Saluting Ritterkreuzträger

During the Second World War the Deutscher Gruß, also known as the Hitlergruß, consisted of raising the right arm outstretched with the palm facing downward while uttering “Heil Hitler!” or “Sieg Heil!” and served as the obligatory civilian greeting throughout the Third Reich after 1933. Within the Wehrmacht, comprising the Heer, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine, the traditional military salute of bringing the right hand to the headgear remained the standard form of greeting between ranks for most of the conflict. A Reich Defense Ministry edict of 19 September 1933 required the Deutscher Gruß only when the national anthem or the Horst-Wessel-Lied was played and when greeting civilian officials, while the conventional hand-to-cap salute continued in all other military situations; because regulations forbade the traditional salute when bareheaded, the raised-arm gesture became de facto common indoors or without headgear. In contrast, members of the Waffen-SS and the broader SS organisation employed the Hitlergruß as their standard form of address from an earlier date, using it both among themselves and when encountering higher-ranking officers of the party or the armed SS. After the failed assassination attempt of 20 July 1944, in which officers of the Heer played a central role, the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht issued an order effective 24 July 1944 that made the Deutscher Gruß the sole permitted salute throughout all branches of the Wehrmacht as a demonstrative affirmation of loyalty to the Führer. Many units continued to prefer the older military form whenever possible, yet official compliance was enforced until the final weeks of the war. On 8 May 1945 Großadmiral Karl Dönitz, as last Reichspräsident, formally abolished the Hitlergruß within the remaining Wehrmacht formations. Thus the history of saluting in the German armed forces of the period reflects both the gradual penetration of National Socialist ritual into traditional military custom and the sharp political reaction that followed the July plot, while the Waffen-SS maintained the political greeting as an integral expression of its ideological identity throughout the conflict.

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HEER

Oberleutnant Rolf Truxa (1921-1983), born on 6 June 1921 in Berlin-Schöneberg, Germany, served as an officer in the Heer during the Second World War and rose to the rank of Oberleutnant as Führer of the 2. Batterie, Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 190. He was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 17 December 1943 for his leadership during the German attempt to recapture the city of Nevel, where he and his Sturmgeschütze supported the infantry of the 252. Infanterie-Division. After overcoming Soviet minefields, the attacking infantry became pinned down while trying to seize the high ground at Sui Shmotki; at this critical moment, Oberleutnant Truxa rallied the stalled forces and led a sharp, aggressive assault with his assault guns that captured the heights, allowing the German advance to resume and pushing the Soviets back some 6 km by evening, despite the overall operation ultimately failing. Earlier in 1943 he had also received the Ehrenblattspange des Heeres und Waffen-SS while serving with the 1. Batterie of the same unit and the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold. Truxa survived the war and died on 3 February 1983 in Merzig an der Saar, Saarland, Germany.

Source :
https://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2011/09/album-foto-hormat-salam-nazi-heil.html
https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fwehrmacht-and-ss-different-salutes-v0-ov3gjsrqhom21.jpg%3Fwidth%3D699%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Da21bb19bca95a585936971f654d306f203ef1665

Unit Change Ritterkreuzträger

 HEER TO LUFTWAFFE

Generalleutnant Wilhelm Schmalz (1901-1983) was born on 1 March 1901 in Reußen, Saxony, and entered military service in 1919, rising through the cavalry ranks of the Reichswehr as Leutnant (1 February 1923), Oberleutnant (1 February 1928), Rittmeister (1 April 1934) and Major (1 April 1939). He commanded the I. Bataillon of Kavallerie-Schützen-Regiment 11 during the Polish campaign, receiving the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse on 14 September 1939 and the Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse on 16 October 1939. As Major and Kommandeur of the I. Bataillon, Kavallerie-Schützen-Regiment 11 he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 28 November 1940 for actions during the pursuit phase of the Battle of France (Fall Rot): without specific orders he and his troops seized the bridge over the Loire at Allier as well as a crossing at Nevers, preventing the French from establishing a new defensive line along the river and enabling uninterrupted German pursuit operations between the Loire and the Swiss border. Promoted Oberstleutnant (1 February 1942) and Oberst (1 October 1942), he received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 8 February 1942 as Kommandeur of Kradschützen-Bataillon 59 and later commanded Schützen-Regiment 11 / Panzergrenadier-Regiment 11. Transferring to the Luftwaffe in 1943, he took command of the Brigade z.b.V. within the Panzer-Division “Hermann Göring” and led Kampfgruppe Schmalz on Sicily; for a brilliant series of defensive actions in the Mount Etna area from Catania to Messina despite shortages of troops and supplies he was awarded the Eichenlaub on 23 December 1943 (357th or 358th award). He became Kommandeur of the Fallschirm-Panzer-Division 1 “Hermann Göring” in April 1944, was promoted Generalmajor on 1 May 1944 and Generalleutnant on 30 January 1945, and served as Kommandierender General of the Fallschirm-Panzerkorps “Hermann Göring” until the end of the war; after American captivity and acquittal of war-crime charges in 1950 he lived until his death on 14 March 1983.

Source :
https://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2014/01/kutu-loncat-wehrmacht-pindah-antar-unit.html
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=56211

Ritterkreuzträger of 268. Infanterie-Division

The 268. Infanterie-Division was established on 26 August 1939 in Wehrkreis VII as part of the fourth mobilization wave (4. Welle), composed primarily of personnel from Bavaria with additional contingents from Wehrkreis XVIII. Commanded at inception by Generalleutnant Erich Straube, its original combat organization comprised Infanterie-Regiment 468, Infanterie-Regiment 488, Infanterie-Regiment 499, and Artillerie-Regiment 268, along with Pionier-Bataillon 268, Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 268, and Aufklärungs-Abteilung 268. During the 1939 invasion of Poland, it maintained border security in the Westwall near Zweibrücken and Pirmasens. In the Western Campaign of 1940, the division pierced the Maginot Line in mid-June and established a bridgehead across the Rhine-Marne Canal near Lagarde, remaining as an occupation force around Épinal until redeploying to occupied Poland. In June 1941, under Heeresgruppe Mitte, the division entered Operation Barbarossa, fighting at Białystok, the crossing of the Dnieper near Mogilev, and in the Yelnya and Vyazma encirclement operations during the drive toward Moscow. Generalleutnant Heinrich Greiner assumed command in January 1942 amidst fierce Soviet winter counteroffensives, leading the formation through costly defensive engagements along the Ugra, the Shoshta, and near Yukhnov. Attrition forced the disbandment of Grenadier-Regiment 468 in early 1943. Assigned to XII. Armeekorps during the fighting around Spas-Demensk in August 1943, the division sustained severe casualties stemming from the massive Soviet summer offensive. On 2 November 1943, following crushing losses during retreats toward the Dnieper, the division was formally disbanded; its surviving combatants formed Divisionsgruppe 268 under the 36. Infanterie-Division, while its experienced staff was transferred to form the 362. Infanterie-Division.

