DIENSTGLAS 7X50
The WWII German Dienstglas 7x50 binoculars, universally known as the standard-issue "service glass" or duty binoculars of the Wehrmacht, Kriegsmarine, and Luftwaffe, represented the pinnacle of Third Reich optical engineering and were issued by the thousands from 1939 to 1945 as essential tools for observation, artillery spotting, naval reconnaissance, and low-light night operations across every theater of the war. Built primarily by elite manufacturers such as Carl Zeiss Jena (under wartime codes blc or rln), Ernst Leitz Wetzlar (beh), Emil Busch (cxn), and even occupied French firms like Huet, these rugged Porro-prism instruments delivered a crisp 7x magnification through massive 50 mm objective lenses that gathered exceptional light for their era—yielding a field of view around 7.3 degrees or 128 meters at 1,000 meters—making them prized "night glasses" especially aboard U-boats and surface ships where silhouette identification at dusk or dawn often decided survival. Featuring individual eyepiece focusing, uncoated (or occasionally coated) optics in most army models, rubber-armored variants for Kriegsmarine U-boat use with fold-back Bakelite eyecups or sliding objective shields, cold-weather grease markings like the "+" or "•" for arctic or Russian Front deployment, gas-mask-compatible long-eye-relief designs, and occasional right-eyepiece reticles for rangefinding, the 7x50s were housed in durable aluminum or Bakelite bodies often finished in field-gray, tan, or naval gray paint; post-1940 production typically omitted full maker names in favor of coded markings followed by serial numbers to maintain wartime secrecy. Though heavier than smaller 6x30 infantry glasses, their superior light transmission and durability earned them legendary status among German forces, with many thousands captured by Allied troops who prized them as superior trophies, ensuring the Dienstglas 7x50's enduring reputation today among collectors and historians as a symbol of German precision optics that helped shape the course of history from the beaches of Normandy to the depths of the Atlantic.
Generalmajor Walter Gorn (1898-1968) was born on 24 September 1898 in Bieganin near Posen in the Kingdom of Prussia and enlisted as a Kriegsfreiwilliger in the West Prussian Grenadier-Regiment „König Wilhelm I.“ Nr. 7 during the First World War, seeing action on the Western Front before serving with machine-gun units and later joining Freikorps formations in the Baltic; after demobilization he entered the Schutzpolizei in 1920, rising through the ranks to Hauptmann by 1934 and transferring into the Wehrmacht in 1935 as commander of a company in the 3. Kradschützen-Bataillon of the 3. Panzer-Division. In the Second World War he served on the staff of the XIX. Armeekorps during the Polish campaign, then as Major took command of the I. Bataillon of Schützen-Regiment 10 (later redesignated Panzergrenadier-Regiment 10) of the 9. Panzer-Division; on 8–20 April 1941 during the invasion of Yugoslavia he led a mixed Abteilung in a bold advance from Gostivar toward Debar in Macedonia, overrunning strong Yugoslav resistance, capturing seven enemy batteries together with nine further batteries, twelve anti-tank guns and large quantities of matériel, liberating some 800 Italian prisoners whom he promptly rearmed and incorporated into his force, thereby establishing contact with Italian troops and earning the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 20 April 1941. Promoted Oberstleutnant and given command of Kradschützen-Bataillon 59, he fought in the fierce defensive battles around Voronezh in the summer of 1942, where his greatly depleted unit of only about fifty-five combat-effective men repeatedly repulsed heavy Soviet assaults, for which he received the Eichenlaub (113th award) on 17 August 1942. Taking over Panzergrenadier-Regiment 10, he distinguished himself in the winter battles of Rzhev, particularly near Sychyovka along the Vazuza and south of Loshki, where his regiment helped free the encircled 129. Infanterie-Division and destroy cut-off Soviet forces, resulting in the award of the Schwerter (30th award) on 8 June 1943 while he was Oberst. Later promoted Generalmajor, he commanded the 561. Grenadier-Division (subsequently Volksgrenadier-Division) in East Prussia and Lithuania against Operation Bagration and the subsequent Soviet offensives, then briefly the 710. Infanterie-Division in Austria before surrendering to American forces at Steyr on 8 May 1945; released from captivity in 1947, he died in Rosenheim on 10 July 1968.
