Happy Ritterkreuzträger

 WIDE SMILE

Hauptmann Bodo Spranz (1920-2007) was born on 1 January 1920 in Nordhausen and died on 1 September 2007 in Bremen after a distinguished military career in the Wehrmacht followed by postwar scholarly work as an ethnologist specializing in preclassic Mesoamerican history. Entering service in 1938, he advanced through artillery ranks to become an officer, receiving promotion to Leutnant around 1940, to Oberleutnant on 1 April 1942, and to Hauptmann on 1 August 1943. Early decorations included the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse on 23 June 1940, the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse on 2 July 1941, the Verwundetenabzeichen in successive grades culminating in Gold on 8 December 1942 after multiple wounds, the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 6 May 1942 while serving as Batteriechef in the 2. Batterie of Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 185, the Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42, four Panzervernichtungsabzeichen, and the Sturmabzeichen. On 2 June 1943 he took command as Batteriechef of the 1. Batterie of Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 237, leading it with exceptional skill in the Smolensk sector under Heeresgruppe Mitte. The Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes was awarded on 3 October 1943 for having personally destroyed 50 enemy tanks by 3 September 1943 and for his Batterie’s outstanding performance supporting the 330. Infanterie-Division, during which the unit knocked out 61 Soviet tanks in six days of intense fighting in late August and early September. The 308. Eichenlaub, granted the same day in a rare simultaneous presentation, recognized the continuation of these successes: in mid-September Spranz and his Batterie crushed a fierce Soviet armored assault, destroying 27 tanks in a single engagement, raising his personal tally to 76 tanks by 17 September 1943, of which four were eliminated in close combat, on which day he was wounded for the ninth time. These actions established him among the most successful Sturmgeschütz commanders of the war. At the end of hostilities he was with the 12. Armee in the Halbe pocket, entered American captivity in May 1945, and was released in October.

Source :
https://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2011/05/album-foto-tertawa-nazi-jerman.html

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

Ritterkreuzträger of Independent Infanterie Units

Independent Wehrmacht Infanterie units comprised various Infanterie-Regimenter and Infanterie-Bataillone operating outside the organic structure of standard Infanterie-Divisionen, frequently as Heerestruppen allocated by higher commands for specialized tasks such as static fortress defense, rear-area security, or temporary operational requirements. While the majority of Infanterie-Regimenter formed the core of Infanterie-Divisionen and typically included three Infanterie-Bataillone each containing three Schützenkompanien and one Maschinengewehr-Kompanie, supplemented by a thirteenth Infanteriegeschütz-Kompanie and a fourteenth Panzerjäger-Kompanie under the overall command of an Oberst, independent formations diverged in composition and employment. Festungs-Infanterie-Regimenter and Festungs-Regiments-Stäbe directed multiple Festungs-Infanterie-Bataillone, which were raised particularly from August 1944 onward and numbered in the 1400 series, consisting of a Stab with Stabs-Kompanie plus three or four Schützenkompanien or three Schützenkompanien with one schwere Kompanie, manned largely by Landesschützen personnel and equipped primarily with Gewehre, Pistolen, schwere Maschinengewehre, and 8-cm Granatwerfer for the defense of fixed positions along the Westwall, coastal sectors, or Eastern Front festungen. Selbständige Infanterie-Bataillone z.b.V., including Bewährungsbataillone such as Infanterie-Bataillon z.b.V. 500 and various Sturm-Bataillone attached to Armeen or Panzer-Armeen, served as flexible Heerestruppen for assault duties or penal service, often under a Major as Bataillonskommandeur with Hauptleute leading the Kompanien. These independent units retained traditional ranks and designations in the original language even after the 1942 redesignation of many Infanterie elements as Grenadier-Regimenter and Grenadier-Bataillone, and they were frequently sub-allotted temporarily to field divisions or corps for specific operations while remaining administratively independent, reflecting the Wehrmacht’s adaptive use of infantry resources amid evolving wartime demands.

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VERSTÄRKTES GRENADIER-REGIMENT 1067


Generalleutnant Theodor Tolsdorff (1909-1978), born on 3 November 1909 at Estate Lehnarten in East Prussia, joined the Infanterie-Regiment 1 of the Reichswehr in Insterburg as a Schütze in 1934 and rose rapidly through the ranks of the Wehrmacht Heer. Promoted to Leutnant in 1936 and Oberleutnant in 1938, he commanded the 14. (Panzerjäger-)Kompanie of Infanterie-Regiment 22 in the 1. Infanterie-Division during the invasions of Poland and France. On the Eastern Front, as Oberleutnant and acting commander of II./Infanterie-Regiment 22, he earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 4 December 1941 by leading a counterattack with hastily assembled reserves against a Soviet breakthrough from the Vyborgsskaja bridgehead, regaining the line despite being wounded three times. As Major and Kommandeur of I. Bataillon, Füsilier-Regiment 22, he received the Eichenlaub on 15 September 1943 for holding his sector for fourteen days and restoring neighboring positions during the Third Battle of Lake Ladoga through personal frontline leadership. In July 1944, as Oberstleutnant commanding Grenadier-Regiment 1067 and Kampfgruppe Tolsdorff, he broke through to the encircled garrison of Vilnius, rescued a field hospital with three thousand wounded, defended the city against overwhelming Soviet and Polish forces, and facilitated the breakout, earning the Schwerter on 18 July 1944 and the nickname Löwe von Wilna while being promoted to Oberst. Appointed Kommandeur of the 340. Volksgrenadier-Division, he led it in the Ardennes offensive, seizing and holding a vital river crossing, then conducted an orderly retreat through the Eifel, for which he received the Brillanten on 18 March 1945 as Generalmajor and was promoted to Generalleutnant, one of the youngest in the Heer, later commanding the LXXXII. Armeekorps. Wounded fourteen times in total, Tolsdorff surrendered in May 1945, was released in 1947, and died in Dortmund on 25 May 1978.

Source :
https://ww2-history.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Heer_Units

Ritterkreuzträger of Artillerie (Artillery)

German artillery formed the backbone of Wehrmacht fire support throughout the Second World War, remaining the primary cause of battlefield casualties despite the popular focus on Panzers and aircraft. At the outbreak of hostilities each Infanterie-Division fielded an Artillerie-Regiment consisting of three leichte Abteilungen equipped with the 10,5 cm leFH 18 light field howitzer and one schwere Abteilung armed with the 15 cm sFH 18 heavy field howitzer, for a total of thirty-six light and twelve heavy pieces. These guns, horse-drawn in most formations, provided the continuous barrage needed to break enemy resistance during the Polish campaign of 1939 and the rapid advances through France in 1940. On the Eastern Front from 1941 onward the same Artillerie-Regimenter faced immense challenges of distance, mud and extreme cold; batteries under the command of an Oberst or Oberstleutnant were frequently attached to individual Infanterie-Regimenter for close support, while Heeresartillerie units of the general headquarters pool reinforced critical sectors with additional 10 cm Kanone 18 and 21 cm Mörser 18 batteries. During the defensive battles around Voronezh in 1942 and the subsequent retreat to the Dnjepr, General der Artillerie Ernst-Eberhard Hell, commanding the VII. Armee-Korps, concentrated the fire of several Artillerie-Abteilungen to destroy nearly one thousand Soviet tanks and break through successive encirclements. In Normandy in 1944 Heeresküstenartillerie-Regimenter such as the 1261 under Oberst Gerhard Treipel and independent Abteilungen under Majore employed a mixture of German leFH 18, captured French and Soviet pieces to shell the invasion beaches for days after D-Day. Although outranged by certain Soviet guns and increasingly short of ammunition and prime movers, the crews of the Artillerie-Regimenter continued to deliver devastating concentrations until the final collapse in 1945, demonstrating the enduring tactical importance of well-directed field howitzer fire in both offensive Blitzkrieg and prolonged defensive warfare.