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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


Oberst der Reserve Adolf Weitkunat (1895-1988) was born on 7 February 1895 in Grünfließ, East Prussia, and volunteered for service at the outbreak of the First World War, receiving promotion to Leutnant in Infanterie-Regiment 45 in May 1915 and earning the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse, Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse, and the Ritterkreuz des Königlichen Hausordens von Hohenzollern mit Schwertern before his discharge at war’s end; he then worked as a teacher while remaining a Reichswehr reservist until recalled on 1 August 1938 as Rittmeister der Reserve and assigned as Chef of the 1. Schwadron of Aufklärungs-Abteilung 206, with which he took part in the Polenfeldzug and Westfeldzug, receiving the Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 2. Klasse on 28 September 1939 and the Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 1. Klasse on 11 July 1941. From June 1941 he fought on the Eastern Front, where on 10 October 1941, as Rittmeister der Reserve commanding Aufklärungs-Schwadron 206, he led the rapid seizure of the bridge over the Beresa at Mostowaja; this action prevented retreating Soviet forces from occupying prepared bunker positions along the Volga, spared the XXIII. Armeekorps costly assaults on fortified lines, and enabled the subsequent swift capture of the strongly defended town of Rzhev against numerically superior opposition, for which he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 4 November 1941. Promoted to Major der Reserve on 1 December 1941 and recovering from a severe wound, he later commanded Aufklärungs-Abteilung 11, led a Kampfgruppe of the 338. Infanterie-Division in the winter of 1942/43, and in the summer of 1943 took command of Kampf-Bataillon 488 of the 269. Infanterie-Division; during the defensive fighting of Heeresgruppe Mitte’s slow retreat that summer his battalion rapidly recaptured a bitterly contested village southwest of Vyazma from Soviet forces and thereafter repeatedly repelled determined attacks by tanks and infantry, achievements that earned him the 346th Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz on 5 December 1943 as Major der Reserve. In 1944 he commanded Kavallerie-Regiment Süd and then Grenadier-Regiment 514, receiving promotion to Oberst der Reserve on 1 August 1944; after the destruction of his regiment in the East he served as Kommandant of the Masurenstellung in East Prussia before entering British captivity at the war’s end, having also been awarded the Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz and Silber, Nahkampfspange in Bronze, Ostmedaille, and Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen, and he died on 28 June 1988 in Buchholz in der Nordheide.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/268th_Infantry_Division

Ritterkreuzträger of 206. Infanterie-Division

The 206. Infanterie-Division, widely recognized by its distinctive ace-of-spades emblem and known as the Pique As division, was established on 17 August 1939 in Insterburg within Wehrkreis I as part of the third mobilization wave (3. Welle) of the German Heer. Raised as a non-motorized infantry formation relying on foot marches and horse-drawn transport, the division originally comprised Infanterie-Regiment 301, Infanterie-Regiment 312, and Infanterie-Regiment 413, supported by Artillerie-Regiment 206, Pionier-Bataillon 206, Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 206, Aufklärungs-Abteilung 206, and Infanterie-Divisions-Nachrichten-Abteilung 206. Under its first commander, Generalleutnant Hugo Höfl, the formation served primarily in reserve behind Heeresgruppe Nord during the invasion of Poland in 1939, followed by coastal and border defense duties before transferring to the West during the final stages of the French campaign in 1940. In June 1941, the division participated in Unternehmen Barbarossa under the XXIII. Armeekorps within the 9. Armee, advancing across Lithuania and northwestern Russia toward the Valdai Hills and Rzhev. It was deeply engaged in the desperate defensive battles around the Rzhev salient throughout 1942, weathering ferocious Soviet winter offensives and Operation Mars. Command transferred to Generalleutnant Alfons Hitter in 1942, with a brief period under Generalmajor Carl André in mid-1943. Severe combat attrition on the Eastern Front led to restructuring: Grenadier-Regiment 312 was dissolved in 1943, with its surviving personnel distributed between Grenadier-Regiment 301 and Grenadier-Regiment 413, while Füsilier-Bataillon 206 and Panzerjäger-Abteilung 206 were incorporated. By June 1944, the division held the fortified perimeter south of Vitebsk under LIII. Armeekorps. Trapped during the catastrophic Soviet Operation Bagration, the formation was encircled, virtually destroyed, and officially dissolved in July 1944, with Generalleutnant Alfons Hitter taken into captivity.

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RITTERKREUZTRÄGER


Oberst der Reserve Adolf Weitkunat (1895-1988) was born on 7 February 1895 in Grünfließ, East Prussia, and volunteered for service at the outbreak of the First World War, receiving promotion to Leutnant in Infanterie-Regiment 45 in May 1915 and earning the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse, Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse, and the Ritterkreuz des Königlichen Hausordens von Hohenzollern mit Schwertern before his discharge at war’s end; he then worked as a teacher while remaining a Reichswehr reservist until recalled on 1 August 1938 as Rittmeister der Reserve and assigned as Chef of the 1. Schwadron of Aufklärungs-Abteilung 206, with which he took part in the Polenfeldzug and Westfeldzug, receiving the Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 2. Klasse on 28 September 1939 and the Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 1. Klasse on 11 July 1941. From June 1941 he fought on the Eastern Front, where on 10 October 1941, as Rittmeister der Reserve commanding Aufklärungs-Schwadron 206, he led the rapid seizure of the bridge over the Beresa at Mostowaja; this action prevented retreating Soviet forces from occupying prepared bunker positions along the Volga, spared the XXIII. Armeekorps costly assaults on fortified lines, and enabled the subsequent swift capture of the strongly defended town of Rzhev against numerically superior opposition, for which he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 4 November 1941. Promoted to Major der Reserve on 1 December 1941 and recovering from a severe wound, he later commanded Aufklärungs-Abteilung 11, led a Kampfgruppe of the 338. Infanterie-Division in the winter of 1942/43, and in the summer of 1943 took command of Kampf-Bataillon 488 of the 269. Infanterie-Division; during the defensive fighting of Heeresgruppe Mitte’s slow retreat that summer his battalion rapidly recaptured a bitterly contested village southwest of Vyazma from Soviet forces and thereafter repeatedly repelled determined attacks by tanks and infantry, achievements that earned him the 346th Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz on 5 December 1943 as Major der Reserve. In 1944 he commanded Kavallerie-Regiment Süd and then Grenadier-Regiment 514, receiving promotion to Oberst der Reserve on 1 August 1944; after the destruction of his regiment in the East he served as Kommandant of the Masurenstellung in East Prussia before entering British captivity at the war’s end, having also been awarded the Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz and Silber, Nahkampfspange in Bronze, Ostmedaille, and Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen, and he died on 28 June 1988 in Buchholz in der Nordheide.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/206th_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)

Ritterkreuzträger of 296. Infanterie-Division

The 296. Infanterie-Division was established on 6 February 1940 in Wehrkreis XIII as a formation of the 8. Welle, organizing Infanterie-Regiment 519, Infanterie-Regiment 520, Infanterie-Regiment 521, and Artillerie-Regiment 296 alongside supporting divisional troops. Assigned to coastal security duties in northern France after the Western campaign, it was redeployed eastward in the spring of 1941 to participate in Operation Barbarossa. Subordinated to IV. Armeekorps under 17. Armee within Heeresgruppe Süd, the division spearheaded advances across Ukraine, engaging Red Army forces at the frontier, breaking through the Stalin Line, and actively participating in the encirclement during the Battle of Kiev. Commanded during this phase by Generalmajor Wilhelm Stemmermann, its soldiers saw brutal combat around Poltava before the division transferred to Heeresgruppe Mitte in early 1942. There, under the leadership of Generalleutnant Friedrich Krischer, Generalleutnant Karl Faulenbach, and later Generalleutnant Arthur Kullmer, the 296. Infanterie-Division defended the heavily fortified Oryol and Bryansk sectors, repelling successive Soviet counteroffensives. Its infantry regiments were subsequently reorganized into Grenadier-Regiment 519 and Grenadier-Regiment 520, while seasoned personnel distinguished themselves, earning numerous awards of the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold and the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes. By late 1943, following prolonged defensive struggles during the Battle of Kursk, the division conducted fighting withdrawals across Gomel toward Belarus. In June 1944, attached to XXXV. Armeekorps of 9. Armee, the division was completely engulfed in the Babruysk pocket during the devastating Soviet Operation Bagration. Encircled along the Berezina River, the exhausted formation collapsed under overwhelming assaults, resulting in heavy casualties and the mass capture of its remaining troops. The 296. Infanterie-Division was officially declared destroyed and formally dissolved on 3 August 1944.

