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.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
Oberst der Reserve Alfons König (1898-1944) was born on 29 December 1898 in Munich and served as a Kriegsfreiwilliger in a Bavarian Gebirgs-Infanterie-Bataillon during the First World War before leaving the army in 1928 as a Feldwebel. Reactivated in 1937 as Leutnant der Reserve, he became Chef of the 6. Kompanie in Infanterie-Regiment 199 in 1939 and led it through the Polish and Western campaigns. On 21 December 1940 he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes as Oberleutnant der Reserve for his determined defence against strong enemy armoured attacks directed at the Abbeville bridgehead position in early June 1940. At the start of the campaign in the East he was Hauptmann and Kommandeur of the III. Bataillon of Infanterie-Regiment 217 (later Grenadier-Regiment 217). During the evacuation of Voronezh in the winter of 1942 his battalion broke through Soviet encirclement attempts three times over nine days of fierce fighting, enabling the Kampfgruppe to rejoin friendly lines after three weeks of combat, for which he was awarded the Eichenlaub on 21 February 1943 as the 194th recipient. Promoted to Oberstleutnant der Reserve by the end of 1943 and appointed Kommandeur of Grenadier-Regiment 199 “List” in November of that year, he distinguished himself in the defensive and withdrawal battles of 1943–44 along the middle Dnieper and in the Cherkassy pocket. In one critical action during a river crossing, when the German security line had already been breached, he formed a new front with his weak forces and held it against every Soviet attack until the entire division had crossed, only then withdrawing with the last remaining men; for this and his overall performance he received the Schwerter on 9 June 1944 as the 70th recipient. König was killed in action on 8 July 1944 near Rogatschew during the fighting in the Bobruisk pocket amid Operation Bagration and was posthumously promoted to Oberst der Reserve.
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.
Oberstleutnant Werner Ziegler (1916-2001) was born on 30 April 1916 in Hausach in the Black Forest and entered the Wehrmacht in 1936 by joining Infanterie-Regiment 20, receiving promotion to Leutnant in 1939 before becoming Adjutant of the I. Bataillon of Infanterie-Regiment 186 on 3 October 1939. After taking part in the Westfeldzug he assumed command of the 2. Kompanie of Infanterie-Regiment 186 on 1 October 1940 and led it through the Balkanfeldzug and into the opening stages of the campaign against the Soviet Union. On 14 August 1941, during the fighting between the Dniester and the Bug, Leutnant Ziegler and his Kompanie seized the heavily defended town of Petrovskoye on the western bank of the Bug in a swift assault and cleared the surrounding area in bitter house-to-house combat, capturing more than three hundred prisoners; for this action he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 31 December 1941 as Führer of the 2./Infanterie-Regiment 186 of the 73. Infanterie-Division. After the hard positional battles on the Mius in the winter of 1941/42 he again distinguished himself in the Kuban region, and on 6 September 1942 his decisive leadership in the urban fighting during the capture of Noworossisk earned him the Eichenlaub on 8 September 1942 as Oberleutnant and Führer of the same company. Shortly thereafter he was promoted to Hauptmann and took command of the I. Bataillon, advancing to Major on 1 May 1943 near Noworossisk before serving on the staff of the V. Armeekorps and later the 19. Panzerdivision. Returning as Führer of Grenadier-Regiment 186 on 6 March 1944, he was promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1 June 1944 and became its Kommandeur; during the final battle for Sevastopol his regiment held its positions on Windmill Hill against a major Soviet assault on 7 May 1944 even after being surrounded, maintaining the defence until relieved the following morning by Kampfgruppen Marienfeld and Faulhaber, for which outstanding stand he received the Schwerter on 23 October 1944 as Major and Führer of Grenadier-Regiment 186. Severely wounded, he later served again on the staff of the V. Armeekorps, was taken prisoner at the war’s end and released in 1946. In 1956 he joined the Bundeswehr, eventually commanding the Panzergrenadierbrigade 19 and retiring as Oberst in 1968; he died on 15 April 2001 in Oftersheim.
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.