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HEER


General der Artillerie Maximilian de Angelis (1889-1974) was born on 2 October 1889 in Budapest in the Austro-Hungarian Empire as the son of a k.u.k. officer and began his military career after attending the Theresianische Militärakademie in Wiener Neustadt, being commissioned Leutnant in the k.u.k. Feldkanonenregiment 42 in 1908; he served with distinction in the First World War as an artillery officer and Generalstabsoffizier, rising to Hauptmann, and after the war continued in the Austrian Bundesheer, attaining the ranks of Major, Oberstleutnant and Oberst while teaching at military schools and holding staff positions. Following the Anschluss in March 1938 he was promoted to Generalmajor and integrated into the Wehrmacht, later becoming Artilleriekommandeur XV; at the outbreak of the Second World War he took command of the 76. Infanterie-Division, which he led in the Westfeldzug, earning the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse on 13 May 1940 and I. Klasse on 1 June 1940, and was promoted Generalleutnant on 1 August 1940. On the Eastern Front from 1941 his division advanced from Romania through Jassy, Tiraspol and Krementschug toward Artemowsk, and it was for his resolute defence that prevented a Soviet breakthrough toward Artemowsk on 18 January 1942 while serving as Generalleutnant and Kommandeur of the 76. Infanterie-Division that he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 9 February 1942. Shortly thereafter, on 26 January 1942, he assumed temporary command of the XXXXIV. Armeekorps and on 1 March 1942 was promoted to General der Artillerie and confirmed as its Kommandierender General; under his leadership the corps forced the crossing of the Donez river in the summer of 1942, conducted a relentless pursuit of retreating Soviet forces deep into the western Caucasus as far as the approaches to Tuapse, and later played a decisive role in holding the Kuban bridgehead against numerically superior enemy forces, achievements for which he was awarded the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz as the 323rd recipient on 12 November 1943 while still commanding the XXXXIV. Armeekorps. He subsequently held temporary and permanent command of the 6. Armee and from July 1944 served as Oberbefehlshaber of the 2. Panzerarmee in the Balkans until the end of the war; among his further decorations were the Militärorden Michael der Tapfere III. Klasse awarded on 19 September 1941 and the Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42. Captured by American forces in May 1945, he was later extradited to Yugoslavia and then the Soviet Union, sentenced for war crimes, and released only in 1955, thereafter living in Germany and Austria until his death in Graz on 6 December 1974.



General der Artillerie Maximilian Fretter-Pico (1892-1984) was born on 6 February 1892 in Karlsruhe and entered the Imperial German Army on 20 September 1910 as a Fahnenjunker in the Feldartillerie-Regiment „Großherzog“ (1. Badisches) Nr. 14. He served throughout the First World War, rising to Hauptmann by October 1918, and remained in the Reichswehr after the war. Promoted to Oberst in 1937 and Generalmajor on 1 March 1941, he assumed command of the 97. leichte Infanterie-Division in April 1941. On 31 August 1941, during the advance in the East, the division’s objective was a bridgehead around Bezuly; Fretter-Pico personally accompanied the foremost infantry waves, reached the objective, and then independently ordered a further thrust to seize the commanding heights at Pidgora despite open flanks. The heights were taken by nightfall, enabling the rapid exploitation of the success, for which he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 26 December 1941. He then took command of the XXX. Armeekorps, was promoted to Generalleutnant in February 1942 and to General der Artillerie on 1 June 1942, becoming its Kommandierender General. Awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 19 September 1942, he distinguished himself through flexible and determined leadership in the winter battles of 1942/43 between the Don and Donez, the defensive fighting near Izyum in summer 1943, and the prevention of Soviet breakthrough attempts southwest of Dnepropetrovsk in November and December 1943. On 5 December 1943 he smashed a major Soviet offensive with seven rifle divisions and a tank corps by means of a bold nocturnal counterattack, and on 19 December he again halted a breakthrough attempt with a daring counterstroke of his own; for these achievements he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 16 January 1944 as the 368th recipient. He later commanded the 6. Armee and the Armeegruppe Fretter-Pico before ending the war as Befehlshaber of Wehrkreis IX. Captured by American forces in April 1945 and released in 1947, he died on 4 April 1984 in Kreuth am Tegernsee at the rank of General der Artillerie.



General der Artillerie Walter Hartmann (1891-1977) was born on 23 July 1891 in Mülheim an der Ruhr and entered the Saxon Army on 1 October 1910 as Fahnenjunker in the 1. Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 12. Promoted to Leutnant in 1912 and Oberleutnant in 1916, he served on the Eastern Front in the First World War, earning both classes of the Eisernes Kreuz and other decorations before being taken into the Reichswehr as Hauptmann in 1921. Rising through the ranks as Major in 1932, Oberstleutnant in 1936 and Oberst in 1938, he commanded Artillerie-Regiment 24 in the Polish and Western campaigns. Appointed Artilleriekommandeur 140 in November 1940, he took part in the invasion of the Soviet Union. On 15 July 1941, while directing artillery fire from the foremost line under intense enemy fire to support the breakthrough of the 100. (leichte) Infanterie-Division through the Stalin Line at Koserowka, he was severely wounded and lost his left arm and left leg. For this decisive action he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 10 August 1941 as Oberst and Artilleriekommandeur 140, followed by promotion to Generalmajor on 1 October 1941. After a long recovery he returned to duty at his own request, commanding Division z.b.V. 407 and later the 390. Feldausbildungs-Division, and was promoted to Generalleutnant on 1 February 1943. From April 1943 he led the 87. Infanterie-Division in the Welish sector. Despite his double amputation he personally directed counterattacks to seal Soviet penetrations in September 1943, for which he was awarded the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 30 November 1943 as Generalleutnant and Kommandeur of the 87. Infanterie-Division. Promoted to General der Artillerie on 1 May 1944, he commanded the XXXXIX. Gebirgs-Armeekorps in Crimea before taking over the VIII. Armeekorps on 1 September 1944. For his energetic leadership in holding the Oder front from Cosel to Oppeln against strong Soviet assaults in January and February 1945 through repeated local counterthrusts, he received the Schwerter to the Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub on 18 March 1945 as General der Artillerie and Kommandierender General of the VIII. Armeekorps. He briefly commanded the XXIV. Panzerkorps in April 1945, entered American captivity at the end of the war and was released in 1947. Hartmann died in Hameln on 11 March 1977.



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.



General der Artillerie Siegfried Thomaschki (1894-1967) was born on 20 March 1894 in Miswalde, East Prussia, as the third child of Protestant pastor Paul Thomaschki and Elisabeth née Schucht. After graduating from the Collegium Fridericianum he entered the Imperial German Army on 4 March 1913 as Fahnenjunker in the 2. Ostpreußisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 52, was commissioned Leutnant in 1914 and served throughout the First World War as battery officer and adjutant, earning the Iron Cross Second and First Class while being wounded three times. Remaining in the Reichswehr he advanced through artillery staff and command posts, becoming Oberst and commander of Artillerie-Regiment 3 by 1939. He led the regiment in the Polish and French campaigns, then as Artillerie-Kommandeur 123 on the northern sector of the Eastern Front, receiving the German Cross in Gold. On 26 January 1942 he assumed command of the 11. Infanterie-Division, being promoted Generalmajor on 1 March 1942. Under his leadership the division stubbornly defended the Kirishi bridgehead on the east bank of the Volkhov River, a narrow foothold only four kilometres wide and two kilometres deep, against 154 Soviet assaults between 5 June and 5 September 1942; this epic defence, later nicknamed the “Verdun of the North,” earned him the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 1 November 1942. Further masterful defensive fighting around Sinyavino in July–August 1942, during which the division was again mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht, led to the award of the Eichenlaub on 11 September 1943 while he was Generalleutnant and still commander of the 11. Infanterie-Division. He subsequently served as Höherer Artillerie-Kommandeur 303, briefly commanded Kampfgruppe Thomaschki, and from December 1944 led the X. Armeekorps in the Courland Pocket, rising to General der Artillerie on 1 March 1945. He surrendered to Soviet forces on 8 May 1945, was convicted as a war criminal and held until 1955. Thomaschki died on 31 May 1967 in Bad Neuenahr.

