Showing posts with label 5 Kradschützentruppe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 5 Kradschützentruppe. Show all posts

Thursday, April 30, 2026

Bio of SS-Oberführer Georg Bochmann (1913-1973)


Full name: Georg Heinz Bochmann  
Nickname: Schorsch  

Date of birth: 18 September 1913 - Albernau, Sachsen (German Empire)
Date of death: 8 June 1973 - Offenbach am Main, Hesse (West Germany)
Buried on: German War Cemetery Offenbach. Plot: II. Row: 4. Grave: 11/12

Service number: SS-Nr.: 122.362 // NSDAP-Nr.: 1.907.565 
Religion: Gottgläubig (believe in God)  
Parents: Gustav Bochmann and Anna Bochmann
Siblings: The third child
Spouse: married on 14.07.1944
Children: no data available

Promotions:
00.00.1933: SS-Anwärter
24.05.1934: SS-Mann
09.11.1934: SS-Sturmmann
00.12.1934: SS-Rottenführer
25.01.1935: SS-Unterscharführer
20.04.1936: SS-Untersturmführer
20.04.1937: SS-Obersturmführer
25.08.1939: SS-Hauptsturmführer
20.04.1942: SS-Sturmbannführer
09.11.1943: SS-Obersturmbannführer
09.11.1944: SS-Standartenführer
20.04.1945: SS-Oberführer RDA 01.03.1945

Career:
01.10.1930-02.05.1933: Hitlerjugend
14.03.1933: joined the NSDAP
14.03.1933-24.05.1934: joined the SS - SS-Sturm 2/ IV/ 7
SS-Mann, SS-Sonderkommando 'Sachsen' - Konzentrationlager Sachsenburg
24.05.1934-01.11.1934: 3. Hundertschaft / Politischen Bereitschaft Abteilung 'Sachsen'
01.11.1934-25.01.1935: 2./ III./ SS-Totenkopfsturmbann 'Sachsen'
25.01.1935: 15. Hundertschaft / SS-Totenkopfsturmbann 'Sachsen'
10.08.1935-14.12.1935: SS-Scharführer, Zugführer-Lehrgang - 11. Hundertschaft - SS-Wachtruppe 'Oberbayern'
20.08.1935-31.12.1935: 11. Sturm / SS-Wachtruppe 'Oberbayern' - Dachau
31.12.1935: SS-Haupscharführer proposed to be promoted to SS-Untersturmführer
31.12.1935-00.04.1936: Zugführer, 15. Hundertschaft / SS-Wachtruppe 'Sachsen'
00.04.1936-01.05.1937: Führer, 15. Hundertschaft / SS-Totenkopfsturmbann 'Sachsen'
01.05.1937-10.07.1937: Führer, 3. Hundertschaft / SS-Sturmbann I 'Oberbayern'
10.07.1937-01.11.1939: Führer, 2. Hundertschaft / I. Sturmbann / 1. SS-Totenkopfstandarte 'Oberbayern'
01.11.1939-27.03.1941: Chef, 14./ SS-Totenkopf-Infanterie-Regiment 1, SS-Totenkopf-Division
01.11.1939-14.11.1939: Panzerjäger, Pak Lehrgang - Infanterie-Schule Doberitz
01.11.1939-27.03.1941: SS-Hstuf, Kdr, 14./ SS (Panzerjäger) SS-Totenkopf Infanterie Regiment 1, SS-Totenkopf Division
Campaign in France
26.08.1940-03.09.1940: Lehrgang - 31. Infanterie-Division
26.11.1940-29.11.1940: Lehrgang - AOK 7
16.02.1941-16.03.1941: Lehrgang für Bataillons- und Abteilungsführer - Königsbrück
27.03.1941-00.06.1941: Chef, 2./ SS-Panzerjäger-Bataillon 3, SS-Totenkopf-Division
Campaign in Russia - Baltic to Leningrad
08.07.1941: WIA
00.06.1941-21.10.1942: Kommandeur, Panzerjäger-Abteilung / SS-Division 'Totenkopf'
00.08.1941: Lake Ilmen
00.01.1942: Demjansk Cauldron - contracted malaria
17.01.1942: WIA
14.04.1942-22.04.1942: Führer der SS-„Totenkopf"-Kampfgruppe 'Bochmann' - Demjansk
20.04.1942: WIA
21.10.1942-01.08.1943: SS-Stubaf, Kdr., II. (Stoß-)Bataillon / SS-Totenkopf-Schützen-Regimentes (mot.) 'Thule'
00.02.1943: Kommandeur, II. Abteilung / SS-Panzer-Regiment 3 'Totenkopf'
09.03.1943: strong reconnaissance unit sent to Katschalowka
10.03.1943: capture of the village of Krassnokutsk
17.03.1943: capture of the forest 3km southeast of Ssorokowka and of the villages Saroshnoje and Tetlega
01.08.1943-01.11.1943: Kommandeur, SS-Panzer-Regiment 3 'Totenkopf'
01.11.1943: severely WIA
10.02.1944-15.11.1944: SS-Ostubaf, Kommandeur, SS-Wirtschafts-Verwaltungs-Führerschule Arolsen
15.11.1944-20.11.1944: 2. SS-Panzer Division "Das Reich"
20.11.1944-03.01.1945: Kdr., SS-Panzer Regiment 9, 9. SS-Panzer Division 'Hohenstaufen'
03.01.1945-27.03.1945: Kdr., 18. SS-Panzergrenadier Division 'Horst Wessel' - Poland
09.03.1945: North of Ratibor
14.03.1945: ivo Langlieben, Kreuzlinden and Oberglaugau
19.03.1945: Deutsch-Mühlen
20.03.1945: Deutsch-Rasselwitz, Stubendorf and Hotzenplotz
27.03.1945: came into conflict with Generaloberst Schörner, refusing to lead what he deemed to be a suicidal attack, and he was stripped of his command
30.03.1945-08.05.1945: SS-Oberführer, Kdr., 17. SS-Panzergrenadier Division 'Götz von Berlichingen' - Bavaria
09.05.1945: surrendered to US troops in the Rottach-Egern region