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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


Oberst Alfred Druffner (1904-1943) was born on 28 May 1904 in Denkendorf and entered the Infanterie-Regiment 13 in 1922, receiving promotion to Leutnant in 1927, to Oberleutnant five years later, and to Hauptmann on 11 November 1935 as Führer of the 14. (Panzerabwehr-)Kompanie in the Infanterie-Regiment 109; after the Westfeldzug he became Kommandeur of the II. Bataillon of the Infanterie-Regiment 519, earning the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse on 20 December 1940 and the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse on 6 August 1941 early in the Ostfeldzug, followed by the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 27 October 1941 as Major in the II./Infanterie-Regiment 519, the Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen, and the Medaille “Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42” on 21 July 1942, before assuming command of the Grenadier-Regiment 519 of the 296. Infanterie-Division in 1942 and advancing to Oberstleutnant; in early 1943, while his regiment was locked in heavy defensive combat north of Orel, Druffner launched a successful counterattack against a bitterly defending Soviet force that outnumbered him three to one, recapturing a commanding hill and then continuing the assault beyond the ordered objective to eliminate a potential threat to the flank, an action for which he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 6 April 1943 as Oberstleutnant and Kommandeur of Grenadier-Regiment 519; promoted to Oberst, he again distinguished himself in the Orel sector during the summer of 1943 when, after enemy forces penetrated the lines to the right of his regiment and threatened the flank and rear of a neighbouring Bataillon, he took his reserve Kompanie and eliminated the threat, and later personally led a handful of Grenadiers into an enemy-occupied village, threw the surprised Soviets out, and pursued them onto the hills on either side, thereby creating a breach in the Soviet defensive network through which a friendly counterthrust achieved complete success, deeds that earned him the posthumous award of the 343rd Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 30 November 1943 as Oberst and Kommandeur of Grenadier-Regiment 519 after he was heavily wounded two days later in a Russian attack and died of his injuries on 29 September 1943 in a Lazarett near Orel, his final rank being Oberst.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/296th_Infantry_Division

Ritterkreuzträger of 3. Geleitflottille

The 3. Geleitflottille was a specialized escort flotilla of the Kriegsmarine established in March 1943 to conduct vital convoy escort and maritime protection duties in the Mediterranean theater. Operating primarily across the Tyrrhenian Sea, along the rugged Italian coastline, around Sicily, and on contested sea routes supporting Axis supply lines to North Africa, the formation served under the operational direction of the Deutsches Marinekommando Italien within the 7. Sicherungs-Division. Rather than relying on purpose-built German fleet escorts, the flotilla operated an assortment of captured French and Italian vessels refitted for combat duty. Its core inventory included torpedo boats categorized as Torpedoboot Ausland, such as TA 23, TA 24, TA 25, and TA 26, alongside auxiliary escort vessels and converted patrol craft known as Geleitboote, notably SG 10, SG 11, SG 13, and SG 15. In August 1943, following the disbandment of the short-lived 4. Geleitflottille, several additional boats, including TA 9, TA 11, and TA 12, were absorbed into its ranks to reinforce convoy coverage against relentless Allied aerial and naval attacks. Beyond escort runs, the formation oversaw the Minenschiffgruppe Westitalien from May 1943, directing converted minelayers such as Brandenburg, Pommern, and Juminda to lay extensive defensive barriers off the western Italian coast. Leadership of the unit was initially entrusted to Korvettenkapitän der Reserve August Kramer, who served as Flottillenchef until September 1943, after which command passed to Korvettenkapitän der Reserve Burkhard Heye. Beset by heavy losses, naval bombardment, and severe attrition during the Italian campaign, the flotilla saw its minelaying group separated into an independent command in early 1944, before the original 3. Geleitflottille was officially dissolved in June 1944. Later re-established in the Adriatic under the 11. Sicherungs-Division, it served until the final surrender.

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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


Fregattenkapitän der Reserve Dr.-Ing. Karl-Friedrich Brill (1898-1943) was born on 18 July 1898 in Stolzenau and volunteered for the Kaiserliche Marine in 1915. As Bootsmann aboard the Linienschiff Thüringen he took part in the Skagerrakschlacht and was promoted to Leutnant in 1917 before serving on the Minenkreuzer Bremse. After studying mechanical engineering and earning his doctorate he rejoined the reserves, reaching Kapitänleutnant der Reserve by the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1940 he became Kommandant of the Minenschiff Cobra and later Führer of a Minenschiffgruppe. The Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes was awarded to him on 27 December 1941 as Korvettenkapitän der Reserve, Kommandant of Cobra and Führer Minenschiffgruppe, primarily for his decisive role in laying the famous Juminda-Sperre in the Gulf of Finland during the summer of 1941. This extensive barrier, created under dangerous conditions, trapped the Soviet fleet and, during the subsequent Mine Battle of Reval, accounted for more than 130 000 GRT of Soviet shipping losses; he had earlier laid important defensive barriers in the North Sea and during the Norwegian campaign. He also received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 20 November 1941. Continuing his minelaying career across European waters, Brill took command of the newly commissioned Minenschiff Juminda (named by him after the Baltic barrier) in late September 1943 and was promoted to Fregattenkapitän der Reserve on 1 October 1943 while serving as Führer of the Minenschiffgruppe in the western Mediterranean. On 22 October 1943 he was killed when Juminda was sunk by American PT-boats west of Porto Santo Stefano. The 330th Eichenlaub was conferred posthumously on 18 November 1943 in recognition of his unmatched record as the Kriegsmarine’s most successful minelayer captain: under his leadership more than 9 000 mines and blocking devices had been laid during some fifty missions. His earlier decorations included the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse of 1917 with 1939 Spange and the Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse of 1940.

Source :
http://www.deutsches-marinearchiv.de/Archiv/1935-1945/Einheiten/flottillen/geleit/flottille-03.htm
http://www.old.axishistory.com/list-all-categories/366-germany-kriegsmarine/kriegsmarine-sicherungsstreitkraefte/6555-3-geleitflottille-1

Ritterkreuzträger of 290. Infanterie-Division

The 290. Infanterie-Division was established on 6 February 1940 in Munsterlager as part of the 8. Welle under Wehrkreis X, drawing recruits primarily from Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, and northern Lower Saxony. Commanded initially by Generalleutnant Max Dennerlein and later by Generalleutnant Freiherr Theodor von Wrede, the division was assigned to reserve duties during the initial phases of the western campaign before participating in the breakthrough across the Somme and pursuing retreating French forces toward the Loire. In the spring of 1941, the division transferred to East Prussia in preparation for Unternehmen Barbarossa, where it served under I. Armeekorps within Heeresgruppe Nord. Advancing through the Baltic states toward Leningrad, the formation engaged in brutal combat south of Lake Ilmen. Between February and April 1942, the division was completely trapped inside the Demyansk Pocket alongside five other divisions, suffering catastrophic casualties while enduring freezing conditions and relentless Soviet assaults, heavily reliant on the Luftwaffe air bridge until the corridor was opened. Following the evacuation of the pocket in early 1943, the division fought in defense of Lake Ladoga, Nevel, and Staraya Russa, where its infantry regiments, including Infanterie-Regiment 501, 502, and Artillerie-Regiment 290, were repeatedly reconstituted due to attrition. During the massive Soviet summer offensives of 1944, the division retreated through Latvia, participating in intense defensive battles along the Daugava River and in the Dvina area. In October 1944, the unit was pushed into the Courland Peninsula, where it remained trapped in the Kurland-Kessel under Heeresgruppe Kurland until the end of hostilities. Led in its final stages by Generalmajor Hans-Joachim Baurmeister, the division defended its sector against six major Soviet offensives before capitulating to the Red Army on 8 May 1945, with surviving soldiers taken into Soviet captivity.