Oberstleutnant Josef Bremm (1914-1998) was born on 3 May 1914 in Mannebach in the Vulkaneifel region as the son of a Volksschule teacher, completed his Abitur, entered the Wehrmacht on 1 November 1935 with Infanterie-Regiment 7, rose through the ranks from Gefreiter and Unteroffizier to Feldwebel der Reserve and Leutnant der Reserve by 1938, and after brief discharge was reactivated in 1939 as Zugführer and later Adjutant in Infanterie-Regiment 453 of the 253. Infanterie-Division, earning the Eisernes Kreuz II. and I. Klasse during the 1940 campaigns in the West. Transferred eastward, he became Chef of the 5./Infanterie-Regiment 426 of the 126. Infanterie-Division and on the morning of 22 December 1941, with his depleted Kompanie, repelled a strong Soviet assault on the Orelje barracks bridgehead before launching an immediate counterthrust that broke into the enemy ranks, where he personally killed a commissar with machine-pistol and hand grenades, partially destroying an opposing Bataillon and shattering the rest, an action that brought him the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 18 February 1942 as Leutnant der Reserve. Continuing to distinguish himself southeast of Lake Ilmen, at the end of September 1942 he led an assault troop that penetrated and rolled up an enemy blocking position, enabling his Regiment to reach its objective, and days later shielded the Division’s flank against heavy attacks despite being wounded for the fourth time, remaining in command until the assaults were broken; for these deeds he received the 165th Eichenlaub on 23 December 1942 as Oberleutnant der Reserve and Chef of the 5./Grenadier-Regiment 426. Promoted successively to Hauptmann, Major and finally Oberstleutnant, he later commanded the Füsilier-Bataillon of the 712. Infanterie-Division and from August 1944 Grenadier-Regiment 990, fighting in Normandy, the Ardennes and the final defense of Germany. In April 1945, at the head of the remnant Kampfgruppe formed from Grenadier-Regiment 990 and supported by Tiger II tanks near Kassel, he conducted repeated counterattacks against an American armored spearhead of the U.S. Third Army, actions for which he was nominated for the Schwerter; the Association of Knight’s Cross Recipients records the 159th Schwerter as awarded on 9 May 1945 according to the Dönitz decree, though the presentation was never officially completed before the 11. Armee’s surrender. Taken prisoner by American forces at war’s end, Bremm later worked as a salesperson for agricultural machines, married Agnes Steffens, and died childless on 21 October 1998 in Monreal, remembered as the highest-decorated soldier of the Eifel region.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
Oberstleutnant der Reserve Gerhard Hein (1916-2008), originally named Gerhard Franz Philippczyk, was born on 9 July 1916 in Klein Paniow in Upper Silesia and died on 6 June 2008 in Harrislee; he joined the Hitlerjugend in November 1931, served in the Reichsarbeitsdienst from 1933 to 1934, entered the Wehrmacht in 1936 as a Gefreiter, changed his surname to Hein in December 1938, and began active wartime service in September 1939 with Infanterie-Regiment 209 of the 58. Infanterie-Division. As Unteroffizier der Reserve and Zugführer of the 10. Kompanie, III. Bataillon, Infanterie-Regiment 209 during the Battle of France, he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 3 September 1940 for decisive actions on 19–20 June 1940 in urban combat at St. Evre, a suburb of Toul, where the right wing of his Bataillon came under heavy fire from previously unidentified enemy-held houses that threatened to stall the assault and cause heavy casualties; on his own initiative he led a small squad that cleared the houses, restoring momentum and sparing the unit unnecessary losses. Promoted to Feldwebel and later to Leutnant der Reserve, he took part in Operation Barbarossa and, as Führer of the 5. Kompanie, II. Bataillon, Infanterie-Regiment 209, was awarded the Eichenlaub on 6 September 1942 for a series of outstanding achievements including breaking through the Stalin Line near Priluga, capturing a battery of guns, holding a strongpoint for three days of intense fighting in forested terrain near Monastorek, defending against a night attack by about twelve tanks near Alexejewka, combat near Urisk before Leningrad, and an attack into Lubcy north of Novgorod on 15 March 1942. After multiple wounds rendered him unfit for further front-line duty he was given a farm in the Wartheland, yet the Reichsjugendführung claimed him as Reichsinspekteur der Wehrertüchtigungslager der Hitlerjugend with the rank of HJ-Oberbannführer; in this role he emphasised rigorous military preparation of youths and played a key part in organising the formation of the 12. SS-Panzer-Division „Hitlerjugend“. From May 1944 he served in the Waffen-SS, rising to SS-Sturmbannführer der Reserve and commanding SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 26 of the 12. SS-Panzer-Division „Hitlerjugend“ in Hungary before promotion to Oberstleutnant der Reserve and assignment to the staff of Generalfeldmarschall Ernst Busch in the final weeks of the war.