Kapitän zur See Klaus Scholtz (1908-1987) was born on 22 March 1908 in Magdeburg and joined the Reichsmarine on 5 April 1927 as a Seeoffiziersbewerber of Crew 1927, serving initially on training ships and later on torpedo boats including the Jaguar, which he commanded from 1937 to 1939. In April 1940 he transferred voluntarily to the U-Bootwaffe, completed the necessary courses, and on 22 October 1940 assumed command of the Type IXB submarine U-108 of the 2. Unterseebootsflottille. On his first Feindfahrt from 15 February to 12 March 1941 he sank two ships totalling 8,078 BRT; on the second patrol he sank the British Hilfskreuzer Rajputana of 16,444 BRT on 13 April 1941. Subsequent Atlantic patrols yielded further successes, including seven ships of 26,931 BRT on the third voyage, and by the end of his fifth Feindfahrt in December 1941 he had sunk thirteen ships amounting to 61,760 BRT. For these achievements he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 26 December 1941 as Kapitänleutnant and Kommandant of U-108. Promoted to Korvettenkapitän on 1 November 1941, he continued successful operations, sinking five ships of 20,082 BRT on his sixth patrol and five more of 31,340 BRT on the seventh. On his eighth and final Feindfahrt from 13 July to 10 September 1942 he sank three additional ships of 17,496 BRT, bringing his total to twenty-five vessels of approximately 128,000 BRT. For these further successes he received the Eichenlaub on 10 September 1942 as the 123rd recipient while still Kommandant of U-108. He then relinquished command and on 15 October 1942 became Flottillenchef of the 12. Unterseebootsflottille based at Bordeaux. Promoted to Fregattenkapitän in July 1944, he was captured by American forces on 11 September 1944 while leading remaining personnel from the isolated fortress of Bordeaux and was released in April 1946. After the war he served in the Grenzschutz See and later the Bundesmarine, rising to Kapitän zur See before retiring in 1966; he died on 1 May 1987 in Bad Schwartau.
Fregattenkapitän Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock (1911-1986) began his naval career in 1931 and transferred to the U-boat arm in 1939, later commanding the Type VIIC submarine U-96 as Kapitänleutnant from September 1940 until March 1942 while attached to the 7. U-Flottille and conducting eight war patrols in the Battle of the Atlantic that resulted in the sinking of twenty-four ships totaling 170,237 gross register tons along with two ships damaged for 15,864 gross register tons and one ship declared a total loss. For his achievements during the first three of these patrols, in which U-96 under his command sank fourteen ships of 115,580 gross register tons and damaged two others of 15,864 gross register tons including the prominent sinking of the British troopship Almeda Star of 14,935 gross register tons on 17 January 1941, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 26 February 1941 as Kommandant of U-96 in recognition of his rapid destruction of more than 125,000 gross register tons of enemy shipping in a short period. For further successes achieved over the course of another five war patrols in which he sank an additional ten ships totaling 58,746 gross register tons, he received the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 31 December 1941 while still serving as Kommandant of U-96, after which he went on to command the 9. U-Flottille in Brest and briefly U-256 before becoming Flottillenchef of the 11. U-Flottille until the end of the war.
Korvettenkapitän
Herbert Schultze (1909-1987) was one of the most successful and widely
known U-Boot commanders of the Kriegsmarine during the early years of
the Second World War, achieving fame as the commander of U-48, one of
Germany’s most successful submarines. After taking command of U-48 in
1938, Schultze began a remarkable combat career in the Atlantic, where
his aggressive yet often highly publicized adherence to traditional
naval prize rules brought him international attention. During the
opening months of the war he sank numerous Allied merchant vessels,
including Royal Sceptre, Winkleigh, Firby, and many others, while
conducting a series of highly successful patrols that resulted in tens
of thousands of tons of enemy shipping destroyed. His growing record of
success, leadership, and effectiveness in disrupting British maritime
supply lines led to the award of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on
1 March 1940. Schultze continued his operational achievements
throughout 1940 and early 1941, eventually reaching a total of more than
169,709 gross register tons of 26 Allied shipping sunk, making him one
of the leading U-Boot aces of the period. In recognition of these
continued successes while commanding U-48, as well as his sustained
contribution to the Battle of the Atlantic and exemplary leadership
within the U-Boot-Waffe, he was awarded the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz
des Eisernen Kreuzes on 12 June 1941 as the sixth U-Boot
commander to receive that distinction. Shortly afterward he was
withdrawn from frontline patrol duty and assigned to command the 3.