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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


Oberstleutnant im Generalstab Willy Johannmeyer (1915-1970) was born on 27 July 1915 in Iserlohn and entered the Wehrmacht in 1936 as Fahnenjunker with Infanterie-Regiment 64, receiving promotion to Leutnant in 1938. In 1939 he became Führer of the Nachrichtenzug in Infanterie-Regiment 503 of the 290. Infanterie-Division. On 1 April 1940 he took command of the 2. Kompanie, which he led through the Western Campaign, and in April 1941 assumed leadership of the 14. Kompanie for operations in Russia. Outstanding performance brought him command of the II. Bataillon on 1 April 1942. The Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes was awarded to him on 16 May 1942 as Oberleutnant and Führer of the II./Infanterie-Regiment 503 for decisive actions around Lake Ilmen: on 3 May he led his battalion and attached elements in a counterattack that seized half of Nikolskoje; when Soviet forces threw them back he rallied all available troops, drove the enemy behind the Objessna river to the edges of Nikolskoje and Derewnja, and thereby restored the front line, safeguarding the II. Armee-Korps and the vital Demyansk supply road. Promotion to Hauptmann followed on 1 June 1942. Later, as Kommandeur of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 503, he earned the 329th Eichenlaub on 18 November 1943 for further bold leadership near Newel: on 11 November, when Soviet forces assaulted along the road to Dolissy and threatened positions before the Dollissy river, he alerted his battalion (then divisional reserve), drove his own car into the midst of the attacking enemy to hold them long enough for his men to arrive, then personally led a four-hour counterattack that re-established the original defensive line and prevented a breakthrough. He was promoted to Major on 1 December 1943, later rose to Oberstleutnant im Generalstab, and in 1945 served as the last Heeresadjutant to Adolf Hitler. His other decorations included the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse (10 June 1940) and I. Klasse (29 June 1940). After the war he worked in industry and died on 14 April 1970 in Kelkheim.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/290th_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)

Ritterkreuzträger of 377. Infanterie-Division

The 377. Infanterie-Division was an infantry formation of the German Wehrmacht established on March 31, 1942, near Le Mans in occupied western France as part of the 19. Aufstellungswelle. Initially formed under Armee-Oberkommando 7 and Heeresgruppe D to replace experienced combat formations deployed elsewhere, the division comprised recruits organized into Infanterie-Regiment 768, Infanterie-Regiment 769, Infanterie-Regiment 770, Artillerie-Regiment 377, Pionier-Bataillon 377, Panzerjäger-Abteilung 377, and divisional support units. Command was initially entrusted to Generalleutnant Erich Bäßler from April 1942. After rapid training and security service in France, the unit transferred east in June 1942, joining Heeresgruppe Süd during Case Blue. Attached successively to XXXXVIII. Panzerkorps and XXIV. Panzerkorps under 4. Panzerarmee, it engaged in offensive operations before settling into static positions at Voronezh under XIII. Armeekorps within 2. Armee. In December 1942, command passed to Generalleutnant Adolf Lechner. The division faced devastating conditions when the Red Army launched its Voronezh-Kastornoye offensive in January 1943. Surrounded alongside other units, it endured immense casualties in bitter winter fighting. Generalleutnant Adolf Lechner was reported missing in action near Voronezh on January 29, 1943, prompting Generalleutnant Adolf Sinzinger to lead the trapped formation through its desperate pocket retreat. Disintegrated by unrelenting artillery fire, armor assaults, and severe frostbite, the division was shattered near Sumy and Kursk by February 1943. Officially disbanded shortly thereafter, its survivors and residual elements, designated as Divisions-Gruppe 377, were absorbed by 340. Infanterie-Division and other components of XIII. Armeekorps.

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RITTERKREUZTRÄGER


Oberst Heinrich Kiesling (1909-1944) was born on 31 May 1909 in Gröppendorf, Saxony, and entered military service in 1930 with Infanterie-Regiment 10, receiving promotion to Leutnant in 1933 and to Hauptmann on 1 April 1939; at the outbreak of war he served as an instructor at the Kriegsschule in Dresden before commanding a battalion of Infanterie-Regiment 192 during the 1940 Westfeldzug, for which he was awarded the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse on 16 May 1940 and the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse on 26 July 1940, later receiving the Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen, the Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz and Silber, and the Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42 on 18 August 1942. Promoted to Major, he took command of III. Bataillon, Grenadier-Regiment 768 of the 377. Infanterie-Division in April 1942 and distinguished himself on the Eastern Front; on 9 February 1943, as the vanguard of the encircled Kampfgruppe Beukemann (elements of the 75., 340., 377. and 323. Infanterie-Divisionen) attempted to break out of the Soviet ring south of Voronezh, Kiesling personally led the seizure of Beslepkino, beginning the assault with only twelve men until the remainder of his Bataillon could be brought forward, an action that proved decisive in enabling the Kampfgruppe’s successful escape and for which he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 10 June 1943 as Major and Kommandeur of III./Grenadier-Regiment 768. Later serving as Führer of Grenadier-Regiment 529 of the 299. Infanterie-Division, he again displayed exceptional leadership on 27 September 1943 east of the Sosch near Roslavl when his regiment’s retreat route was blocked by strong Soviet forces; rejecting the safer option of withdrawing through a boggy forest that would have forced the abandonment of all heavy weapons, Kiesling chose instead to break directly through the enemy lines, disengaging that evening and advancing through dense forest until contact was made with the blocking positions around 22:00, whereupon a prolonged and difficult battle ensued that threatened to stall until a German assault element discovered a concealed path to the northwest that allowed the heavy weapons to be preserved, enabling the regiment to slip through the surprised Soviet lines and, after a long night march, to take up defensive positions in the new German front line on the morning of 28 September 1943 with all heavy weapons and vehicles intact. For this exemplary bravery and leadership he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz (321st award) on 7 November 1943 while still a Major, was simultaneously promoted to Oberstleutnant, and advanced to Oberst on 1 April 1944; he was also mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 13 February 1944. Serving as Kommandeur of Grenadier-Regiment 529, Oberst Heinrich Kiesling was reported missing in action on 18 June 1944 in the area of Vitebsk during the Soviet summer offensive.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/377th_Infantry_Division
https://panzerworld.com/german-unit-insignia#377-infanterie-division-mot

Ritterkreuzträger of 246. Infanterie-Division / 246. Volksgrenadier-Division

The 246. Infanterie-Division was established on 26 August 1939 in Wehrkreis XII (Wiesbaden/Darmstadt) as part of the 3. Welle (third mobilization wave), drawing its core personnel largely from older reservists. Initially comprising Infanterie-Regiment 313, Infanterie-Regiment 352, Infanterie-Regiment 404, and Artillerie-Regiment 246, the formation spent the Phoney War and the opening phase of the Western Campaign securing frontier fortifications along the Westwall before conducting occupation and coastal defense duties in southwestern and western France. Following the severe German crisis in the East during the winter of 1941–1942, the division was transferred to Heeresgruppe Mitte, arriving in January 1942 to reinforce the hard-pressed sector around Rzhev, Bely, and Vyazma. Under commanders such as Generalleutnant Erich Denecke and Generalleutnant Maximilian Siry, the division engaged in brutal winter defensive battles, containment operations, and fierce attritional combat throughout the protracted Battles of Rzhev. In early 1943, following the German evacuation of the Rzhev Salient during Unternehmen Büffel, the division fell back to defensive lines around Smolensk and subsequently Vitebsk, reorganizing its infantry into Grenadier-Regiment 352 and Grenadier-Regiment 404 alongside Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon 246. Subordinated to LIII. Armeekorps under 3. Panzerarmee, it held fortified sectors east of Vitebsk throughout late 1943 and early 1944 under Generalleutnant Wilhelm Falley and Generalmajor Claus Müller-Bülow. The division met its catastrophe during the Soviet summer offensive, Operation Bagration, in June 1944; encircled within the designated Festung Vitebsk, the division was shattered, its commander captured, and the bulk of its personnel killed or taken prisoner. Officially dissolved on 3 August 1944, its traditions were later inherited by 246. Volksgrenadier-Division formed in autumn 1944.