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.
Oberstleutnant Karl Torley (1913-1943) was born on 16 October 1913 in Iserlohn and entered military service in 1935 with Infanterie-Regiment 60, receiving promotion to Leutnant on 1 January 1938. As a Zugführer he took part in the Western Campaign of 1940 and the subsequent Balkan Campaign, earning the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse on 24 May 1940 and the Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse on 24 June 1940. At the opening of the campaign against the Soviet Union he held the rank of Oberleutnant and commanded 2. Kompanie of I. Bataillon, Infanterie-Regiment (motorisiert) 60 of the 16. Infanterie-Division (motorisiert). On 30 July 1941, when Soviet forces in battalion strength twice attacked the vital supply and medical hub of Talnoje, Torley and his Kompanie successfully repulsed both assaults, thereby securing the village and the German rearward services located there; for this action he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 23 November 1941. In 1942 he assumed command of I. Bataillon of the same regiment. On 28 August 1942 his Bataillon assaulted the fortified village of Jaschkul in the Kalmyk steppe; after fierce close combat that failed to clear the place completely, Torley directed a carefully prepared night attack that finally ejected the Soviet garrison, securing important underground water wells and the local road junction that facilitated further German advances eastward and improved lateral communications. For this leadership he received the 132nd Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 11 October 1942 while still a Hauptmann. Promoted to Major on 1 February 1943, Torley was killed in action near Kalynivka (Kalinkowa) on the Mius on 19 July 1943 and was posthumously advanced to Oberstleutnant.
Generalmajor Ludwig Kirschner (1904-1945) was born on 12 June 1904 in Bayreuth and began his career on 1 May 1925 as an officer candidate in the Bayerische Landespolizei, becoming Polizei-Leutnant in 1928 and Polizei-Oberleutnant in 1934 before transferring to the Wehrmacht as Oberleutnant in 1935 and later serving with Infanterie-Regiment 110 of the 33. Infanterie-Division. Promoted to Hauptmann in 1936, he commanded a company of Infanterie-Regiment 104 during the western campaign of 1940, then took over I. Bataillon of the newly formed Infanterie-Regiment 436 of the 132. Infanterie-Division, rising to Major on 1 August 1941 and leading it into the Russian campaign. On 15 January 1942 his battalion spearheaded the attack on Feodosia; two days later, acting on his own initiative despite severed contact with the regiment and strong enemy forces on both flanks, he broke through Soviet positions with only 150 men, reached the coastal road north of Saarygol and completed the German encirclement of the town, an action for which he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 18 January 1942. In May 1942 he assumed command of Infanterie-Regiment 72 of the 46. Infanterie-Division, was promoted to Oberstleutnant in November, and after further distinguished fighting in the Caucasus mountains following the failed advance on Tuapse was awarded the Eichenlaub (135th award) on 28 October 1942. Advanced to Oberst in May 1943, he later commanded the Bataillonsführerschule in Antwerpen and, from 1 November 1944, the newly raised 320. Volksgrenadier-Division, which he led through heavy fighting near Krakau and in the Carpathians as part of the 17. Armee during the Westkarpatische Operation and the Weichsel-Oder-Operation; promoted to Generalmajor on 30 January 1945, he was killed in action on 11 February 1945 near Saybusch on the defensive line along the river Soła.