U-Flottille at La Rochelle, later serving in several important staff
positions under Großadmiral Karl Dönitz.
SS-Sturmbannführer Hubert-Erwin Meierdrees (1916-1945), commonly known as Erwin Meierdress, was born on 11 December 1916 in Wesel in the Rhine Province and joined the Hitlerjugend in 1933, the NSDAP on 4 April 1934, and the SS-VT on 1 August 1934, serving initially with the LSSAH before attending the SS-Junkerschule Braunschweig and becoming SS-Untersturmführer on 20 April 1939 as Zugführer in the 13. Sturm of SS-Standarte Der Führer. He transferred to the SS-Totenkopf-Division, serving as Batterie-Offizier and later Adjutant in the SS-Totenkopf-Artillerie-Regiment, taking part in the Polish and Western campaigns and then the invasion of the Soviet Union, where as SS-Obersturmführer and Führer of the Sturmgeschütz-Batterie he formed an ad-hoc Kampfgruppe at Bjakowo during the Demjansk pocket in January–February 1942, holding the critical village against repeated overwhelming Soviet assaults with tanks and aircraft support despite encirclement, thereby securing the vital Staraya Russa–Demyansk road and contributing decisively to the integrity of Festung Demjansk, for which he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 13 March 1942 after being severely wounded and flown out. Recovering, he became Kommandeur of the I. Abteilung of SS-Panzer-Regiment 3 Totenkopf in November 1942, rising to SS-Hauptsturmführer, and distinguished himself in the fighting around Kharkov, at Kursk, on the Mius, and during the retreat to the Dnieper, including personally crushing anti-tank guns, destroying columns of artillery and tanks, and leading close-combat actions after his own panzer was immobilized. For these repeated acts of bold leadership and initiative he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 5 October 1943 as SS-Hauptsturmführer and Kommandeur of the I. Bataillon / SS-Panzer-Regiment 3 Totenkopf. Promoted to SS-Sturmbannführer on 30 January 1944, he continued commanding the Abteilung until he was killed on 2 January 1945 near Dunaalmás in Hungary when his Panther was destroyed while attempting to break the encirclement of Budapest.
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DIENSTGLAS 6X30
SS-Sturmbannführer Hubert-Erwin Meierdrees (1916-1945), commonly known as Erwin Meierdress, was born on 11 December 1916 in Wesel in the Rhine Province and joined the Hitlerjugend in 1933, the NSDAP on 4 April 1934, and the SS-VT on 1 August 1934, serving initially with the LSSAH before attending the SS-Junkerschule Braunschweig and becoming SS-Untersturmführer on 20 April 1939 as Zugführer in the 13. Sturm of SS-Standarte Der Führer. He transferred to the SS-Totenkopf-Division, serving as Batterie-Offizier and later Adjutant in the SS-Totenkopf-Artillerie-Regiment, taking part in the Polish and Western campaigns and then the invasion of the Soviet Union, where as SS-Obersturmführer and Führer of the Sturmgeschütz-Batterie he formed an ad-hoc Kampfgruppe at Bjakowo during the Demjansk pocket in January–February 1942, holding the critical village against repeated overwhelming Soviet assaults with tanks and aircraft support despite encirclement, thereby securing the vital Staraya Russa–Demyansk road and contributing decisively to the integrity of Festung Demjansk, for which he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 13 March 1942 after being severely wounded and flown out. Recovering, he became Kommandeur of the I. Abteilung of SS-Panzer-Regiment 3 Totenkopf in November 1942, rising to SS-Hauptsturmführer, and distinguished himself in the fighting around Kharkov, at Kursk, on the Mius, and during the retreat to the Dnieper, including personally crushing anti-tank guns, destroying columns of artillery and tanks, and leading close-combat actions after his own panzer was immobilized. For these repeated acts of bold leadership and initiative he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 5 October 1943 as SS-Hauptsturmführer and Kommandeur of the I. Bataillon / SS-Panzer-Regiment 3 Totenkopf. Promoted to SS-Sturmbannführer on 30 January 1944, he continued commanding the Abteilung until he was killed on 2 January 1945 near Dunaalmás in Hungary when his Panther was destroyed while attempting to break the encirclement of Budapest.