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RITTERKREUZTRÄGER


Generalleutnant Eugen König (1896-1985) was born on 19 September 1896 in Trier. He enlisted as a Kriegsfreiwilliger on 19 June 1915 in the Ersatz-Bataillon of Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 69 and later served with Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 189 on the Western Front, earning promotion to Leutnant der Reserve on 12 July 1917 and both classes of the Eisernes Kreuz. Leaving the army in 1920, he worked as a civil servant before rejoining as Oberleutnant der Reserve in 1936. At the outbreak of war he served as Regiments-Adjutant of Infanterie-Regiment 352, receiving the Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 2. Klasse on 19 June 1940 and 1. Klasse on 9 September 1940. Promoted to Major on 1 September 1940, he commanded the II. Bataillon of Infanterie-Regiment 352 in the 246. Infanterie-Division. During the heavy fighting southwest of Rzhev in July 1942, Major König distinguished himself as Kommandeur of the II. Bataillon; his independent decision to attack and capture Hill 228.4, four kilometres northeast of Belyj, proved decisive in eliminating a Soviet pocket further south and enabled a link-up with the 1. Panzer-Division attacking from the north. For this leadership he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 1 August 1942 and was promoted to Oberstleutnant. He later took command of Infanterie-Regiment 352 and was promoted to Oberst on 1 March 1943. On 1 April 1943 he became Kommandeur of Grenadier-Regiment 451 in the 251. Infanterie-Division. For the outstanding successes of his regiment during the autumn defensive battles of 1943 he was awarded the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 4 November 1943 as the 318th recipient. He subsequently commanded Divisionsgruppe 251, attended a Divisionsführer-Lehrgang, and from June 1944 led the 91. Luftlande-Infanterie-Division. Promoted to Generalmajor on 1 September 1944 and Generalleutnant on 16 March 1945, he commanded the 272. Volksgrenadier-Division from December 1944 until his capture on 18 April 1945. He died on 8 April 1985 in Bitburg.

Source :
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/246th_Volksgrenadier_Division

Ritterkreuzträger of 111. Infanterie-Division

The 111. Infanterie-Division was a combat formation of the German Wehrmacht raised on 5 November 1940 at Truppenübungsplatz Fallingbostel in Wehrkreis XI as part of the 12. Welle. Under its first commander, Generalmajor Otto Stapf, the division integrated Infanterie-Regiment 50 from 3. Infanterie-Division, Infanterie-Regiment 70 from 36. Infanterie-Division, Infanterie-Regiment 117 from Festungs-Regiment D, and Artillerie-Regiment 117. Deployed to occupied Poland in May 1941, the division participated in Unternehmen Barbarossa under 6. Armee within Heeresgruppe Süd, crossing the Bug and fighting against Soviet armor at Dubno. In late August 1941, it established a vital bridgehead across the Dnieper north of Kiev alongside 113. and 298. Infanterie-Division, striking into the Soviet rear and assisting in the encirclement and destruction of the Soviet 37th Army. On 1 January 1942, Generalmajor Hermann Recknagel assumed command, leading the division in fierce winter defensive actions along the Mius-Front and halting the Soviet breakthrough near Barvenkovo. In summer 1942, attached to 17. Armee and later 1. Panzerarmee, the division advanced during Fall Blau into the Caucasus, reaching Mozdok, Nalchik, and Ordzhonikidze. Following the catastrophe at Stalingrad, it conducted a fighting withdrawal back to the Mius-Front, anchoring positions around Taganrog through mid-1943. After the Soviet Donbass strategic offensive, the division retreated toward Melitopol and defended the Nikopol bridgehead through early 1944 under Generalmajor Erich Gruner. Transferred to the Crimea under Generalleutnant Kurt Adam to bolster 17. Armee, the division became encircled during the Soviet Crimean offensive. Cut off around Sevastopol and Cape Chersonese, the remaining elements suffered catastrophic losses in May 1944, with surviving personnel evacuated across the Black Sea, leading to the formal dissolution of 111. Infanterie-Division.

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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


General der Infanterie Hermann Recknagel (1892-1945) was born on 18 July 1892 in Strauchmühle near Hofgeismar. He joined the Imperial German Army and served in the First World War, receiving the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse on 1 October 1914 and 1. Klasse on 30 September 1916. In the interwar period he rose through the ranks and by 1939 commanded Infanterie-Regiment 54 of the 18. Infanterie-Division. During the Polish campaign he earned the Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 2. Klasse on 22 September 1939 and 1. Klasse on 2 October 1939. Promoted to Oberst on 1 February 1940, he led the regiment in the Western campaign. For his command of the lead elements of Infanterie-Regiment 54 during the fighting for Dunkirk on 3 June 1940, by which enemy resistance was subdued and the city captured the following day, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 5 August 1940. He then took the regiment to the Eastern Front in June 1941. On 1 January 1942 he assumed command of the 111. Infanterie-Division, being promoted to Generalmajor on 1 March 1942 and Generalleutnant in 1943; he also received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 11 February 1943. In August 1943, as commander of Korpsgruppe Recknagel on the southern sector of the Eastern Front, his forces destroyed 273 Soviet tanks around Kamyschewacha, Many and Uspenskaja before breaking out of encirclement toward Mariupol-Melitopol on 31 August, earning the Eichenlaub on 6 November 1943 as the 319th recipient. In June 1944 he became Kommandierender General of the XXXXII. Armeekorps and was promoted to General der Infanterie on 1 July 1944. For outstanding leadership during the Soviet summer offensive, enabling the corps to avoid encirclement after the collapse of Heeresgruppe Mitte and to consolidate the front in the great bend of the Vistula and the Baranów bridgehead, he received the Schwerter on 23 October 1944 as the 104th recipient. He was killed by Polish partisans on 23 January 1945 near Piotrków Trybunalski.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/111th_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)

Ritterkreuzträger of 18. Infanterie-Division

Formed on 1 October 1934 in Liegnitz under the cover designation Infanterieführer III and officially designated 18. Infanterie-Division on 15 October 1935, this Silesian formation served as one of the Wehrmacht’s frontline combat divisions throughout World War II. Commanded in the pre-war era by notable officers such as Generalleutnant Hermann Hoth and Generalleutnant Erich von Manstein, the division took the field in September 1939 under Generalleutnant Friedrich-Carl Cranz as part of XI. Armeekorps within 10. Armee during the invasion of Poland, advancing across the border through Wieluń toward the Bzura and participating in the capture of Warsaw. In May 1940, assigned to IV. Armeekorps under 6. Armee during the Western campaign, the division moved through Belgium, forced crossings of the Meuse and the Scheldt, breached Allied defensive perimeters at Dunkirk, and pushed across the Loire before assuming coastal occupation duties in France. Recognizing its operational performance, the German high command ordered its reorganization into a motorized formation on 1 November 1940, becoming 18. Infanterie-Division (mot.) with organic elements such as Infanterie-Regiment (mot.) 30, Infanterie-Regiment (mot.) 51, and Artillerie-Regiment (mot.) 18. Subordinated to Panzergruppe 3 and later LVII. Armeekorps (mot.) during Unternehmen Barbarossa in June 1941, it fought in the encirclements of Bialystok and Minsk, breached the Stalin Line, and endured ferocious fighting in the northern sector along the Volkhov River and around Lake Ladoga under commanders like General der Infanterie Friedrich Herrlein and General der Infanterie Werner von Erdmannsdorff. Redesignated as 18. Panzergrenadier-Division on 23 June 1943, the unit battled near Demyansk and Smolensk before suffering near-total destruction during Soviet Operation Bagration east of Minsk in July 1944. Rebuilt in East Prussia, remnants fought in the Battle of Berlin in May 1945.