Source :
https://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-wwii/articles/artillery/german-artillery/

Ritterkreuzträger with Schützenschnur (Marksmanship Lanyard)

The Schützenschnur, or Marksmanship Lanyard, was a proficiency award introduced on 29 June 1936 by the Oberkommando des Heeres for the Heer to recognize outstanding shooting skills among enlisted personnel. Initially established in four grades, or Stufe 1 to 4, it applied to Infantrymen serving in Infantry, Mountain troops, Motorized Infantry, Parachutists and similar units as well as to Artillerymen, replacing earlier Reichswehr sleeve stripes. On 17 October 1938 a revised version expanded the system to twelve successive grades and extended eligibility to Armored troopers of the Panzertruppe. The lanyard acknowledged demonstrated ability with the rifle, light machine gun, heavy machine gun, anti-tank weapon, 2 cm anti-aircraft gun, and the firing of infantry, artillery and tank guns. Constructed of wound aluminium wire, it featured a metal plaque at the upper end whose design varied by branch: early grades displayed a silver shield with the Wehrmacht eagle, higher grades added crossed swords and an oak-leaf wreath, while the uppermost levels used gilt fittings; successive acorns or similar devices indicated the achieved Stufe. Awarded exclusively to Mannschaften and Unteroffiziere, the Schützenschnur could neither be applied for nor worn by Offiziere. It was suspended from beneath the right shoulder strap and fastened to the second upper front button of the uniform, permitted on all orders of dress except the battle dress. Accompanying certificates formalized each award. Issuance ceased on 14 February 1941 with the intention of resuming it after a successful conclusion of the war, yet the decoration remains a distinctive emblem of Wehrmacht marksmanship tradition drawn from long-standing Prussian military practice.

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HEER


Feldwebel Herbert Barz (1916-2002) was born on 16 March 1916 in Hagen and entered military service in the Heer, advancing steadily through the ranks as Gefreiter from 1 October 1938, Obergefreiter from 21 April 1940 and Stabsgefreiter from 1 October 1942. Assigned as Richtschütze in the 3./schwere Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 519, a Heerestruppe equipped primarily with the heavily gunned but lightly armored Nashorn (initially designated Hornisse) self-propelled tank destroyers armed with the potent 8,8 cm Pak 43, he served on the Eastern Front under Heeresgruppe Mitte. The Abteilung first saw combat near Witebsk from late December 1943, where it achieved remarkable success in defensive engagements against Soviet armor, claiming some 290 enemy vehicles destroyed by February 1944 at the cost of only six total losses. As the skilled gunner responsible for accurate long-range fire from the open fighting compartment, Barz contributed decisively to these results through precise targeting that exploited the Nashorn’s superior gun performance at distances often exceeding 2000 meters. During the catastrophic Soviet summer offensive of Operation Bagration in 1944 the unit suffered the complete loss of its remaining Jagdpanzer, yet Barz’s outstanding personal achievements as Richtschütze in the preceding intense anti-tank battles earned him the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 18 July 1944 while still holding the rank of Unteroffizier; he was promoted to Feldwebel on 5 January 1945. Recognized as a tank ace for his cumulative destructions of enemy armored vehicles, Barz survived the remainder of the war and the subsequent years of reconstruction, living until 5 May 2002 in Murrhardt. His career exemplifies the critical role of highly trained enlisted gunners in the specialized heavy tank-destroyer formations that sought to offset numerical inferiority through technological and tactical proficiency on the Eastern Front.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Armed_Forces_Badge_of_Marksmanship

Ritterkreuzträger with Kraftfahrbewährungsabzeichen (Driver Proficiency Badge)

The Kraftfahrbewährungsabzeichen, known in English as the Driver Proficiency Badge, was a German military decoration instituted on 23 October 1942 by Adolf Hitler to recognise the service and reliability of drivers of military transport vehicles during the Second World War. It was awarded to personnel of the Wehrmacht, including members of the Heer, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine, as well as civilian drivers under Wehrmacht command and foreign volunteers, but not to members of allied forces or posthumously. Qualification required proven service from 1 December 1940 onwards in designated operational zones such as the former Yugoslavia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, areas east of the 1940 Soviet border, Finland, northern Norway, Lapland and North Africa, with later extensions to Sicily, Corsica, southern Italy and Albania. The badge was issued in three classes according to repeated fulfilment of the criteria under difficult conditions: the bronze grade for the initial period of service, the silver for a second equivalent period and the gold for a third. The required number of operational days varied by role, typically ninety days for Kradmelder and motorcycle reconnaissance or dispatch riders, one hundred and twenty days for drivers of front-line supply or combat vehicles, and between one hundred and thirty-five and one hundred and eighty-five days for drivers of other transport, staff, column or rear-area vehicles. Days spent under enemy fire, on especially long daily distances, over difficult terrain or in extreme climatic conditions counted towards the total. The award could be withdrawn in cases of reckless driving or failure to maintain the assigned vehicle properly. The design, created by SS-Oberführer Werlin, consists of a circular laurel or oak-leaf wreath approximately forty-one to forty-four millimetres in diameter enclosing a stylised steering wheel of the type fitted to an Opel Blitz truck; it was stamped from iron or zinc alloy, finished in the appropriate metal colour and sewn onto a cloth backing for wear on the lower left sleeve of the uniform tunic, two centimetres above any specialist trade badge. Notably, the design contained no Hakenkreuz. Approximately sixty-five thousand badges were conferred in total. After 1945 wear of Third Reich decorations was prohibited, yet in 1957 the Federal Republic of Germany re-authorised a denazified version of the Kraftfahrbewährungsabzeichen for qualified veterans, thereby acknowledging the logistical contribution of military drivers under the most demanding wartime conditions.

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WAFFEN-SS


SS-Oberscharführer Hugo Ruf (1920-1945) was born on 30 December 1920 in Herten near Lörrach in Baden and entered the Waffen-SS in 1939, serving throughout the Second World War until his death. He rose to the rank of SS-Oberscharführer and served as Zugführer in the 3. Schwadron of SS-Panzer-Regiment 5 within the 5. SS-Panzer-Division „Wiking“. During operations on the Eastern Front he earned the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse, the Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse, the Panzerkampfabzeichen in Silber and other decorations reflecting his experience as a tank commander. His most distinguished action occurred on 13 August 1944 near Sulejow. When Soviet forces broke through the German front with overwhelming strength and seized the village, severing contact with the neighbouring 5. Jäger-Division and threatening the establishment of a new defensive line, the infantry was too depleted to form more than a thin chain of resistance nests. Ruf and his Zug were ordered to cover the eastern edge of the Lochow wood. Upon arrival he independently decided to attack Sulejow itself without infantry support in order to gain a foothold from which he could shield the regrouping German infantry. After hard fighting he reached the village centre, destroyed a Pakfront of ten 7.62 cm guns, and then engaged an enemy tank assembly of some twenty to thirty vehicles in the woods to the south and southeast. When eight enemy tanks with mounted infantry counter-attacked he destroyed them all, together with a large part of the accompanying infantry; a further seven tanks advancing from the south were likewise eliminated. Holding the southern edge of the village for two days against repeated assaults, Ruf prevented any further penetration that would have compromised the newly forming German line west of Sulejow. In the course of this defensive battle his four Panzer IV tanks accounted for fifteen enemy tanks, twelve anti-tank guns, six heavy mortars and approximately three hundred Soviet soldiers. His decisive initiative restored the connection to the neighbouring division and enabled the infantry to reorganise. For this achievement he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 16 October 1944. Ruf continued to serve with the division until the final weeks of the war and was killed near Celle on 2 May 1945 at the age of twenty-four; he is buried in the Field of Honor at the City Cemetery Celle, row 13, grave 45.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver_Proficiency_Badge