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DIENSTGLAS 6X30
Generalleutnant Georg-Wilhelm Postel (1896-1953), born on 25 April 1896 in Zittau, rose through the ranks of the German Army from his service in World War I to become a Generalleutnant, commanding the Infanterie-Regiment 364 of the 161. Infanterie-Division, then the 320. Infanterie-Division, and finally the XXX. Armeekorps before his capture by Soviet forces on 30 August 1944 during the capitulation of Romania; he died in Soviet captivity on 20 September 1953. As Oberst and Kommandeur of the Infanterie-Regiment 364, Postel earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 9 August 1942 for his leadership on 4 February 1942, when he took overall command of German units around a Soviet penetration zone south of Wosszino and directed a successful attack that closed the resulting gap in the frontline, together with other defensive actions around Rzhev in early 1942. Promoted to Generalmajor and appointed Kommandeur of the 320. Infanterie-Division, he received the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 28 March 1943, the 215th such award, for his exemplary frontline leadership amid extremely bitter fighting between the Don and Donez rivers from mid-January 1943 onward; often fighting without contact to neighboring units, his division repulsed overwhelming Soviet assaults while contesting every kilometer of ground, withdrew from forward strongpoints on orders, and conducted a nine-day breakthrough battle that eliminated several strong enemy battlegroups, including a reinforced Soviet rifle regiment on 10 February 1943, before reaching friendly lines on 13 February, during which Postel personally led from the most dangerous positions and was wounded while carrying out reconnaissance. As Generalleutnant still in command of the 320. Infanterie-Division, Postel was awarded the Schwerter zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub on 26 March 1944 for his outstanding leadership throughout the summer of 1943 near Belgorod, the heavy defensive battles around Kharkov in the autumn of 1943, and the winter operations of 1943/44 near Krementschug as well as further successful defensive actions around Kirovohrad and south of Tscherkassy in early 1944.
Generalmajor Heinrich Voigtsberger (1903-1959) was born on 10 February 1903 in Untermhaus near Gera and entered the Reichswehr on 1 October 1922 as Fahnenjunker in the II. Bataillon of Infanterie-Regiment 15, receiving promotion to Leutnant on 1 December 1926, Oberleutnant in 1930 and Hauptmann in 1935 when he became Kompaniechef of the 1. Kompanie in MG-Bataillon 2; he assumed command of MG-Bataillon 2 on 20 December 1939, led it through the Westfeldzug and was promoted to Major on 1 August 1940 before the unit’s transfer to North Africa in early 1941. During the first siege of Tobruk in April 1941, as Kommandeur of MG-Bataillon 2 under the Deutsches Afrikakorps, he directed the successful penetration of the outer fortifications, capturing the vital height of Ras el Madauuar (Hill 209) and establishing a deep salient in the Allied defensive ring that remained a persistent threat to the garrison, actions for which he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 9 July 1941 while also receiving the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse in April of that year; he was severely wounded in the Cyrenaica later that summer. After recovery he took command of Grenadier-Regiment 60 (mot.) on 14 May 1942, was promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1 October 1942 and to Oberst on 1 August 1943, and led the regiment with distinction on the Eastern Front through the fighting around Orel, Gomel and the Dnepr, particularly during the heavy engagements of late 1943 in which his unit destroyed 147 Soviet tanks on 24 August, executed a decisive flank counterattack that annihilated a breakthrough armoured force, and on 14 October held the central sector of the Saporoshje bridgehead covering the asphalt road from the steelworks to the dam, enabling the orderly withdrawal of German forces across the Dnepr before the bridges were demolished, achievements that earned him the 351st Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz on 9 December 1943. Redesignated Panzergrenadier-Regiment 60, the unit served with the 116. Panzer-Division in the Normandy campaign from June 1944; Voigtsberger briefly commanded the division in mid-September before returning to the Führerreserve, attended divisional command courses and on 1 February 1945 assumed leadership of the newly formed 309. Infanterie-Division (also known as Infanterie-Division Berlin), receiving promotion to Generalmajor on 1 April 1945 and commanding it in the Oder and Halbe pocket battles until the formation was destroyed; he surrendered to British forces in May 1945 and was released in 1947, dying on 17 March 1959 in Wittlich.