Oberstleutnant Konrad Hupfer (1911-1944) was born on 21 October 1911 in Altdorf near Nürnberg and entered the Reichswehr in 1930, receiving promotion to Leutnant in Infanterie-Regiment 63 in 1935 before transferring as Oberleutnant to Infanterie-Regiment 72 at the end of 1938, where he served as Chef of the 10. Kompanie. He took part in the Polish campaign, earning the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse on 20 September 1939, and in the Western campaign, where he received the Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse on 8 June 1940. Promoted to Hauptmann on 1 April 1941, he led the 14. Kompanie of Infanterie-Regiment 72 during the early phase of the war against the Soviet Union. On 13 August 1941 he commanded a Vorausabteilung advancing on Trichaty with the mission of seizing the Bug River crossing; despite determined Soviet resistance he forced an entry into the town after roughly half a day’s fighting and captured some 500 prisoners, 30 guns, a thousand horses and substantial other material, an action that brought him the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 21 September 1941. He later distinguished himself during the breakthrough of the Perekop isthmus and, toward the end of 1941, assumed command of the I. Bataillon of the same regiment. The unit fought in the reconquest of the Crimea and the siege of Sevastopol, for which Hupfer was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 14 June 1942. In the western Caucasus in autumn 1942, as Kommandeur of I./Infanterie-Regiment 72, he led his battalion in a successful assault on a hill strongly fortified with field works and bunkers, clearing twenty Soviet positions and securing the key height that proved decisive for subsequent operations; this achievement earned him the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 28 October 1942 as the 136th recipient. Promoted to Major on 1 January 1943, he briefly commanded Infanterie-Regiment 72 before taking over Grenadier-Regiment 21. Hupfer was killed in action on 10 April 1944 near Czernowitz on the Eastern Front and was posthumously advanced to Oberstleutnant.
Oberstleutnant im Generalstab Ekkehard Kylling-Schmidt (1918-2000) was born on 21 June 1918 in Flensburg, Schleswig, and joined the Heer on 10 October 1938 with Infanterie-Regiment 52, later serving with Infanterie-Regiment 26 of the 30. Infanterie-Division through the Polish and French campaigns before the invasion of the Soviet Union. Promoted to Leutnant on 25 June 1940 and Oberleutnant on 1 November 1941, he received the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse on 9 November 1940 and I. Klasse on 22 July 1941. As Führer of the 3. Kompanie, I. Bataillon, Infanterie-Regiment 26, he earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 20 October 1941 for actions including forcing the Soviets from strong positions near Kudka on 12 July 1941, relieving a reconnaissance unit east of Rwy while personally destroying a tank on 25 July, storming positions west of Gosstjosh on 30 July, enabling seizure of a bridgehead near Lowatj on 12 August, and capturing heavy guns near Iwanowka on 22 August. Later as Chef of the 4. Kompanie, I. Bataillon, Füsilier-Regiment 26, he received the 150th Eichenlaub on 4 December 1942 for closing a gap between III./Grenadier-Regiment 27 and Grenadier-Regiment 6 near Lushno on 27 September 1941 while destroying two tanks in close combat, recapturing the main line west of Aleshenka and capturing forty positions on 2 October before defending Ssloboda against sixteen tanks until wounded, and conducting a lone reconnaissance near Lytschkowo in September 1942 that enabled elimination of a penetration. He also received three Panzervernichtungsabzeichen in Silber, the Demjanskschild, and Nahkampfspange in Bronze, became Kommandeur of I. Bataillon, Fusilier-Regiment 26 in January 1943, was severely wounded near Staraya Russa in October 1943, attended the Kriegsakademie in 1944, served in staff roles, and was promoted to Hauptmann and later Oberstleutnant i.G. before capture in May 1945 and release in August; he died in Koblenz on 28 August 2000.
