeekorps for his continued leadership in the final defensive operations on the Western Front. In April 1945 he briefly commanded the 11th Army, declaring Göttingen an open city to protect refugees before his capture by American forces on 19 April 1945; released in 1947, he learned of his Swords award only after the war. Hitzfeld, uncle of the renowned football manager Ottmar Hitzfeld, died in Dossenheim in 1990 at the age of 92.
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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER
Generalleutnant Kurt-Jürgen Freiherr von Lützow (1892-1961) was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 15 August 1940 as Oberst and Kommandeur of Infanterie-Regiment 89 within the 12. Infanterie-Division for his outstanding leadership during the campaign in France, where, despite having been wounded by a shell splinter in the earlier Polish campaign, he personally led his Bataillone from the foremost line with exceptional boldness and disregard for enemy fire, most notably during the successful attack across the Scarpe river at Monchy east of Arras on 23 May 1940 that enabled his regiment to achieve its objectives rapidly and with minimal losses. He received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub on 21 October 1941, the 37th such award, still serving as Oberst and Kommandeur of Infanterie-Regiment 89 now subordinated to the 16. Armee of Heeresgruppe Nord, for his decisive actions during the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa, including breaking through the Soviet border fortifications east of Schoßbach and leading his regiment on a rapid 65-kilometre advance to reach the objective at Szeszupa, forming a bridgehead over the Njemen during the assault on Kowno while capturing two forts against determined resistance from Soviet Kyrgyzstani and Tatar regiments, distinguishing his unit in hard fighting near Putoschka on 15–16 July 1941, and subsequently securing the line Nikitina–Kokotschina from which he repelled repeated Soviet tank-supported breakthrough attempts, thereby contributing significantly to the encirclement of several enemy divisions near Newel. Lützow later commanded the 12. Infanterie-Division and was taken prisoner by Soviet forces during Operation Bagration near Bobruysk in 1944.
General der Infanterie Karl-Wilhelm Specht (1894-1953) commanded Infanterie-Regiment 55 as an Oberst during the early campaigns on the Eastern Front and later rose to higher command responsibilities. Born in Herdecke, Germany, Specht had already served with distinction in the Imperial German Army during World War I before continuing his career through the Reichswehr and into the Wehrmacht, participating in the Invasion of Poland and the Battle of France prior to Operation Barbarossa. His most notable exploits occurred while leading Infanterie-Regiment 55 in the advance toward Gomel in August 1941, when Oberst Specht and his regiment seized a particularly strong Soviet strongpoint at Weliky-Log and held it against fierce counterattacks; shortly afterward he directed a swift flank attack that broke through the fortified positions at Rekta in only two hours, then thrust twenty kilometers deep into Soviet territory, thereby contributing decisively to the German breakthrough battle north of Gomel and the subsequent encirclement and destruction of large Soviet forces around and east of Rogachev, for which he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 8 September 1941. His determined leadership continued through the battles of Gomel, Kiev, and Bryansk-Vyazma; despite shrapnel wounds to his hand and knee sustained during the crossing of the Ugra river, he remained in command, and even after his regimental command post was hit by fire three times—leaving him unconscious from carbon dioxide poisoning—he recovered quickly with oxygen treatment and returned immediately to the front line; on 15 November 1941, while personally scouting to identify whether approaching soldiers were friendly or enemy, he was shot in the head at five meters’ range by a Soviet soldier already inside the village, yet his regiment repelled the attack, inflicting losses of approximately 500 Soviet dead (including their regimental commander), 200 prisoners, three guns, and sixty machine guns, actions that earned him the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 16 January 1942 as the sixtieth recipient. Later promoted to General der Infanterie, Specht served as a member of the Court of Military Honour that expelled officers implicated in the 20 July Plot before they were handed over to the People’s Court; at the end of the war he surrendered to Soviet forces and died in captivity at the Voikovo prison camp near Ivanovo on 3 December 1953.