Oberstleutnant Hans-Dieter von Basse (1916-1945) was born on 16 June 1916 in Hagen in Westfalen and entered military service in 1936 as a Schütze with the 1./Infanterie-Regiment 47 in Lüneburg, where he was appointed Fahnenjunker in 1937. After attending the Kriegsschule in Dresden and a Waffen-Lehrgang for Oberfähnriche at the Infanterieschule Döberitz in 1938, he was posted to Infanterie-Regiment 51 as a Zugführer. In 1940 he served as Bataillonsadjutant and took part in the campaign in France, receiving the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse on 17 June 1940, followed by the Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen in Silber on 4 December 1940 and the Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse on 18 July 1941. He later earned the Ostmedaille on 23 July 1942. In 1943 he became Chef of the 17. (IG)/Füsilier-Regiment "Großdeutschland" and simultaneously assumed leadership of the I. Bataillon. As Major and Kommandeur of the I. Bataillon of the Panzer-Füsilier-Regiment "Großdeutschland", he was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 12 March 1944. During the operations around Schaulen in August 1944, after the men of the Panzer-Grenadier-Division "Großdeutschland" had captured Kuziai on 19 August, the Füsilier-Regiment advanced southwards toward a designated stream obstacle. West of Schaulen near Kursenai, where the danger of an enemy breakthrough threatened the last land connection between Heeresgruppe Nord and Heeresgruppe Mitte, von Basse led a handful of his men in a daring assault, storming and securing the last intact bridge over the stream and capturing the Soviet defensive positions and trench system on the eastern bank, thereby establishing a vital bridgehead that enabled further German operations. For this action he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 10 September 1944. On 20 December 1944 he took command of the Panzer-Füsilier-Regiment "Großdeutschland". In 1945 he was ordered to a Regimentsführer-Lehrgang at the Panzertruppenschule Bergen but remained with his unit due to the front situation and was promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1 April 1945. On 16 April 1945 he was fatally wounded by a headshot at Godnicken in the Samland region of Ostpreußen and was posthumously confirmed in the rank of Oberstleutnant; he is buried at the German War Cemetery Germau/Russkoe.
Oberstleutnant Hans-Peter Knaust (1906-1983) was born on 7 August 1906 in Kiel in Schleswig-Holstein and died on 22 October 1983 in Kevelaer in North Rhine-Westphalia. A career officer who rose from Feldwebel to Oberstleutnant, he served in the Heer throughout the Second World War, earning the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 28 February 1942 as Major in the II. Bataillon of Schützen-Regiment 4. In September 1944, during the Allied Operation Market-Garden, he commanded the ad-hoc Kampfgruppe Sonnestuhl within the II. SS-Panzerkorps. As one of the first German units to offer significant resistance, his Kampfgruppe played a decisive role in the defence around Arnhem, engaging British airborne forces and contributing to the eventual recapture of the vital bridge area. For his bravery and leadership in these actions he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 28 September 1944. Later, as Oberstleutnant and Kommandeur of Regiment Knaust within the 490. Infanterie-Division, he led defensive battles on the Western Front in early 1945. His skilful command prevented an Allied breakthrough at the southwest edge of the Teutoburg Forest toward Ibbenbüren and allowed a new defensive front to be established. On 5–6 April 1945, during hard fighting at Dreierwalde and Hopsten, counterthrusts he personally led destroyed two enemy tanks, captured two more and took numerous prisoners. Despite his prosthetic right leg being severely damaged, he continued to direct his Kampfgruppe, enabling the successful disengagement of the 15. Panzergrenadier-Division. For these achievements he received the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz on 17 April 1945, the 843rd award of this decoration. He was captured by British forces on 5 May 1945 and released a year later.
Hauptmann Hans Stern (1907-1972) was born on 2 May 1907 in Kassel, Germany, and died on 30 March 1972. During the Second World War he served initially in the Heer, participating in the campaigns in Poland and France before advancing with the 6. Panzer-Division during the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa on the Eastern Front, where he held the rank of Hauptmann and served as Chef of the 3. Kompanie in the Panzer-Regiment 11. For his exemplary leadership and combat performance in this role he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 15 July 1941. He had earlier earned the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse and the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse, together with the Panzerkampfabzeichen ohne Zahl. In 1943 Stern transferred to the Waffen-SS, rising to the rank of Obersturmbannführer and later commanding the SS-Brigade Westfalen among other units; after the war he continued his service in the Bundeswehr, attaining the rank of Oberstleutnant.