Ritterkreuzträger with Feldmütze M42

The Feldmütze M42 was a German Army overseas field cap introduced on 21 July 1942 specifically for Mannschaften and Unteroffiziere of the Heer as a practical improvement over the earlier Feldmütze M34 and M38 Schiffchen models, primarily to provide better protection against the harsh cold of the Eastern Front. Its design drew inspiration from the Bergmütze worn by Gebirgstruppen but omitted the visor entirely, resulting in a soft, foldable side-cap shape constructed from field-grey wool or wool-rayon blend fabric. Distinctive features included deep fold-down side and rear panels with a scalloped front edge that could be lowered to cover the ears, neck and lower face for warmth and then secured under the chin by means of two pebbled metal buttons positioned vertically at the front; when raised, these panels remained fastened neatly by the same buttons. Small metal ventilation grommets were fitted on each side just below the crown seam to allow air circulation. Insignia typically consisted of a machine-woven national eagle (Wehrmachtsadler) above a black-white-red cockade, often combined on a single T-shaped or trapezoidal BeVo patch stitched to the front, although separate eagle and cockade pieces were also used; Waffenfarbe piping or soutache was generally omitted on enlisted versions in accordance with wartime simplification orders. Interior linings were usually of light grey or grey-green cotton or rayon, frequently stamped with maker codes, size and year of manufacture. Black-wool variants were produced for Panzertruppen crews. Although intended to supersede the earlier Schiffchen, the Feldmütze M42 never completely replaced it in service and continued to be worn alongside both older and newer patterns until the end of the war. By late 1943 the more practical Einheitsfeldmütze M43 with its fixed visor and simplified construction had begun to appear in large numbers, yet the M42 remained a common sight among front-line units of the 170. Infanterie-Division and many other formations of the Heer throughout 1943–45, reflecting the ongoing material shortages and the need for adaptable cold-weather headgear on every front from the steppes of Russia to the Western theatre.

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HEER


Oberfähnrich Ernst Kruse (1915-1944) was born on 1 October 1915 in Egeln near Magdeburg and entered the Schützen-Regiment 3 at the end of 1935, receiving promotion to Feldwebel in March 1938. He participated in the campaigns in Poland, France and the Soviet Union. For personal bravery in the fighting around Machino during the winter of 1941/42 he was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 19 January 1942 as Feldwebel in the 7./Schützen-Regiment 3. Serving as Zugführer of the 7. Kompanie in Panzergrenadier-Regiment 3 of the 3. Panzer-Division, he made a decisive contribution to the successful crossing of the Don in summer 1942 and especially distinguished himself on 29 July 1942 when the regiment stormed Proletarskaja; advancing far ahead with his Zug, he enabled the rapid penetration of his Bataillon into the town, for which he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 6 October 1942 as Oberfeldwebel. On the morning of New Year’s Day 1943, while the regiment held positions along the Kura stream near Aga Batyr, Soviet forces launched a sudden attack through dense mist after the German withdrawal had begun the previous night; enemy tanks overran the foremost defensive line, yet Oberfeldwebel Kruse immediately counter-attacked with his Zug without any artillery support, destroyed several tanks in close combat and sealed off the penetration, thereby preventing a Soviet breakthrough into the rear of the Division and permitting the planned retreat to continue. For this outstanding leadership and bravery he was decorated with the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz as the 245th recipient on 17 May 1943. After a period as instructor in the homeland he returned to the front on 23 September 1944 as Oberfähnrich and Ordonnanzoffizier of the II. Bataillon, Panzergrenadier-Regiment 3, and fell on 5 October 1944 during the assault on Ozbanice at the Soviet bridgehead near Serock.

Source :
https://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2021/07/foto-tokoh-third-reich-yang-mengenakan.html

Ritterkreuzträger of Panzerabwehr (Anti-Tank)

German Panzerabwehr during the Second World War evolved rapidly from light towed guns to a layered system of heavy artillery, self-propelled hunters and mass-issued infantry weapons as enemy armour thickened and numbers grew. At the outbreak of war the standard weapon was the 3,7-cm-PaK 36 issued to the Panzerabwehrkompanien of Infanterie-Regimenter and to independent Panzerjäger-Abteilungen; though mobile and easily concealed it proved inadequate against French and British medium tanks and was derisively nicknamed Heeresanklopfgerät after encounters with the T-34 and KW series in 1941. Successive introductions of the 5-cm-PaK 38 and especially the 7,5-cm-PaK 40 from early 1942 restored effectiveness at medium ranges, while the dual-purpose 8,8-cm-FlaK and the dedicated 8,8-cm-PaK 43 provided long-range killing power against the heaviest Allied and Soviet tanks. Tactically the Germans developed the Pakfront, concentrating groups of up to ten guns under a single officer so that coordinated volleys could ambush massed armour, a method later copied by the Red Army. Self-propelled solutions appeared in the Marder series mounting captured or German PaK on obsolete chassis and in the Sturmgeschütz III and IV, which, although designed as assault guns, became the most numerous and successful Panzerjäger on both Eastern and Western Fronts. Infantry close-combat weapons progressed from the limited Panzerbüchse 39 to the single-shot recoilless Panzerfaust family introduced in 1943 and the reusable 8,8-cm-Raketenpanzerbüchse 54, popularly called Panzerschreck or Ofenrohr, which offered greater range and penetration. Late-war doctrine emphasised nested defences combining minefields, obstacles, Pakfronts and Panzerfaust teams in staggered positions to engage tanks from multiple angles at short range, while mobile reserves of Panzerjäger-Abteilungen and Sturmgeschütz-Brigaden counter-attacked breakthroughs. Despite chronic shortages of tungsten-core ammunition and towing vehicles for the heavier guns, German Panzerabwehr remained a formidable and adaptive element of combined-arms defence until the final collapse in 1945.

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HEER


Leutnant der Reserve Georg Rietscher (1918-1991) was born on 3 December 1918 in Schweinerden near Kamenz in Saxony and died on 21 September 1991 in Radibor in Saxony. He entered the Heer in 1940 as a Soldat and served throughout the Second World War with the 14. Kompanie of the III. Bataillon of Infanterie-Regiment 513, later redesignated Grenadier-Regiment 513, belonging to the 294. Infanterie-Division. Promoted to Gefreiter der Reserve in 1941, he took part in the campaign in the West and then in Operation Barbarossa, fighting at Kiev and in the battles around Kharkov. On 9 October 1941 he received the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse and on 23 May 1942 the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse. As Richtschütze in his Kompanie he earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 27 June 1942 for his actions southeast of Kupjewacha east of Kharkov, where during a Soviet tank-led assault he personally knocked out nine enemy tanks, thereby decisively helping to seal off a breakthrough and allowing German forces to consolidate on the high ground to the west. Promoted to Unteroffizier der Reserve in 1943, he later served as Vorgeschobener Beobachter and received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 14 March 1943 as the 210th recipient for preventing a Soviet breakthrough along the Mius river in early 1943. In his own account of the action, which occurred around Christmas, he described hearing tank engines throughout the night while manning a forward strongpoint; four T-34s were immobilized in a minefield while a fifth continued firing, and after Pak guns proved unavailable he collected jerry cans of fuel, poured their contents over the tanks and into their engines, and placed explosive charges, destroying them one after another so that they burned and exploded with their crews, thereby ending the threat. He was promoted to Leutnant der Reserve in 1944 and also received the Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz, the Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen, the Ostmedaille and two Panzervernichtungsabzeichen in Silber before the war’s end.