General der Infanterie Karl Allmendinger (1891-1965) was born on 3 February 1891 in Abtsgmünd in the Kingdom of Württemberg and entered military service on 1 October 1910 as an Einjährig-Freiwilliger, later joining the Füsilier-Regiment „Kaiser Franz Josef von Österreich, König von Ungarn“ (4. Württembergisches) Nr. 122, where he was promoted to Leutnant in 1913 and fought as Zugführer and later Oberleutnant during the First World War on both the Western and Eastern Fronts, earning both classes of the Eisernes Kreuz among other decorations. After the war he continued in the Reichswehr, rising through staff and regimental commands, and by the outbreak of the Second World War served as Chef des Generalstabes of the V. Armeekorps during the campaign in the West. Promoted to Generalmajor on 1 August 1940, he assumed command of the 5. Infanterie-Division on 25 October 1940 and led it into the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. On 22 June 1941, near Lazdijai, he personally directed a difficult attack that captured the town and a key hill, then led the division’s Vorausabteilung forward to establish a vital bridgehead over the Niemen River at Seirijai, an achievement of great operational importance to the 9. Armee for which he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 17 July 1941. The division was later redesignated 5. Jäger-Division; as Generalleutnant and its commander he directed it during Operation Michael from 27 September to 9 October 1942, successfully broadening the German corridor to Demyansk and contributing decisively to the encirclement and destruction of strong Soviet forces southeast of Lake Ilmen, actions that earned him the 153rd Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 13 December 1942. He later commanded the V. Armeekorps in the Crimea and briefly led the 17. Armee during the evacuation of Sevastopol before being transferred to the Führerreserve in July 1944; captured by American forces in May 1945 and released in December 1947, he lived quietly in Ellwangen until his death on 2 October 1965.
Major Karl Willig (1908-1977) was born on 31 August 1908 in Niederneisen in Hessen and entered military service in 1927 as a Fahnenjunker in the Infanterie-Regiment 5, later serving as an officer in the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht. Promoted to Oberleutnant and then to Hauptmann on 1 December 1939, he commanded the 10. Kompanie of the Infanterie-Regiment 15 during the campaigns in Poland and France. From June 1941 he led the 11. Kompanie of the Infanterie-Regiment 120 (later redesignated Grenadier-Regiment 120 (mot.)) of the 60. Infanterie-Division (mot.) on the Eastern Front, distinguishing himself in the fighting around Kharkov in the spring of 1942. As Führer of the II. Bataillon of Infanterie-Regiment 120 he played a key role in the German counter-offensive during the Second Battle of Kharkov; on 17 May 1942 his battalion, operating on the left wing of the regiment, bypassed Soviet resistance nests and stormed the fortified village of Fidlerowo in fierce close combat, relieving the neighbouring 100. Jäger-Division and enabling the continuation of the encirclement of Soviet forces. For this successful combat leadership he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 25 July 1942 as Hauptmann and commander of II./Infanterie-Regiment 120. Promoted to Major on 1 August 1942, he continued to lead the II. Bataillon of Grenadier-Regiment 120 (mot.) during the advance on and fighting inside Stalingrad. After the Soviet encirclement in November 1942 he commanded a Kampfgruppe that defended the key village of Marinowka on the western side of the Stalingrad pocket in a series of hard defensive battles lasting from 28 November 1942 until 10 January 1943. For this prolonged and determined defence under desperate conditions he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 18 January 1943 as Major and Kommandeur of II./Grenadier-Regiment 120 (mot.). Captured at the end of January 1943 when the pocket was liquidated, Willig was one of the few survivors who returned from Soviet captivity in December 1949 and lived thereafter in Germany until his death on 2 December 1977 in Eschwege.
Oberstleutnant im Generalstab Günter Goebel (1917-1993) was born on 14 November 1917 in Hagen in Westphalia and entered the officer career of the Wehrmacht in 1936, joining the Infanterie-Regiment 18 and later serving as Adjutant of the III. Bataillon of the Infanterie-Regiment 208 of the 79. Infanterie-Division. Promoted to Leutnant in early 1938 and to Oberleutnant on 1 June 1940, he took part in the campaigns in the West and then on the Eastern Front. On 14 September 1941, as Regimentsadjutant of Infanterie-Regiment 208, he independently assumed command of a temporarily leaderless Radfahr-Bataillon and led it in decisive actions in the area of Kiev that contributed to the German advance, for which he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 18 October 1941 as Oberleutnant. He was also entered in the Ehrenblatt des Heeres on 6 November 1941. Promoted to Hauptmann on 1 February 1942, he later commanded a Kampfgruppe during the fighting around Stalingrad. From 17 December 1942 near Nishnij-Tschirskaja along the Chir river, in the sector of the 384. Infanterie-Division, he held a critical bridgehead over the Don with approximately 3,000 men assembled from scattered and poorly equipped units, sending the radio message that became known throughout the 6. Armee: “Kampfgruppe Hauptmann Goebel hält mit 3000 Mann Donbrücke (Werchne) Tschir(skaja). Haltet den Kopf hoch wie wir!” He maintained this position for weeks against superior Soviet forces until early January 1943, thereby helping to delay the enemy advance westward and southwestward. For this determined defence he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 18 January 1943 as Hauptmann and Führer of the Kampfgruppe. Severely wounded while breaking out westward, he was promoted to Major and later served in staff positions, rising to Oberstleutnant im Generalstab by March 1945. Captured by Soviet forces on 11 May 1945 in Courland, he remained in captivity until October 1955 and died in Hagen on 4 September 1993.