Oberleutnant Hans-Werner Deppe (1921-2009), born on 21 March 1921 in Obernbeck-Herford in Westphalia, Germany, and who died on 30 December 2009 in Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, was a decorated German infantry officer whose courage during the Second World War exemplified frontline leadership in the Heer. Initially serving as Leutnant in the III. / Infanterie-Regiment 58 of the 6. Infanterie-Division, he had already proven himself in the heavy defensive battles near Rzhev in August 1942, an action that led to his award of the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 31 October 1942 after an earlier recommendation for the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes was declined. By 1943, promoted to Oberleutnant and acting as Chef of the 3. / Grenadier-Regiment 58 within the same division, Deppe earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 14 August 1943 for his decisive intervention during the breakthrough battles south of Orel on 8 July 1943, when the reinforced I./Grenadier-Regiment 58 assaulted heavily fortified Russian positions northeast of Kutyrki. Facing a sudden and powerful enemy counterattack supported by artillery and aircraft that overran the neighboring 1. Kompanie after it lost its commander and platoon leaders, Deppe instantly recognized the mortal danger to the entire Bataillon, deviated from his assigned mission, and with his own depleted 3. Kompanie—already weakened by the loss of both Zugführers—charged into the enemy’s exposed flank with a resounding Hurra amid exploding shells. Wounded in the shoulder by a grenade during the ensuing close combat, he refused to yield, alternately standing or lying atop a Sturmgeschütz while firing an MG to rally his Grenadiere through sheer personal example, repelling the Soviet thrust, then pursuing on his own initiative to clear the heavily defended Rachel of remnants and push the farthest south in a narrow attack wedge; struck a second time in the arm, he only relented for medical treatment after being explicitly ordered by the Regiment. His lightning-swift situational awareness, bold independent initiative, outstanding personal bravery, and exemplary Führungsstärke not only saved the depleted Bataillon but enabled the regiment’s successful penetration of the strongly fortified enemy defensive network northwest of Kutyrki, inflicting around 150 enemy dead while capturing prisoners, a Katyusha rocket launcher, anti-tank guns, and numerous small arms with comparatively light German losses, actions that proved decisive for the broader operation as detailed in his award citation.
Oberleutnant Viktor Lindemann (1916-1942) was born on 23 November 1916 in Koblenz in the Rhine Province of Germany and served as an officer in the Heer during the Second World War. As Leutnant and Adjutant of the III. Bataillon of Infanterie-Regiment 124 he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 21 September 1941 for his conduct during operations on the Eastern Front in the opening phase of the German campaign against the Soviet Union. He later received promotion to Oberleutnant and was appointed Chef of the 4. Schwadron of Radfahr-Abteilung 72 in the 72. Infanterie-Division. In addition to the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes he was decorated with the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse and the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse. Lindemann was killed in action on 9 September 1942 near Dubakino on the southern sector of the Eastern Front while serving in his command role with the bicycle reconnaissance unit. The precise action or series of actions that led to the award of his Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes is not described in detail in the available biographical entries on the internet, which record only the date, his rank and his assignment at the time of the bestowal.
Generalmajor Heinrich Voigtsberger (1903-1959) was born on 10 February 1903 in Untermhaus near Gera and entered the Reichswehr on 1 October 1922 as Fahnenjunker in the II. Bataillon of Infanterie-Regiment 15, receiving promotion to Leutnant on 1 December 1926, Oberleutnant in 1930 and Hauptmann in 1935 when he became Kompaniechef of the 1. Kompanie in MG-Bataillon 2; he assumed command of MG-Bataillon 2 on 20 December 1939, led it through the Westfeldzug and was promoted to Major on 1 August 1940 before the unit’s transfer to North Africa in early 1941. During the first siege of Tobruk in April 1941, as Kommandeur of MG-Bataillon 2 under the Deutsches Afrikakorps, he directed the successful penetration of the outer fortifications, capturing the vital height of Ras el Madauuar (Hill 209) and establishing a deep salient in the Allied defensive ring that remained a persistent threat to the garrison, actions for which he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 9 July 1941 while also receiving the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse in April of that year; he was severely wounded in the Cyrenaica later that summer. After recovery he took command of Grenadier-Regiment 60 (mot.) on 14 May 1942, was promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1 October 1942 and to Oberst on 1 August 1943, and led the regiment with distinction on the Eastern Front through the fighting around Orel, Gomel and the Dnepr, particularly during the heavy engagements of late 1943 in which his unit destroyed 147 Soviet tanks on 24 August, executed a decisive flank counterattack that annihilated a breakthrough armoured force, and on 14 October held the central sector of the Saporoshje bridgehead covering the asphalt road from the steelworks to the dam, enabling the orderly withdrawal of German forces across the Dnepr before the bridges were demolished, achievements that earned him the 351st Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz on 9 December 1943. Redesignated Panzergrenadier-Regiment 60, the unit served with the 116. Panzer-Division in the Normandy campaign from June 1944; Voigtsberger briefly commanded the division in mid-September before returning to the Führerreserve, attended divisional command courses and on 1 February 1945 assumed leadership of the newly formed 309. Infanterie-Division (also known as Infanterie-Division Berlin), receiving promotion to Generalmajor on 1 April 1945 and commanding it in the Oder and Halbe pocket battles until the formation was destroyed; he surrendered to British forces in May 1945 and was released in 1947, dying on 17 March 1959 in Wittlich.