Source :
https://www.tankarchives.com/2013/12/german-anti-tank-tactics.html

Ritterkreuzträger of Independent Pionier Units

 PIONIER-BATAILLON 51

The Pionier-Bataillon 51 was raised on 12 October 1937 as a Korps-Pionier-Bataillon with its peacetime garrison at Rosslau, drawing personnel from the Pionier-Bataillon 13 of the 4. Infanterie-Division, the Pionier-Bataillon 19 of the 19. Infanterie-Division, and the Pionier-Bataillon 16 of the 16. Infanterie-Division. Under the command of Oberstleutnant Hans Mikosch the unit took part in the Anschluss of Austria and later carried out fortification work on the Westwall. During the Polish campaign of 1939 the battalion served as an army troop performing bridging, obstacle clearance and assault pioneer tasks. In the Western campaign of May 1940 it played a decisive role in the reduction of the Belgian fortress of Eben-Emael; Oberstleutnant Mikosch led the battalion through heavily defended positions to relieve the airborne troops who had landed on the fort, an action for which he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 21 May 1940. Motorized and equipped for rapid river crossings, the battalion opened Operation Barbarossa on 22 June 1941 by seizing the Bug bridge at Sokal and clearing Soviet bunker lines on the heights east of the river while attached to the 57. Infanterie-Division, employing assault boats, flamethrowers and explosive charges with support from Sturmgeschütze. On 21 May 1942 the formation was redesignated Panzer-Pionier-Bataillon 51, absorbing a newly raised Panzer-Pionier-Kompanie of the 23. Panzer-Division and becoming the organic pioneer unit of that division. Thereafter it followed the 23. Panzer-Division through France, the second battle of Kharkov, the Caucasus offensive, the defensive fighting on the Mius and Dnieper, the southern Ukraine, Poland and finally Hungary in 1944–45, continuously performing the full range of panzer pioneer duties: bridge construction under fire, mine clearance, obstacle demolition and close assault in support of armoured spearheads until the final collapse of the front.



Generalleutnant Hans Mikosch (1898-1993) was born on 7 January 1898 in Kattowitz and volunteered for the Imperial German Army in 1914, serving as a pioneer officer and receiving a commission as Leutnant after two years of combat in the First World War before leaving the military in 1920 to join the police. He returned to the Heer on 15 October 1935 as Hauptmann, was promoted to Major in 1936 and to Oberstleutnant in 1939, and from October 1937 commanded Pionier-Bataillon 51, leading it in the invasion of Poland and later in the Westfeldzug. On 10 May 1940 his battalion advanced through fortified and heavily defended Belgian positions to relieve the Fallschirmjäger who had landed on Fort Eben-Emael, enabling the definitive German capture of the fort; for this action he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 21 May 1940 as Oberstleutnant und Kommandeur of Pionier-Bataillon 51. Promoted to Oberst in 1942, he commanded Pionier-Regiment 677 and later Pionier-Regiment-Stab z.b.V. 677 while also leading Kampfgruppe Mikosch on the Eastern Front. After the Soviet Operation Uranus, his Kampfgruppe retreated from the Kalatsch bridgehead to the Chir railway station on 24 November 1942 and was subordinated to the 384. Infanterie-Division, holding positions near Werch-Tschirskij in the Chir-Don triangle for four weeks against repeated Soviet tank and infantry assaults. On 14 December 1942 the Soviet 7th Tank Corps broke through with thirty tanks into the village itself, yet Kampfgruppe Mikosch destroyed twenty enemy tanks despite losing nearly all its anti-tank weapons and thereby prevented the Soviets from rolling up the entire Chir defensive front westward, actions for which he was awarded the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 6 March 1943 as Oberst und Kommandeur of Pionier-Regiment-Stab z.b.V. 677 und Führer einer Kampfgruppe im Raum Stalingrad. He later temporarily commanded the 10. Panzergrenadier-Division from October to December 1943, then the 13. Panzer-Division until May 1944, receiving promotion to Generalmajor in January 1944, served as commandant of Boulogne and Higher Pionier Commander, and ended the war as Generalleutnant responsible for fortifications in East Prussia and leader of another Kampfgruppe Mikosch near Königsberg. Captured by Soviet forces on 8 April 1945, he remained a prisoner until 1955 and died on 18 January 1993 in Reichshof.

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

Ritterkreuzträger of Pioniertruppen (Pioneer)

The German Pioniertruppen of the Wehrmacht in the Second World War formed a specialized branch of combat engineers collectively known as Pioniere, often distinguished as schwarz Pioniere by their black Waffenfarbe, and they operated primarily as assault troops rather than mere construction workers. Each Infanterie-Division typically included an organic Divisions-Pionier-Bataillon consisting of a Bataillonsstab with Nachrichtenzug, three Pionier-Kompanien of which two were usually horsedrawn and one motorized, a motorized Brückenkolonne B for pontoon bridging, and a leichte Pionier-Kolonne. Under the command of a Major or Hauptmann these units supported Blitzkrieg operations by clearing natural and artificial obstacles, repairing roads, and erecting temporary bridges using Schlauchboote and Brückengerät to enable rapid crossings such as those over the Meuse at Sedan or the Bug River in 1941. In the attack the Sturmpioniere advanced alongside the Infanterie employing Flammenwerfer, pole charges, hollow charges, and demolitions to breach fortifications, wire obstacles, and bunkers while laying or clearing Tellerminen and Schützenminen. On the defensive they constructed Feldstellungen, erected barbed-wire entanglements, planted minefields, and maintained supply routes under the direction of Unteroffiziere and Feldwebel who trained Pioniere and Oberpioniere in specialized skills. Specialized formations expanded the branch to include Panzerpioniere for armored support, Fallschirmpioniere attached to Luftwaffe airborne units, Gebirgspioniere for mountain warfare, Eisenbahnpioniere who restored rail networks in occupied territories, and Festungspioniere who built the Atlantikwall and Westwall. Equipment ranged from standard Karabiner 98k rifles and MG 34 machine guns to compressors, assault boats, smoke candles, and substantial stocks of explosives carried in the Pioniersturmgepack. Throughout campaigns from Poland in 1939 through the Eastern Front battles to the final defenses of 1945 the Pioniertruppen remained essential for mobility, countermobility, and survivability, with officers such as Leutnante and Hauptleute coordinating the integration of pioneer efforts into the combined-arms team. Their dual role as elite assault specialists and technical experts ensured that the Wehrmacht could maintain operational tempo even under increasingly adverse conditions until the complete dissolution of these units in 1945.