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RITTERKREUZTRÄGER


General der Infanterie Hermann Recknagel (1892-1945) was born on 18 July 1892 in Strauchmühle near Hofgeismar. He joined the Imperial German Army and served in the First World War, receiving the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse on 1 October 1914 and 1. Klasse on 30 September 1916. In the interwar period he rose through the ranks and by 1939 commanded Infanterie-Regiment 54 of the 18. Infanterie-Division. During the Polish campaign he earned the Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 2. Klasse on 22 September 1939 and 1. Klasse on 2 October 1939. Promoted to Oberst on 1 February 1940, he led the regiment in the Western campaign. For his command of the lead elements of Infanterie-Regiment 54 during the fighting for Dunkirk on 3 June 1940, by which enemy resistance was subdued and the city captured the following day, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 5 August 1940. He then took the regiment to the Eastern Front in June 1941. On 1 January 1942 he assumed command of the 111. Infanterie-Division, being promoted to Generalmajor on 1 March 1942 and Generalleutnant in 1943; he also received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 11 February 1943. In August 1943, as commander of Korpsgruppe Recknagel on the southern sector of the Eastern Front, his forces destroyed 273 Soviet tanks around Kamyschewacha, Many and Uspenskaja before breaking out of encirclement toward Mariupol-Melitopol on 31 August, earning the Eichenlaub on 6 November 1943 as the 319th recipient. In June 1944 he became Kommandierender General of the XXXXII. Armeekorps and was promoted to General der Infanterie on 1 July 1944. For outstanding leadership during the Soviet summer offensive, enabling the corps to avoid encirclement after the collapse of Heeresgruppe Mitte and to consolidate the front in the great bend of the Vistula and the Baranów bridgehead, he received the Schwerter on 23 October 1944 as the 104th recipient. He was killed by Polish partisans on 23 January 1945 near Piotrków Trybunalski.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)

Ritterkreuzträger of 35. Infanterie-Division

The 35. Infanterie-Division was established in October 1936 in Karlsruhe within Wehrkreis V as a standard first-wave formation of the German Heer. Subordinated primarily to the Western theater at the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the division guarded border sectors before actively participating in the Western Campaign in May 1940. Advancing through Belgium and northern France under General der Infanterie Walther Fischer von Weikersthal, its subordinate elements—including 34. Infanterie-Regiment, 109. Infanterie-Regiment, 111. Infanterie-Regiment, and 35. Artillerie-Regiment—fought tenaciously against Allied formations. In June 1941, the division joined Heeresgruppe Mitte for Operation Barbarossa, taking part in major advances toward Smolensk, Vyazma, and the severe winter battles near Moscow. Later commanders such as General der Artillerie Rudolf Freiherr von Roman, Generalleutnant Ludwig Merker, and Generalleutnant Johann-Georg Richert led the formation through heavy attrition during defensive struggles across the central sector, where regiments were eventually reorganized into Grenadier-Regiment formations and a dedicated Divisions-Füsilier-Bataillon. In 1944, elements under the division became implicated in severe anti-partisan atrocities in Belarus, notably around Ozarichi, leading to Richert being executed after the postwar Minsk Trial. By early 1945, the battered division retreated toward East Prussia and Danzig, where its remnants surrendered to Soviet troops in the Hel peninsula area under Generalmajor der Reserve Dr. Ernst Meiners, marking the end of its wartime operations.

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RITTERKREUZTRÄGER


General der Artillerie Rudolf Freiherr von Roman (1893-1970) was born on 19 November 1893 in Bayreuth and died on 18 February 1970 in Schernau near Dettelbach. He entered the Bavarian Army as Fahnenjunker on 1 August 1912 in the 6. Feldartillerie-Regiment and was promoted to Leutnant on 1 August 1914. During the First World War he served on the Western Front, earning both classes of the Eisernes Kreuz and the Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz. After the war he joined a Freikorps before transferring to the Reichswehr and later the Wehrmacht, where he was promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1 August 1936 and to Oberst on 1 March 1939. From 1937 he worked in the Oberkommando des Heeres in artillery matters, briefly commanding the Artillerie-Regiment 10 during the invasion of Poland in September 1939, and later serving as Artillerie-Kommandeur 3. Promoted to Generalmajor on 1 September 1941, he assumed command of the 35. Infanterie-Division on 1 December 1941. On 13 December 1941, after the withdrawal from the Istra position, he remained with the covering force at Gorki to direct the defence personally; under his leadership the troops repelled multiple Soviet attacks including tanks, destroyed five hostile tanks, and withdrew in good order that evening, thereby securing the safe extraction of most of the force together with light artillery and anti-tank guns and enabling the V. Armee-Korps to fall back orderly to the Seestra position. For this action he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 19 February 1942 as Generalmajor and Kommandeur of the 35. Infanterie-Division. On 10 September 1942 he took command of the XX. Armeekorps, being promoted to Generalleutnant on 1 October and to General der Artillerie on 1 November 1942. He retained command of the corps through the heavy defensive fighting around Gomel in September 1943, for which he was awarded the Eichenlaub (313th award) to the Ritterkreuz on 28 October 1943 as General der Artillerie and Kommandierender General of the XX. Armeekorps. He continued to lead the corps until early 1945, briefly commanded the LXIV. Armeekorps, was captured by American forces in May 1945 and released in June 1947.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/35th_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)

Ritterkreuzträger of 61. Infanterie-Division

Formed in Wehrkreis I at Insterburg in August 1939 as part of the second mobilization wave, the 61. Infanterie-Division served as a frontline combat formation of the German Heer throughout the Second World War. Originally commanded by General der Infanterie Siegfried Haenicke, the division comprised Infanterie-Regiment 151, Infanterie-Regiment 162, and Infanterie-Regiment 176, supported by Artillerie-Regiment 161, Pionier-Bataillon 161, and auxiliary reconnaissance and anti-tank units. In September 1939, it crossed the frontier into Poland under I. Armeekorps, clashing intensely at the Battle of Mława, bridging the Narew River near Pułtusk, and finishing near Warsaw. Transferred west for the 1940 campaign, it advanced through Belgium, engaged Allied forces at Dunkirk, and performed occupation duties in Brittany before returning to East Prussia. During Unternehmen Barbarossa in June 1941, the formation pushed into the Baltic states with 18. Armee under Heeresgruppe Nord, capturing Tallinn, securing the Moonsund Archipelago, and advancing toward Leningrad and Tikhvin. Successive leadership fell to officers including Generalmajor Franz Scheidies, Generalleutnant Werner Hühner, and Generalleutnant Günther Krappe. Reorganized with Grenadier regiments and later redesignated as 61. Volksgrenadier-Division in late 1944, it endured grueling defensive warfare along the Volkhov, Narva, and Kurland fronts before shifting back to East Prussia. Trapped during the Soviet Heiligenbeil pocket battles in early 1945, the battered unit dissolved as its remnants were incorporated into 21. Infanterie-Division, with the divisional staff retreating to Königsberg before surrendering at war's end. Decorated extensively, its soldiers earned thirty-seven Knight's Crosses.