Oberstleutnant Hans-Dieter von Basse (1916-1945) was born on 16 June 1916 in Hagen in Westfalen and entered military service in 1936 as a Schütze with the 1./Infanterie-Regiment 47 in Lüneburg, where he was appointed Fahnenjunker in 1937. After attending the Kriegsschule in Dresden and a Waffen-Lehrgang for Oberfähnriche at the Infanterieschule Döberitz in 1938, he was posted to Infanterie-Regiment 51 as a Zugführer. In 1940 he served as Bataillonsadjutant and took part in the campaign in France, receiving the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse on 17 June 1940, followed by the Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen in Silber on 4 December 1940 and the Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse on 18 July 1941. He later earned the Ostmedaille on 23 July 1942. In 1943 he became Chef of the 17. (IG)/Füsilier-Regiment "Großdeutschland" and simultaneously assumed leadership of the I. Bataillon. As Major and Kommandeur of the I. Bataillon of the Panzer-Füsilier-Regiment "Großdeutschland", he was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 12 March 1944. During the operations around Schaulen in August 1944, after the men of the Panzer-Grenadier-Division "Großdeutschland" had captured Kuziai on 19 August, the Füsilier-Regiment advanced southwards toward a designated stream obstacle. West of Schaulen near Kursenai, where the danger of an enemy breakthrough threatened the last land connection between Heeresgruppe Nord and Heeresgruppe Mitte, von Basse led a handful of his men in a daring assault, storming and securing the last intact bridge over the stream and capturing the Soviet defensive positions and trench system on the eastern bank, thereby establishing a vital bridgehead that enabled further German operations. For this action he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 10 September 1944. On 20 December 1944 he took command of the Panzer-Füsilier-Regiment "Großdeutschland". In 1945 he was ordered to a Regimentsführer-Lehrgang at the Panzertruppenschule Bergen but remained with his unit due to the front situation and was promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1 April 1945. On 16 April 1945 he was fatally wounded by a headshot at Godnicken in the Samland region of Ostpreußen and was posthumously confirmed in the rank of Oberstleutnant; he is buried at the German War Cemetery Germau/Russkoe.
Oberstleutnant Hans-Peter Knaust (1906-1983) was born on 7 August 1906 in Kiel in Schleswig-Holstein and died on 22 October 1983 in Kevelaer in North Rhine-Westphalia. A career officer who rose from Feldwebel to Oberstleutnant, he served in the Heer throughout the Second World War, earning the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 28 February 1942 as Major in the II. Bataillon of Schützen-Regiment 4. In September 1944, during the Allied Operation Market-Garden, he commanded the ad-hoc Kampfgruppe Sonnestuhl within the II. SS-Panzerkorps. As one of the first German units to offer significant resistance, his Kampfgruppe played a decisive role in the defence around Arnhem, engaging British airborne forces and contributing to the eventual recapture of the vital bridge area. For his bravery and leadership in these actions he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 28 September 1944. Later, as Oberstleutnant and Kommandeur of Regiment Knaust within the 490. Infanterie-Division, he led defensive battles on the Western Front in early 1945. His skilful command prevented an Allied breakthrough at the southwest edge of the Teutoburg Forest toward Ibbenbüren and allowed a new defensive front to be established. On 5–6 April 1945, during hard fighting at Dreierwalde and Hopsten, counterthrusts he personally led destroyed two enemy tanks, captured two more and took numerous prisoners. Despite his prosthetic right leg being severely damaged, he continued to direct his Kampfgruppe, enabling the successful disengagement of the 15. Panzergrenadier-Division. For these achievements he received the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz on 17 April 1945, the 843rd award of this decoration. He was captured by British forces on 5 May 1945 and released a year later.