Major Willy Riedel (1909-1982) was born on 10 November 1909 in Liegnitz in the Province of Silesia and after an apprenticeship as a joiner joined the police in 1929 before transferring to the Wehrmacht where he initially served as a Zugführer in Infanterie-Regiment 84 during the Polish campaign and later as an Oberleutnant and Kompaniechef in the same regiment during the western campaign. Toward the end of 1941 he was posted to Infanterie-Regiment 524 of the 297. Infanterie-Division and by the autumn of 1942 had become Kommandeur of its III. Bataillon. For his leadership during the division’s advance on Stalingrad, when he repeatedly placed himself at the head of his battalion and continued to direct operations even after being wounded twice, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 8 October 1942 while still holding the rank of Hauptmann. In the subsequent fighting south of Stalingrad he again distinguished himself by preventing an imminent enemy breakthrough; despite having already been wounded twice he formed a Stoßtrupp that threw Soviet troops back from the vicinity of his command post and later, at the end of November 1942, led his Kampfgruppe in clearing numerous resistance nests and closing a dangerous gap in the front line. These actions earned him the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 25 January 1943 as the 186th recipient, still as Hauptmann and now Kommandeur of the redesignated III. Bataillon of Grenadier-Regiment 524, and he was simultaneously promoted to Major. Severely wounded by a grenade splinter shortly afterward, Riedel was taken prisoner by Soviet forces on 28 January 1943 in a field hospital near Stalingrad; while in captivity he joined the Nationalkomitee Freies Deutschland in 1944. Released in 1947 he returned to Germany and entered the Volkspolizei of the German Democratic Republic, later serving in the Kasernierte Volkspolizei and rising to the rank of Oberst in the Nationale Volksarmee, where he briefly commanded the 6. motorisierte Schützendivision from October 1956 to December 1957 before transferring to the Institut für Deutsche Militärgeschichte in Potsdam. Riedel died in Potsdam on 10 February 1982 and was buried at the Neuer Friedhof.
Generalleutnant Carl Rodenburg (1894-1992) was born on 17 May 1894 in Geestemünde and entered the army on 1 October 1913 as an Einjährig-Freiwilliger in the 5. Badische Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 113, serving in the First World War as a platoon and company commander and rising to Oberleutnant by 1918 while receiving both classes of the Iron Cross. After the war he continued in the Reichswehr as a company commander and later, already in the Wehrmacht as Oberstleutnant from 1937, commanded the Lehrstab of the Infanterieschule Döberitz. In the Second World War he led Infanterie-Regiment 203 through the western campaign and into the east, earning the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 7 March 1942 as Oberst. Appointed Kommandeur of the 76. Infanterie-Division on 26 January 1942 and promoted to Generalmajor on 1 April 1942, he directed the division in the fighting between the Don and the Volga from 24 August 1942, holding critical high ground south of Kotluban and repeatedly repelling Soviet assaults, particularly on 18 and 23 September, during which the division and its attached units destroyed 227 enemy tanks. For this leadership he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 8 October 1942 while still a Generalmajor and Kommandeur of the 76. Infanterie-Division under the VIII. Armee-Korps of the 6. Armee. Promoted to Generalleutnant on 1 December 1942, Rodenburg continued to command the division after it was encircled at Stalingrad; his forces’ steadfast defence northeast of Verkhnyaya Yelshanka from 22 to 28 November 1942 blocked a Soviet thrust toward the Don bridges and enabled counter-moves by neighbouring corps, while later actions included the use of his artillery regiment as infantry in an assault at the Bolshaya Rossoshka collective farm on 18 January 1943. These achievements earned him the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 31 January 1943 as the 189th recipient. On the same day he surrendered with the remnants of his division and went into Soviet captivity, from which he was released only in 1955. Rodenburg died on 5 November 1992 in Greven.