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HEER


Generalleutnant Hans Mikosch (1898-1993) was born on 7 January 1898 in Kattowitz and volunteered for the Imperial German Army in 1914, serving as a pioneer officer and receiving a commission as Leutnant after two years of combat in the First World War before leaving the military in 1920 to join the police. He returned to the Heer on 15 October 1935 as Hauptmann, was promoted to Major in 1936 and to Oberstleutnant in 1939, and from October 1937 commanded Pionier-Bataillon 51, leading it in the invasion of Poland and later in the Westfeldzug. On 10 May 1940 his battalion advanced through fortified and heavily defended Belgian positions to relieve the Fallschirmjäger who had landed on Fort Eben-Emael, enabling the definitive German capture of the fort; for this action he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 21 May 1940 as Oberstleutnant und Kommandeur of Pionier-Bataillon 51. Promoted to Oberst in 1942, he commanded Pionier-Regiment 677 and later Pionier-Regiment-Stab z.b.V. 677 while also leading Kampfgruppe Mikosch on the Eastern Front. After the Soviet Operation Uranus, his Kampfgruppe retreated from the Kalatsch bridgehead to the Chir railway station on 24 November 1942 and was subordinated to the 384. Infanterie-Division, holding positions near Werch-Tschirskij in the Chir-Don triangle for four weeks against repeated Soviet tank and infantry assaults. On 14 December 1942 the Soviet 7th Tank Corps broke through with thirty tanks into the village itself, yet Kampfgruppe Mikosch destroyed twenty enemy tanks despite losing nearly all its anti-tank weapons and thereby prevented the Soviets from rolling up the entire Chir defensive front westward, actions for which he was awarded the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 6 March 1943 as Oberst und Kommandeur of Pionier-Regiment-Stab z.b.V. 677 und Führer einer Kampfgruppe im Raum Stalingrad. He later temporarily commanded the 10. Panzergrenadier-Division from October to December 1943, then the 13. Panzer-Division until May 1944, receiving promotion to Generalmajor in January 1944, served as commandant of Boulogne and Higher Pionier Commander, and ended the war as Generalleutnant responsible for fortifications in East Prussia and leader of another Kampfgruppe Mikosch near Königsberg. Captured by Soviet forces on 8 April 1945, he remained a prisoner until 1955 and died on 18 January 1993 in Reichshof.



Oberstleutnant Dr.jur. Josef-Georg Mulzer (1915-2011) was born on 23 April 1915 in Munich and entered the Wehrmacht in 1934 as a Fahnenjunker with Pionier-Bataillon 7, where he was promoted to Leutnant in 1936. From autumn 1938 he served as Adjutant of Gebirgs-Pionier-Bataillon 83, taking part in the Polish and Norwegian campaigns. After further service he became Kommandeur of Gebirgs-Pionier-Bataillon 83 in November 1942 and was promoted to Major on 1 June 1943. In July 1943 he assumed command of Pionier-Bataillon 195 of the 95. Infanterie-Division. During the fighting for the Orel salient in mid-1943 he and his men eliminated numerous Soviet penetrations through energetic counterattacks, and on one occasion he recaptured a commanding height in an attack launched on his own initiative; for these actions he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 7 September 1943. Near the end of 1943 his battalion held a defensive sector west of Bobruisk. After a heavy Soviet artillery barrage and assault on a broad front, Mulzer used his last reserves, including staff personnel and drivers, to eject the attackers from his positions. When the Soviets broke through in the neighbouring sector and threatened to roll up the entire divisional front, he quickly assembled available men, launched a successful flank attack that inflicted heavy losses and forced the enemy to flee, then established a temporary defensive line that held until reinforcements arrived. For averting this major danger he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 10 January 1944 as the 367th recipient. After Generalstabsausbildung he became Kommandeur of Pionier-Sturm-Regiment 1 on the Western Front in September 1944, was severely wounded in October, and was promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1 December 1944 while in hospital. His other awards included the Eisernes Kreuz 2. and 1. Klasse, the Verwundetenabzeichen in Silber, the Allgemeines Sturmabzeichen, the Narvikschild and the Ostmedaille. He died in Würzburg on 21 January 2011.



Oberstleutnant der Reserve Wilhelm Niggemeyer (1918-2008) was born on 9 May 1918 in Haan near Düsseldorf in the Rhineland and died on 14 February 2008 in Erftstadt at the age of 89. He entered military service on 1 October 1938 with the Pionier-Bataillon 26 of the 26. Infanterie-Division, took part in the Westfeldzug of 1940, and was promoted to Leutnant der Reserve. By June 1941 he was serving as Führer of the 2. Kompanie of his battalion on the Eastern Front. During the heavy fighting around Rzhev and later near Voronezh he repeatedly distinguished himself in close-quarters combat against Soviet armour. On 22 August 1942, southwest of Kaluga, a Soviet attack spearheaded by some thirty tanks threatened a German bridgehead. As Leutnant der Reserve and Führer of 2./Pionier-Bataillon 26, Niggemeyer personally destroyed two enemy tanks in close combat, forcing the remainder to withdraw and thereby preventing a breakthrough; for this action he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 18 September 1942. Shortly afterwards he was promoted to Oberleutnant der Reserve and appointed Bataillonsadjutant of Pionier-Bataillon 26. In January 1943 the 26. Infanterie-Division, then positioned along the Don south of Voronezh, was compelled to retreat under intense Soviet pressure. On the evening of 20 January two Soviet heavy tanks carrying tank riders blocked the division’s sole withdrawal route and inflicted chaos on the congested columns with machine-gun and cannon fire. Acting on his own initiative, Niggemeyer assembled two assault teams, advanced against the tanks, eliminated the accompanying infantry by concentrated fire, immobilised the vehicles with Teller anti-tank mines, and then destroyed the crews that had bailed out, using machine-pistols and bayonets in hand-to-hand fighting. The road was thereby cleared and the division was able to continue its ordered retreat. For this decisive deed he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 17 May 1943 as the 241st recipient, while still serving as Bataillonsadjutant. He later rose to Hauptmann and Major der Reserve, trained troops in anti-tank warfare, and appeared in the 1943 instructional film Männer gegen Panzer. Seriously wounded in the final fighting, he was taken into Allied captivity and released in September 1945. After the war he managed a department store before joining the Bundeswehr in 1955, rising to Oberstleutnant and commanding the schwere Pionierbataillon 719 until his retirement in 1974.



Major Helmut Kalbitz (1912-1944) was born on 3 January 1912 in Harburg-Wilhelmsburg and entered the Wehrmacht in 1935 with Pionier-Bataillon 12, later transferring to Pionier-Bataillon 30 where he was promoted to Leutnant on 1 June 1939. He took part in the Polish and French campaigns with this unit before becoming Chef of the 1. Kompanie of Pionier-Bataillon 125 on 1 October 1940, by which time he held the rank of Oberleutnant. On 7 September 1943 he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes for his decisive actions during the fighting that led to the capture of Gaissin, where his company enabled the 125. Infanterie-Division to seize the town and contribute to the destruction of strong enemy forces south of Uman. Promoted to Hauptmann on 1 April 1942, he assumed command of Pionier-Bataillon 31 in August 1943. Following the German evacuation of Gomel on 26 November 1943, Soviet forces infiltrated the forested Beresina-Dnieper triangle and advanced toward Paporotnoje, threatening a major breakthrough; Kalbitz led his battalion in bitter fighting that checked the enemy advance and secured the front, for which he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 7 January 1944 as the 366th recipient. Wounded during these actions, he was promoted to Major on 1 March 1944 while in hospital and subsequently appointed Kommandeur of Heeres-Pionier-Brigade 127. He was reported missing in action on 23 August 1944 near Iași in Romania. His other awards included the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse (10 October 1939), Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse (10 June 1940), and the Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz, Silber and Gold.