Hauptmann Hans Stern (1907-1972) was born on 2 May 1907 in Kassel, Germany, and died on 30 March 1972. During the Second World War he served initially in the Heer, participating in the campaigns in Poland and France before advancing with the 6. Panzer-Division during the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa on the Eastern Front, where he held the rank of Hauptmann and served as Chef of the 3. Kompanie in the Panzer-Regiment 11. For his exemplary leadership and combat performance in this role he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 15 July 1941. He had earlier earned the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse and the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse, together with the Panzerkampfabzeichen ohne Zahl. In 1943 Stern transferred to the Waffen-SS, rising to the rank of Obersturmbannführer and later commanding the SS-Brigade Westfalen among other units; after the war he continued his service in the Bundeswehr, attaining the rank of Oberstleutnant.
Oberleutnant Hans-Werner Deppe (1921-2009), born on 21 March 1921 in Obernbeck-Herford in Westphalia, Germany, and who died on 30 December 2009 in Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, was a decorated German infantry officer whose courage during the Second World War exemplified frontline leadership in the Heer. Initially serving as Leutnant in the III. / Infanterie-Regiment 58 of the 6. Infanterie-Division, he had already proven himself in the heavy defensive battles near Rzhev in August 1942, an action that led to his award of the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 31 October 1942 after an earlier recommendation for the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes was declined. By 1943, promoted to Oberleutnant and acting as Chef of the 3. / Grenadier-Regiment 58 within the same division, Deppe earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 14 August 1943 for his decisive intervention during the breakthrough battles south of Orel on 8 July 1943, when the reinforced I./Grenadier-Regiment 58 assaulted heavily fortified Russian positions northeast of Kutyrki. Facing a sudden and powerful enemy counterattack supported by artillery and aircraft that overran the neighboring 1. Kompanie after it lost its commander and platoon leaders, Deppe instantly recognized the mortal danger to the entire Bataillon, deviated from his assigned mission, and with his own depleted 3. Kompanie—already weakened by the loss of both Zugführers—charged into the enemy’s exposed flank with a resounding Hurra amid exploding shells. Wounded in the shoulder by a grenade during the ensuing close combat, he refused to yield, alternately standing or lying atop a Sturmgeschütz while firing an MG to rally his Grenadiere through sheer personal example, repelling the Soviet thrust, then pursuing on his own initiative to clear the heavily defended Rachel of remnants and push the farthest south in a narrow attack wedge; struck a second time in the arm, he only relented for medical treatment after being explicitly ordered by the Regiment. His lightning-swift situational awareness, bold independent initiative, outstanding personal bravery, and exemplary Führungsstärke not only saved the depleted Bataillon but enabled the regiment’s successful penetration of the strongly fortified enemy defensive network northwest of Kutyrki, inflicting around 150 enemy dead while capturing prisoners, a Katyusha rocket launcher, anti-tank guns, and numerous small arms with comparatively light German losses, actions that proved decisive for the broader operation as detailed in his award citation.
Oberleutnant Viktor Lindemann (1916-1942) was born on 23 November 1916 in Koblenz in the Rhine Province of Germany and served as an officer in the Heer during the Second World War. As Leutnant and Adjutant of the III. Bataillon of Infanterie-Regiment 124 he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 21 September 1941 for his conduct during operations on the Eastern Front in the opening phase of the German campaign against the Soviet Union. He later received promotion to Oberleutnant and was appointed Chef of the 4. Schwadron of Radfahr-Abteilung 72 in the 72. Infanterie-Division. In addition to the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes he was decorated with the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse and the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse. Lindemann was killed in action on 9 September 1942 near Dubakino on the southern sector of the Eastern Front while serving in his command role with the bicycle reconnaissance unit. The precise action or series of actions that led to the award of his Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes is not described in detail in the available biographical entries on the internet, which record only the date, his rank and his assignment at the time of the bestowal.
Source :
https://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2012/02/album-foto-fernglas-teropong.html
https://www.bild.bundesarchiv.de/dba/de/
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