Oberst im Generalstab Heinrich Borgmann (1912-1945) was a German Army officer who rose through the ranks of the Wehrmacht during World War II, ultimately serving as an adjutant to Adolf Hitler and commander of the Volksgrenadier-Division "Scharnhorst" before his death at age 32. Born in Angermünde, Borgmann joined the 5. (Preußische) Infanterie-Regiment of the Reichswehr in 1932, later transferring to Infanterie-Regiment 46 where he became Chef der 9. Kompanie as an Oberleutnant by the outbreak of war. He participated in the invasion of Poland in 1939 and the subsequent Westfeldzug in France, distinguishing himself particularly during the fighting along the Lys Canal on 26 and 27 May 1940. There, leading elements of his battalion, he executed a bold assault that punched through a much larger enemy force, collapsing Belgian positions in front of the entire IX. Armeekorps, enabling a rapid breakthrough for the 30. Infanterie-Division and contributing to the broader collapse of Belgian resistance; for this decisive action, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 19 July 1940. Transferred to the Eastern Front with Heeresgruppe Nord, Borgmann commanded the Radfahr-Abteilung 30 and then the III. Bataillon of Infanterie-Regiment 46, later leading the ad-hoc Kampfgruppe Borgmann. On 21 January 1942, despite being encircled, his unit held key villages such as Bol. and Mal. Kalinez, preventing the encirclement of the 290. Infanterie-Division and facilitating a breakout after Borgmann himself was severely wounded on 7 February; these selfless actions earned him the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz on 11 February 1942 as a Hauptmann. Following recovery and Generalstab training, he served in various staff roles as Ib and Ia, rising to Major and then Oberstleutnant while becoming the Heeres adjutant at Hitler's headquarters in October 1943. On 20 July 1944, standing near the briefcase bomb during the assassination attempt at the Wolfsschanze, Borgmann survived with serious injuries while others nearby were killed. Promoted to Oberst after recuperation, he was appointed commander of the newly formed Volksgrenadier-Division "Scharnhorst" on 2 April 1945 but was mortally wounded in a low-level Allied air attack on his staff car en route, dying in a hospital in Magdeburg days later.
General der Infanterie Ludwig Wolff (1893-1968), born on 3 April 1893 in Chemnitz in the Kingdom of Saxony and died on 9 November 1968 in Mannheim, was a German army officer whose career extended from the Imperial German Army through the Reichswehr into the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany, where he ultimately rose to command the XXXIII. Armeekorps. Entering military service in 1912 as a one-year volunteer in the Infanterie-Regiment Kronprinz (5. Königlich Sächsisches) Nr. 104, he was commissioned Leutnant in 1913 and served with distinction in the First World War, earning both classes of the Eisernes Kreuz as well as the Ritterkreuz of the Militär-St.-Heinrichs-Orden. Retained in the postwar Reichswehr, he advanced through instructional and command roles, including as commander of Infanterie-Regiment 192 of the 56. Infanterie-Division at the start of the Second World War. During the 1940 invasion of the Low Countries, as Oberst he personally led his regiment in forcing the first crossings of the Schelde and Lys rivers near Nevele with inflatable rafts, an action that proved decisive to the German advance, secured thousands of prisoners, and earned him the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 26 May 1940, the same day he suffered severe facial wounds that cost him an eye and required extensive surgery before his return to duty. Promoted to Generalmajor, he took command of the 22. Infanterie-Division (Luftlande) in late 1941, guiding it through the breakthrough at the Perekop Isthmus onto the Crimea and, in June 1942, achieving the first German penetration to the Severnaya Bay at Sevastopol while storming Fort Stalin on 13 June, feats that brought him the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold in February 1942 and the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz (as the 100th recipient) on 22 June 1942. Later serving as Befehlshaber Mittelnorwegen and commander of the XXXIII. Armeekorps with promotion to General der Infanterie in 1944, followed by staff and inspector positions including oversight of Hungarian formations, Wolff was captured by American forces in May 1945 and released from captivity in June 1947, thereafter living in retirement until his death.
General der Infanterie Walter Graf von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt (1887-1943) was born on 13 July 1887 in Perleberg in the German Empire as a descendant of Danish-Holsteiner nobility and entered military service in 1907, later serving with distinction in the First World War including at Verdun before rising through the ranks of the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht to become General der Infanterie. He commanded the 23. Infanterie-Division from February 1938 until 1 June 1940, briefly led the XXVIII. Armeekorps, and from 21 June 1940 served as Kommandierender General of the II. Armeekorps, directing it through the invasion of Poland, the Battle of France, and Operation Barbarossa as part of the 16. Armee under Heeresgruppe Nord. On 15 July 1941 he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes for decisive leadership when, on 24 June 1941, he ordered the capture of the heavily defended Russian fortress of Kowno at all costs because of its critical importance to further operations, after which on 27 and 28 June his corps smashed several Soviet divisions northeast of the city amid continuous heavy fighting in extremely difficult terrain. He was subsequently awarded the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz (as the 103rd recipient) on 27 June 1942 in recognition of the brave steadfastness of his six divisions and his own exemplary leadership during the prolonged and bitter fighting in the Demjansk Pocket, where he consistently radiated confidence and firmness in every crisis, often flying over the positions in his Fieseler-Storch despite severe rheumatic pain that he never allowed his soldiers to perceive, serving as a model of devotion to duty for his Grenadiere, Pioniere and Kanoniere. Falling seriously ill in November 1942 while still on the northern front, he returned to Germany and died on 9 May 1943 in the Reservelazarett 123 in Berlin-Zehlendorf.