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/132294707379067/posts/854112745197256/
https://www.themilitarymark.com/wwii-wehrmacht-heer/blog-post-title-one-2xjjf-7semt-57b3d

Ritterkreuzträger with Bulgarian Medals

 ORDEN ZA HRABROST (ORDER FOR BRAVERY)

The Bulgarian Military Order for Bravery, known in Bulgarian as Военен орден „За храброст“, was established on 1 January 1880 by decree of Prince Alexander of Battenberg as the first national order of the Principality of Bulgaria under Article 59 of the Tarnovo Constitution, which permitted decorations solely for battlefield valor. Modeled on the Order of Military Merit of the Grand Duchy of Hesse, it was designed exclusively for military personnel to reward exceptional courage and heroism in combat and was first conferred on 17 April 1880 to thirty-three veterans of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. The badge takes the form of a white- or red-enamelled Maltese cross with crossed swords between the arms, a central medallion bearing a crowned lion or the founder’s cypher, and the inscription „За храброст“, suspended from a sky-blue ribbon edged with silver stripes. Originally structured in four classes for officers and generals together with lower Soldier’s Crosses for non-commissioned officers and enlisted men, the order was refined in 1886 by the creation of a Grand Cross reserved for the ruling monarch as Grand Master and the division of the first class into two grades, with further wartime classes added in 1915. It was awarded extensively during the Serbo-Bulgarian War of 1885, the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, the First World War, and the Second World War, recognizing both Bulgarian and foreign recipients for deeds performed under fire. After the abolition of the monarchy the order ceased to exist on 15 September 1946, yet it was revived by the 39th National Assembly on 29 May 2003 and promulgated in 2004 as a state decoration of the Republic of Bulgaria. In its modern form the order comprises three degrees, awarded with swords to military personnel and without swords to civilians for acts of bravery and heroism benefiting Bulgarian society and the state, and is conferred by the President. Throughout its history the Military Order for Bravery has remained the pre-eminent symbol of martial honor in Bulgaria, embodying the nation’s tradition of recognizing selfless courage on the field of battle.



Oberst Dr. jur. Ernst Kupfer (1907-1943) was born on 2 July 1907 in Coburg, where he attended the Ernestium secondary school before completing a banking apprenticeship; after a period of unemployment he finished his Abitur and studied jurisprudence for several semesters at the University of Heidelberg, earning his Dr. jur. degree on 4 March 1937. On 1 October 1928 he entered military service with the 5. Eskadron of the 17. Bayerisches Reiterregiment of the Reichswehr, rising through the ranks of the Heer to Rittmeister before transferring to the Luftwaffe in 1939 and undergoing training as a Stuka pilot. Assigned in September 1940 to Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 „Immelmann“, he soon became Staffelkapitän of the 7. Staffel (nicknamed 7. Schwadron in reference to his cavalry background) and flew his first combat sorties during Unternehmen Merkur over Crete. On 22 May 1941 he contributed decisively to the sinking of the British cruiser HMS Gloucester with a direct hit; later, during attacks on the Soviet Baltic Fleet at Kronstadt in September 1941, he claimed a cruiser and scored a 1 000 kg bomb hit on the battleship Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya, yet was himself shot down three times by ground fire, the final crash leaving him with multiple skull-base fractures, other broken bones and severe concussion. While still in hospital he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 23 November 1941 as Hauptmann and Staffelkapitän 7./StG 2 „Immelmann“ after approximately 260 sorties. Recovered, he assumed command of II. Gruppe / StG 2 on 1 April 1942 as Major, once landing under fire beside a downed crew to rescue them; for his bold leadership of the Staffeln against the factory districts of Stalingrad and for completing his 500th combat mission he received the Eichenlaub on 8 January 1943. Promoted to Geschwaderkommodore of StG 2 in March 1943, he directed the unit through the Kuban battles and Operation Citadel at Kursk, temporarily commanding the ad-hoc Gefechtsverband „Kupfer“. In September 1943 he was appointed General der Schlachtflieger and Oberstleutnant, advocating the replacement of the Ju 87 and Hs 123 by the Fw 190. After 636 combat missions he was killed on 6 November 1943 when the Heinkel He 111 in which he was returning from an inspection flight crashed in bad weather in the Belasiza mountains roughly 60 km north of Thessaloniki; posthumously promoted to Oberst, he was awarded the Schwerter on 11 April 1944 for his personal and command successes over the Kuban, Kursk and the Orel salient.



SS-Obersturmbannführer Max Wünsche (1914-1995) was born on 20 April 1914 in Kittlitz and joined the SS in July 1933, graduating from the SS-Junkerschule at Bad Tölz in 1935 as SS-Untersturmführer before serving as a platoon leader in the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. In October 1938 he became an orderly officer in the Führerbegleitkommando, then in January 1940 rejoined the LSSAH as platoon commander in the 15. Kradschützen-Kompanie under Kurt Meyer during the Western Campaign, earning both classes of the Iron Cross and promotion to SS-Hauptsturmführer. As adjutant to Sepp Dietrich he took part in the Balkan and Barbarossa campaigns, later commanding the SS-Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 1 and, after staff training, the I. Abteilung of SS-Panzer-Regiment 1 as SS-Sturmbannführer. During the Third Battle of Kharkov in February 1943 his battalion broke through to Alexejewka to relieve Kurt Meyer’s encircled force and, on 25 February, on his own initiative launched an enveloping armoured attack near Jeremejewka against a strong Soviet column of the 350th Rifle Division, destroying 24 long 7.62 cm guns, 13 short 7.62 cm guns, 10 4.5 cm anti-tank guns, six 12.2 cm guns, one 10.5 cm gun, 300–400 sleds and numerous other weapons while inflicting 800–900 enemy dead for only five dead and fourteen wounded of his own, actions for which he received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold that same day and the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes three days later as Kommandeur of the I./SS-Panzer-Regiment 1. In June 1943 he was appointed Kommandeur of the newly forming SS-Panzer-Regiment 12 of the 12. SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend, promoted to SS-Obersturmbannführer in January 1944, and led the regiment from its first combat near Authie after the Allied landings, destroying 219 enemy tanks west of Caen by early July and preventing an Orne bridgehead at Amayé-sur-Seulles and Saint-André-sur-Orne on 28–29 June, for which he was awarded the Eichenlaub on 11 August 1944. Wounded while attempting to break out of the Falaise Pocket, he was captured by British forces on 24 August 1944, held in Camp 165 at Caithness until 1948, then returned to Germany, worked as an industrial manager in Wuppertal, and died in Munich on 17 April 1995.

Source :
https://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2013/03/album-foto-tokoh-third-reich-peraih.html

Ritterkreuzträger with Koppelschnitt (German Military Haircuts)

During the Second World War the standard male haircut in the German Wehrmacht, particularly within the Heer, followed a distinctive practical style known in contemporary barber manuals as the short cut or full crown haircut, in which the sides and back of the head were closely clipped or shaved with a machine starting from the left temple, continuing around the nape, and finishing at the right temple, typically rising at least one inch or more above the ears before tapering upward, while the hair on the crown remained comparatively long, often combed and slicked straight back from the forehead with pomade or petroleum jelly and, when parted, featuring a high part line. This arrangement, sometimes referred to in later reenactment contexts as a form of "Unterschnitt" or "Koppelschnitt" when the transition was sharper, ensured that the Stahlhelm and other headwear fitted securely without interference from hair, facilitated hygiene under field conditions, and presented a uniform, disciplined appearance required of Soldaten, Unteroffiziere, and Offiziere alike. Although no single rigid service regulation dictated exact millimetre lengths for every rank or branch, recruits received a strict initial "Haarschnitt" (haircuts) upon induction into units such as Infanterie-Regimenter or Panzer-Divisionen, and subsequent maintenance was enforced by company barbers or field Friseure to keep the lower portions short and the top manageable. Photographs and film of Landser in the Afrikakorps, on the Eastern Front, or in Festungen show slight individual variations—some men allowed the top to grow fuller, others kept a cleaner taper—yet the overall silhouette of short sides and longer, rearward-swept crown remained the most common throughout the Heer, Luftwaffe ground units, and even among many Waffen-SS personnel. Beards were generally discouraged except for specific specialist roles or temporary field necessity, and sideburns were kept minimal, reinforcing the clean-shaven or lightly stubbled look expected of a Soldat. The style’s practicality under combat stress, combined with its visual association with military order, made it the prevailing Haartracht from the mobilisation of 1939 until the final months of 1945, when shortages of barbers and equipment sometimes led to more irregular cuts among isolated Kampfgruppen.