Hauptmann Werner Baumgarten-Crusius (1919-1995) was born on 29 January 1919 in Dresden and died on 4 November 1995 in Frankfurt am Main. He entered service on 2 November 1937 as Fahnenjunker in the 3. Kompanie of Infanterie-Regiment 10, attended the Kriegsakademie in München, and was promoted to Leutnant in 1939. As Zugführer he took part in the campaigns in Poland and France, later becoming Ordonnanz-Offizier and Adjutant in Infanterie-Regiment 156 (motorisiert) of the 16. Infanterie-Division (motorisiert), with which he fought in the Balkans and during Operation Barbarossa. Promoted to Oberleutnant in autumn 1941, he assumed command of the 5. Kompanie and distinguished himself in the defence of the Stützpunkt Panskoj on the Donets near Kursk during the winter battles of 1941/42. Facing an estimated three enemy battalions, he held the strongpoint firmly, enabling neighbouring units to restore their front and drawing enemy forces away from adjacent sectors, for which he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 22 February 1942 as Chef 5. Kompanie, II. Bataillon, Infanterie-Regiment 156 (motorisiert). In early 1943 he became Führer of the I. Bataillon of Grenadier-Regiment 156 (motorisiert) and was promoted to Hauptmann. On 18 February his Bataillon, acting with Panzer-Abteilung 116, closed a breakthrough near Stepanowskij, smashed leading elements of the 33rd Rifle Division and cut off the Soviet 4th Guards Tank Corps. On the night of 19/20 February, when the corps attempted to break out eastwards through the Fedorenko gorge while attacking Stepanowskij from the east, Baumgarten-Crusius met the assault head-on with limited panzer support, repulsed simultaneous attacks and launched a decisive double-pincer counter-attack that destroyed the corps, earning him the Eichenlaub (199th award) to the Ritterkreuz on 27 February 1943. After serving as Taktiklehrer and undergoing staff training he returned in December 1944 as Kommandeur of I./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 156 for the Ardennen-Offensive, was captured by American forces near Verdenne on 25 December 1944 and released on 14 September 1945.
Oberst Walter Scheunemann (1909-1949) was born on 26 March 1909 in Bankau, West Prussia, and entered the Preußische Schutzpolizei on 4 October 1930 before transferring on 1 August 1935 as Unteroffizier into the Heer and assignment to Infanterie-Regiment 50, with which he took part in the Poland campaign. Promoted to Oberleutnant on 1 February 1940, he joined Infanterie-Regiment 272 of the 93. Infanterie-Division and from 20 May 1940 served as Chef of the 9. Kompanie in its III. Bataillon. On 5 August 1940 he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes for his decisive role, together with Oberstleutnant Löwrick, in capturing Werk 789 in the Maginot Line obstacle zone south of Cappel, an action that enabled German penetration of the fortified belt and compelled the local French forces to withdraw. After further service on the Eastern Front he was promoted to Hauptmann on 1 April 1942 while near Leningrad and later to Major. As Kommandeur of the I. Bataillon of Grenadier-Regiment 272 he distinguished himself repeatedly in the heavy fighting of the I. Armee-Korps at the Wolchow, completing a special mission in exemplary fashion, leading an improvised formation of more than Bataillon strength that earned special recognition from the commanders of the 291. Infanterie-Division and the I. Armee-Korps, and fighting effectively with his battalion at Urizk near Leningrad on 22 July 1942, as well as in the battles south of the Ilmensee. These achievements led to the award of the 202nd Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 6 March 1943. From December 1943 he commanded Grenadier-Regiment 270 near Cholm, rose to Oberstleutnant and then Oberst on 1 September 1944, and spent the final months of the war in the OKH-Reserve, briefly leading elements of Infanterie-Division “Döberitz.” He died in Göttingen on 29 December 1949.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 :
https://www.avalanchepress.com/BehindCounters2.php
No comments:
Post a Comment