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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


Oberst Hans-Gotthard Pestke (1914-2001) was born on 17 June 1914 in Preußisch-Stargard, West Prussia, and died on 30 April 2001 in Celle. After completing school at the Gymnasium Marienwerder, he entered the Infanterie-Regiment 45 on 1 November 1935. In 1936, as Gefreiter and Reserve-Offiziersanwärter, he transferred to the II. Bataillon of the Infanterie-Regiment 24, where he was promoted to Leutnant on 18 January 1938. At the outbreak of the Second World War he served as Zugführer in the 13. Kompanie of the Infanterie-Regiment 176 and took part in the Westfeldzug in Belgium and France; in 1940 he became Adjutant of the II. Bataillon. From June 1941, as Oberleutnant and Chef of the 3. Kompanie, Infanterie-Regiment 176 of the 61. Infanterie-Division, he fought on the Eastern Front. On 12 October 1941, acting on his own initiative near Hindu on the southwestern corner of the island of Dagö, he captured a Soviet artillery battery. This action eliminated the threat and allowed the 61. Infanterie-Division to bring reinforcements, especially artillery, across the Soela Sound from Soela to Soru without losses, contributing decisively to the rapid and relatively bloodless conquest of Dagö; for this feat he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 15 November 1941. Early in 1942 he became Regimentsadjutant and in autumn 1942 Kommandeur of the I. Bataillon of the Infanterie-Regiment 176 (later Grenadier-Regiment 176). On 15–16 September 1943, south of Lake Ladoga along both sides of a railway junction, his Bataillon repelled five determined Soviet attacks launched from Posselok and, through skillful counterattacks, regained the ground previously lost despite overwhelming enemy strength. For this leadership he was awarded the Eichenlaub (311st award) to the Ritterkreuz on 14 October 1943 as Hauptmann (promoted Major on 1 October 1943). He was subsequently posted to the Stab of the 16. Panzer-Division, attended the Kriegsakademie in Hirschberg, and served as Major i. G. in the Generalstab of the 12. Luftwaffen-Feld-Division. During the fighting for Danzig and West Prussia he was wounded for the fifth time and, while in hospital, fell into British captivity at the end of the war, from which he was released on 31 May 1947. After the war he worked as a master watchmaker before rejoining the Bundeswehr on 26 April 1956; he served until 30 September 1972 in various staff and command roles, including Chef des Stabes of the 1. Luftlandedivision, Kommandeur of the Luftlandebrigade 25 from December 1962 to April 1965, and finally as Oberst im Generalstab and Leiter der Studiengruppe des Heeres at the Führungsakademie.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/61st_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)

Ritterkreuzträger of Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 237

Formed on 1 July 1943 in Jüterbog under Wehrkreis III, Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 237 was established as an independent assault gun battalion comprising three combat batteries primarily equipped with Sturmgeschütz III armored fighting vehicles. Placed under the leadership of Major Paul Friedrich Schaupensteiner, the formation was deployed to the Eastern Front in the autumn of 1943, serving in the central sector under Heeresgruppe Mitte. Tasked with direct infantry fire support and mobile antitank defense, the unit saw intense defensive engagements during the battles around Smolensk, Gomel, and Mogilev. During these brutal clashes, personnel demonstrated notable tactical skill against massed Soviet armor; most famously, Hauptmann Bodo Spranz, serving as Batteriechef of 1. Batterie, achieved international renown within the Sturmartillerie when he was simultaneously awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes and the Eichenlaub on 3 October 1943 after suffering severe combat wounds. On 14 February 1944, the unit was redesignated as Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 237 to conform to standardized doctrine, taking part in heavy defensive operations around Kovel and the Pripyat Marshes under subsequent commanders, including Hauptmann Ludwig Bertram and Hauptmann Günter Liethmann. Following devastating casualties during the Soviet summer offensive of 1944 and a fierce breakout toward Międzyrzec, the survivors retreated through Warsaw to Möckern near Magdeburg, where the remnants were reorganized in September 1944 into Sturmpanzer-Abteilung 219. Through documentation preserved across historical archives, Wikipedia, and TracesOfWar, Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 237 stands as an emblematic assault gun formation that bore the relentless attrition of the Eastern Front until its transformation late in the conflict.

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Hauptmann Bodo Spranz (1920-2007) was born on 1 January 1920 in Nordhausen and entered the Wehrmacht in 1938 as Fahnenjunker with the 8. Batterie of Artillerie-Regiment 12. He took part in the Polish and French campaigns, earning both classes of the Iron Cross, before transferring to Sturmgeschütz units. Serving with Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 185 he received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold and multiple Panzervernichtungsabzeichen. On 2 June 1943 he became Chef of the 1. Batterie of Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 237 under 2. Armee of Heeresgruppe Mitte. In the Smolensk sector during late August and early September 1943 his Batterie destroyed 61 enemy tanks in six days of intense fighting while supporting the 330. Infanterie-Division. By 3 September he had personally accounted for 50 tanks since the beginning of the war. In mid-September his Batterie crushed a major Soviet armoured assault, knocking out 27 tanks in a single engagement. By 17 September 1943 Spranz had raised his personal total to 76 tanks destroyed, four of them in close combat, and was wounded for the ninth time. For these outstanding achievements as Chef of the 1. Batterie of Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 237 he was simultaneously awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes and the Eichenlaub (308th award) on 3 October 1943 as Hauptmann! Captured near the end of the war in the Halbe pocket, he was released in October 1945. After the war he studied ethnology, earned a doctorate in 1958 and habilitation in 1969, and served as director of the Museum für Völkerkunde in Freiburg from 1962 to 1984. He died on 1 September 2007 in Bremen.

Source :
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/Sturmgeschutzeinheiten/Sturmgeschutzabteilung237.htm

Ritterkreuzträger of 299. Infanterie-Division

The 299. Infanterie-Division was established on 9 February 1940 as part of the eighth mobilization wave in Wehrkreis IX, drawing personnel primarily from Hessen and Thüringen. Its initial combat structure consisted of Infanterie-Regiment 528, Infanterie-Regiment 529, Infanterie-Regiment 530, Artillerie-Regiment 299, and divisional support units. During the Western Campaign in May 1940, it operated in northern France under Generalleutnant Willi Moser, who served as its first commander until late 1942. In June 1941, the division joined Operation Barbarossa with Heeresgruppe Süd, advancing through Ukraine, breaching the Stalin Line near Nowograd-Wolynskij, and capturing Kiev. It subsequently redeployed to Heeresgruppe Mitte, participating in exhausting engagements near Orel, Kursk, and Gomel, during which its infantry regiments were redesignated as Grenadier-Regimenter. Commanding officers throughout these bloody Eastern Front campaigns included Generalleutnant Hans Bergen and Generalleutnant Ralph Graf von Oriola. In June 1944, during the Soviet Operation Bagration near Vitebsk and Minsk, the division was annihilated, leading to its remnants being incorporated into Korps-Abteilung G. Officially reconstituted as 299. Infanterie-Division on 1 September 1944, the unit saw action along the Narew River in Poland under Generalmajor Karl Göbel before retreating into Ostpreußen. In February and March 1945, the division was shattered in the Heiligenbeil pocket, with remnants disbanding near Danzig. Dozens of its soldiers earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes and Deutsches Kreuz in Gold, marking its extensive, devastating combat path.