SS-Obergruppenführer Alfred Wünnenberg (1891-1963) was born on 20 July 1891 in Saarburg, Alsace-Lorraine, in the German Empire, and entered military service on 25 February 1913 as a Fahnenjunker in the Infanterie-Regiment „Vogel von Falckenstein“ (7. Westfälisches) Nr. 56 of the Prussian Army; during the First World War he served as a Kompaniechef, was wounded on both the Western and Eastern fronts, trained as a pilot from June 1916, and flew as an Aufklärungsflieger with Feld-Flieger-Abteilung 47 from August 1917, earning the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse on 10 February 1915 and 1. Klasse on 9 September 1915 along with other decorations including the Königlich Preussisches Flugzeugbeobachter-Abzeichen and the Ritter des Königlicher Preussischer Hausordens von Hohenzollern mit Schwertern. After the war he briefly served with Grenzschutz Ost and a Freikorps in Oberschlesien before joining the Preußische Schutzpolizei as a Polizei-Oberleutnant in September 1920, rising through various police commands and training roles in Essen, Potsdam-Eiche, Krefeld, Köln, Charlottenburg, Hindenburg, Beuthen, Gleiwitz, Saarbrücken, Bremen, and Mannheim, joining the NSDAP on 1 May 1933 (Mitgliedsnummer 2.222.600) and the SS (SS-Nr. 405.898), and by December 1938 serving on the staff of the Inspekteur der Ordnungspolizei in Stuttgart. On 2 October 1939 he became Kommandeur of Polizei-Schützen-Regiment 3 of the Polizei-Division (later SS-Polizei-Division) with the rank of SS-Standartenführer and Oberst der Schutzpolizei, participating in the Western campaign of 1940 and the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941; for his leadership in the Luga sector—particularly his personal bravery on 11 August 1941 in capturing the hills at Stojanowschtschina (taking seventeen enemy tanks and numerous heavy bunkers), his advance on 23 August to seize Ssyrez, the hills west of it, and the heights at Turowo that enabled the capture of Luga, and his regiment’s breakthrough of the outer defensive lines of Leningrad on 13 September by securing bridges and key positions while advancing toward Pushkin via the Ishora position—he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 15 November 1941 as SS-Standartenführer and Oberst der Schupo. He assumed command of the SS-Polizei-Division on 15 December 1941, and for his successful leadership of the division at the Volkhov, where he closed the ring around the Volkhov pocket by attacking through extremely swampy terrain to achieve surprise against an enemy expecting an advance along the road, he received the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz (91st award) on 23 April 1942 as SS-Brigadeführer and Generalmajor der Polizei. Promoted further to SS-Gruppenführer and Generalleutnant der Polizei in July 1942 and then to SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS und Polizei in July 1943, he briefly commanded the IV. SS-Panzer-Korps from 10 June 1943 until 31 August 1943, after which he succeeded Kurt Daluege as Chef des Hauptamtes der Ordnungspolizei, a post he held until the end of the war (and briefly as Chef der Deutschen Polizei in the final days); he fled via the Rattenlinie Nord to Flensburg, was interned as a POW in Dachau in 1946, released in 1947, and died on 30 December 1963 in Krefeld, West Germany.
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RITTERKREUZTRÄGER
Oberleutnant der Reserve Joachim Hundert (1920-1944) was a German Wehrmacht officer who began his service on 15 November 1938 as Kanonier in the 4. / Artillerie-Regiment 70 (motorisiert) at Niederlahnstein, advanced through the enlisted ranks to Unteroffizier on 1 February 1941 and Feldwebel on 1 June 1942, and was commissioned as Leutnant der Reserve in June 1942 before taking command of the 5. / Infanterie-Regiment 124, which was later redesignated Grenadier-Regiment 124. On 15 January 1943, as Leutnant der Reserve and Führer of the 5. Grenadier-Regiment 124, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes for his courage and personal initiative in assuming command of a company whose commander had been wounded at a decisive moment and continuing the attack to seal off an enemy breakthrough, actions that also earned him the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse on 31 December 1942 as Chef of the same company; he was later promoted to Oberleutnant der Reserve and remained in frontline service on the Eastern Front until he was killed in action on 9 August 1944 near Glazow in Poland.
Source :
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