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HEER


Oberst der Reserve Albert Graf von der Goltz (1893-1944) was an aristocratic German officer whose distinguished military path culminated in frontline command during World War II. Entering military service in 1913 as Fahnenjunker in 1. Brandenburgische Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 2, he earned the Eisernes Kreuz 1914 II. und I. Klasse before returning as Hauptmann der Reserve in 9. Infanterie-Regiment. Advancing steadily to Major der Reserve and later Oberstleutnant der Reserve, he achieved renown for exceptional tactical determination on the Eastern Front. On 7 May 1942, as commander of I. Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment 415 within 123. Infanterie-Division, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes for resolute leadership, stabilizing critical defensive sectors and repelling ferocious Soviet assaults around Lake Ilmen and the Demyansk Pocket. By autumn 1943, leading mountain troops under 3. Gebirgs-Division, his initiative proved pivotal during the grueling defensive battles southeast of Zaporizhzhia. Facing overwhelming enemy formations, his tenacious direction of Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 144 and Gebirgs-Jäger-Regiment 138 successfully held ruptured frontlines, earning him mention in the Wehrmachtbericht on 3 October 1943 and the 316th Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 2 November 1943. Promoted to Oberst der Reserve on 1 December 1943, his accolades also included the Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz II. und I. Klasse, the Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42, and the Verwundetenabzeichen in Gold. While commanding Gebirgs-Jäger-Regiment 138 during the heavy withdrawal near Novy Bug on 14 March 1944, he suffered severe wounds resulting in the loss of his right arm, succumbing two days later in a Lazarett at Odessa.



Oberstleutnant Friedrich Höhne (1915-1962) was born on 27 April 1915 in Krampfer, Brandenburg, and died on 14 March 1962 in Bad Reichenhall, Bavaria. He entered military service in 1933 with the Infanterie-Regiment 19 and was promoted to Leutnant in 1935. In 1938, as Oberleutnant and Kompaniechef, he transferred to the Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 99, with which he took part in the Polish campaign and the Western campaign. At the end of 1940 he was promoted to Hauptmann and became a Kompaniechef in the 97. leichte Division, later redesignated the 97. Jäger-Division. From 26 November 1941 he commanded the III. Bataillon of the Jäger-Regiment 204. In March 1942, during fighting in the northern Donets region, Hauptmann Höhne and his Bataillon conducted an eight-day defense of Elisawetowka against strong Soviet forces attempting to break through into the assembly area of the 60. Infanterie-Division (mot). By holding firm he prevented a hostile advance toward Drashkowka and the vital road and railway line Konstantinowka–Sslawjansk that served as a lifeline for the left wing of the 17. Armee. For this achievement he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 3 May 1942. Promoted to Major on 1 December 1942, he continued to distinguish himself as Bataillon commander during the Caucasus fighting. Notable actions included the destruction of two enemy batteries during the capture of Schirwanskaja on 14 August 1942, the seizure of fourteen artillery pieces the following day, hard mountain combat south of Roshet, the storming of the Gaiman mountain southeast of Chadyschenskaja between 26 and 29 October 1942, the destruction of the 9th Soviet brigade in the Orenburg valley, and further successful engagements around Schaumian, Bereshnoi and Krymskaja. In mid-April 1943 his Bataillon sealed off and cleared a Soviet penetration in the Kuban bridgehead. These accomplishments led to the award of the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 8 June 1943 as the 253rd recipient. From July 1943 Höhne commanded the Jäger-Regiment 204, was promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1 December 1944, and received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 1 February 1945. At the end of the war he fell into American captivity but was soon released.



Major Hans-Detloff von Cossel (1916-1943) was born on 1 July 1916 in Swakopmund, German South-West Africa, and entered military service on 6 April 1934 with Reiter-Regiment 6, receiving promotion to Leutnant on 1 April 1937 before transferring to Panzer-Regiment 35 of the 4. Panzer-Division. As Oberleutnant he took part in the Polish and French campaigns, earning both classes of the Eisernes Kreuz, and in the summer of 1941, while Führer of 1./Panzer-Regiment 35, he forced the Dnjepr crossing near Stary Bychow, broke through the Stalin Line and, after losing all his tanks and being wounded, led the survivors back across the river, actions for which he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 8 September 1941. Promoted to Hauptmann and later Major, he assumed command of I./Panzer-Regiment 35 (the so-called Bärenabteilung) in early 1943 and was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 5 May 1943 for earlier fighting around Orel and Ssewsk. During the defensive battles of Operation Kutuzov in July 1943, south of Orel, his Abteilung penetrated deep into Soviet positions, shielded a neighbouring Panzer-Division from a flank attack, and on 19 July, on his own initiative, gathered available infantry and personally led the capture of the vital height Point 254.5 with light losses while inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy; later he converted a withdrawal into a counter-attack that seized and held a village until relief arrived, and his abteilung repeatedly prevented Soviet breakthroughs. On 22 July 1943, while directing a counter-thrust near Kromny (or Gromy), he was killed in action; posthumously promoted and decorated, he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz (285th award) on 29 August 1943 as Kommandeur of I./Panzer-Regiment 35.

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WAFFEN-SS


SS-Sturmbannführer Ernst-August Krag (1915-1994) was born on 20 February 1915 in Wiesbaden-Erbenheim in Hessen and died on 24 May 1994 in Niedernhausen near Wiesbaden. Joining the SS-Verfügungstruppe on 1 May 1935 with the 5./SS-Standarte “Germania”, he completed parachute training at Stendal in 1937 and later served with the reconnaissance elements of what became the 2. SS-Panzer-Division “Das Reich”. After commanding batteries in the SS-Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 2 and receiving the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 9 April 1943 as SS-Obersturmführer for actions with StuG III assault guns during the fighting around Kharkov and Kursk, he was promoted to SS-Hauptsturmführer and eventually took command of the Abteilung. In June 1944 he assumed leadership of the SS-Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 2 as SS-Sturmbannführer. During the Normandy campaign, after the division broke out from the area northeast of Avranches on the night of 28/29 July 1944, Krag on his own initiative established a blocking line against enemy forces that had entered Gavray. With only weak forces he achieved a complete defensive success against superior Allied armour, destroying nine tanks and numerous other vehicles while preventing a thrust into the division’s deep flank and enabling the formation of a new front along the Percy–Sourdeval line. For this outstanding leadership he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 23 October 1944. Later, during the Ardennes offensive, on 2 January 1945 near Belle Haie east of Malempré his Abteilung intercepted a strong enemy breakthrough supported by twenty-two tanks. In fierce fighting they inflicted heavy losses and prevented the Allies from reaching the vital crossroads at Baraque de Fraiture, securing an important position for continued operations. This action earned him the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 28 February 1945 as the 755th recipient. Krag continued to lead his unit in Hungary before surrendering near Linz in May 1945 and being released from captivity in 1948.

Source :
https://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2010/11/potongan-rambut-tentara-jerman.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undercut_(hairstyle)
https://www.menshairforum.com/talk/Thread-SS-Haircut-and-Nazi-Hairstyle-Guide-with-Rare-Hair-Pictures
https://ww2aircraft.net/forum/threads/mens-hairstyles-in-ww2.23653/