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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


Oberst Hans Fritsche (1909-1993) was born on 24 June 1909 in Tillowitz, Silesia, and joined the Schutzpolizei in 1928 before transferring to the Wehrmacht as Unterfeldwebel on 1 October 1935. Assigned to Infanterie-Regiment 30 and later Infanterie-Regiment 528, he served as Adjutant of the II. Bataillon during the Westfeldzug and was promoted to Oberleutnant as Chef of the 8. Kompanie in October 1940. From June 1941 he led his company on the Eastern Front and was promoted to Hauptmann in February 1942. On 1 October 1942 he took command of the II. Bataillon of Grenadier-Regiment 528 of the 299. Infanterie-Division. During fighting southeast of Orel near Stara Iwanowka in the Liwny area he was deployed against Soviet forces that had penetrated a neighbouring sector; through swift independent action and repeated counterattacks he held off two Soviet rifle regiments for an entire day, preventing a breakthrough and stabilising the flank. For this achievement he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 10 March 1943 as Hauptmann and Kommandeur of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 528. Promoted to Major and appointed Kommandeur of the I. Bataillon, he distinguished himself again during the summer defensive battles around Orel in 1943 by repeatedly eliminating strong enemy penetrations with small forces while leading from the front. These leadership successes earned him the Eichenlaub on 2 October 1943 as Major and Kommandeur of the I./Grenadier-Regiment 528 (307th award). He later commanded Grenadier-Regiment 528 and from July 1944 Grenadier-Regiment 11, reaching the rank of Oberst in January 1945. Captured by American forces in May 1945 and released in June, he died on 27 May 1993 in Hanau.



Oberst Heinrich Kiesling (1909-1944) was born on 31 May 1909 in Gröppendorf, Saxony, and entered military service in 1930 with Infanterie-Regiment 10, receiving promotion to Leutnant in 1933 and to Hauptmann on 1 April 1939; at the outbreak of war he served as an instructor at the Kriegsschule in Dresden before commanding a battalion of Infanterie-Regiment 192 during the 1940 Westfeldzug, for which he was awarded the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse on 16 May 1940 and the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse on 26 July 1940, later receiving the Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen, the Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz and Silber, and the Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42 on 18 August 1942. Promoted to Major, he took command of III. Bataillon, Grenadier-Regiment 768 of the 377. Infanterie-Division in April 1942 and distinguished himself on the Eastern Front; on 9 February 1943, as the vanguard of the encircled Kampfgruppe Beukemann (elements of the 75., 340., 377. and 323. Infanterie-Divisionen) attempted to break out of the Soviet ring south of Voronezh, Kiesling personally led the seizure of Beslepkino, beginning the assault with only twelve men until the remainder of his Bataillon could be brought forward, an action that proved decisive in enabling the Kampfgruppe’s successful escape and for which he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 10 June 1943 as Major and Kommandeur of III./Grenadier-Regiment 768. Later serving as Führer of Grenadier-Regiment 529 of the 299. Infanterie-Division, he again displayed exceptional leadership on 27 September 1943 east of the Sosch near Roslavl when his regiment’s retreat route was blocked by strong Soviet forces; rejecting the safer option of withdrawing through a boggy forest that would have forced the abandonment of all heavy weapons, Kiesling chose instead to break directly through the enemy lines, disengaging that evening and advancing through dense forest until contact was made with the blocking positions around 22:00, whereupon a prolonged and difficult battle ensued that threatened to stall until a German assault element discovered a concealed path to the northwest that allowed the heavy weapons to be preserved, enabling the regiment to slip through the surprised Soviet lines and, after a long night march, to take up defensive positions in the new German front line on the morning of 28 September 1943 with all heavy weapons and vehicles intact. For this exemplary bravery and leadership he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz (321st award) on 7 November 1943 while still a Major, was simultaneously promoted to Oberstleutnant, and advanced to Oberst on 1 April 1944; he was also mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 13 February 1944. Serving as Kommandeur of Grenadier-Regiment 529, Oberst Heinrich Kiesling was reported missing in action on 18 June 1944 in the area of Vitebsk during the Soviet summer offensive.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/299th_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)

Ritterkreuzträger of 98. Infanterie-Division

The 98. Infanterie-Division was mobilized in Wehrkreis XIII during the fifth mobilization wave in September 1939 under Generalmajor Erich Schröck, originally drawing its personnel primarily from Franconia and the Sudetenland. Assigned initially to reserve roles in the west, the division took part in the campaign in France in 1940, advancing through the Somme and Aisne before settling into occupation duties. In June 1941, under Generalleutnant Erich Schröck, the unit was transferred east for Operation Barbarossa, serving under Heeresgruppe Süd in the push across Ukraine toward Kiev. Reassigned to Heeresgruppe Mitte in autumn 1941, the division participated in the advance on Moscow, where it endured heavy casualties, bitter cold, and severe Soviet counteroffensives near Maloyaroslavets and the Vyazma salient. Throughout 1942 and early 1943, under commanders such as Generalleutnant Martin Gareis, the division remained engaged in grueling defensive and anti-partisan operations in central Russia, suffering catastrophic losses among its regiments, Infanterie-Regiment 282, 289, and 290. In spring 1943, it was relocated south to the Kuban bridgehead, fighting stubborn withdrawal actions across the Taman Peninsula before being pushed into the Crimea. By late 1943 and early 1944, elements fought encircled at Kerch and Sevastopol under Generalleutnant Alfred-Hermann Reinhardt; those who evaded capture were evacuated by sea to Romania. Rebuilt in Croatia during the summer of 1944 as a modern division under Generalleutnant Otto-Ernst Flickenschildt, it was transferred to Italy under Heeresgruppe C. There it fought along the Gothic Line, defending the Senio River and the plains around Bologna until finally surrendering to Allied forces near Lake Garda in early May 1945.

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SCHWERTERTRÄGER


Generalleutnant Alfred-Hermann Reinhardt (1897-1973) was born on 15 November 1897 in Affalterbach, Württemberg, and enlisted as a Kriegsfreiwilliger in the 5. Württembergisches Grenadier-Regiment „König Karl“ Nr. 123 on 7 January 1916. He fought on the Western Front, earning both classes of the Iron Cross and the Württemberg Military Merit Medal, and left the army as Leutnant in 1920 to join the Württembergische Polizei. Transferred to the Heer as Hauptmann in 1935, he rose to Oberstleutnant by 1940 and commanded the III./Infanterie-Regiment 480 during the Battle of France. In July 1941 he took command of Infanterie-Regiment 421 of the 125. Infanterie-Division; for leading the capture of Tarassowka on 20 September 1941 that sealed the Kiev pocket he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 4 December 1941 as Oberstleutnant. Promoted to Oberst, he later commanded the redesignated Grenadier-Regiment 421. On 25–26 July 1943, during the Kuban bridgehead battles, he counter-attacked a Soviet breakthrough between Dolgaja-Berg and Neberdshajewskaja, restoring the German line along the Kamm river and preventing the collapse of the bridgehead; for this he was awarded the Eichenlaub on 28 September 1943 as Oberst (306th award). Appointed Kommandeur of the 98. Infanterie-Division on 1 February 1944, he led it through the Crimean retreat and its reformation in Croatia, then in the defence of the Adriatic coast near Rimini and Bologna. For the division’s outstanding defensive performance in late summer and autumn 1944 he was promoted to Generalleutnant and received the Schwerter on 24 December 1944 (118th award). Captured in May 1945, he was released in 1948 and died on 15 January 1973 in Öhringen.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/98th_Infantry_Division_(Wehrmacht)