Awards and Decorations:
DRL Sportabzeichen in Bronze
SA-Sportabzeichen in Bronze
SS-Ehrenring (Totenkopfring)
Ehrendegen des Reichsführers-SS (13 September 1936. Other sources give 20.04.1937)
SS-Dienstauszeichnung 4.Stufe (4 Jahre)  (1938)
Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 13. März 1938 (1939)
Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938 (1939)
Medaille zur Erinnerung an die Heimkehr des Memellandes (1939)
Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse (20 June 1940)
Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen in Silber
Allgemeines-Sturmabzeichen (1941)
Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Schwarz (July 1941. WIA 08.07.1941)
Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse (8 July 1941)
Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Silber (April 1942. WIA 08.07.1941 + 17.01.1942 + 20.04.1942)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (3 May 1942) as SS-Hauptsturmführer and Kommandeur SS-Panzerjäger-Abteilung "Totenkopf" / SS-Totenkopf-Division (or commander of a Kampfgruppe/Bataillon in the Demyansk Pocket).
In early 1942, the Totenkopf Division was trapped in the brutal Demyansk Pocket (southeast of Lake Ilmen, Soviet Union), where roughly 100,000 German troops endured a months-long Soviet encirclement amid savage winter fighting, supply shortages, and constant Red Army assaults. On 21 April 1942, Bochmann led his assault battalion in a fierce attack as part of Gruppe Eicke’s efforts to link up with relieving forces from Gruppe von Seydlitz.
The fighting for the village of Nowo-Ramuschewo was intense and close-quarters. Bochmann’s men stormed the village under his personal leadership at the front, displaying independent initiative and outstanding bravery. In brutal hand-to-hand combat with “blank weapons” (bayonets and close-range fire), they overpowered Soviet defenders, capturing the settlement by evening. The haul included 13 anti-tank guns (2.2 cm caliber) and 6 tractors, along with other materiel. This success enabled the first direct visual contact between the pocket’s defenders and the advancing relief spearheads west of the Lovat River, helping to stabilize the link-up and prevent the collapse of the sector.
The recommendation highlighted Bochmann’s “outstanding share in the success” through personal dedication and bold leadership in the savage fighting. The award recognized both his personal courage under fire and the tactical impact of securing this key position in one of the Eastern Front’s grueling defensive cauldrons.
Medaille "Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42" (Ostmedaille) (6 August 1942)
Demjanskschild (1943)
Mentioned in Wehrmachtbericht (19 March 1943)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #246 (17 May 1943) as SS-Sturmbannführer and Kommandeur II.Abteilung / SS-Kradschützen-Regiment “Thule” / SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Totenkopf". These actions occurred during and immediately after the Third Battle of Kharkov (February–March 1943), a major German counteroffensive that recaptured the city and blunted a Soviet winter offensive. Bochmann’s motorized/motorcycle infantry battalion played a key role in aggressive reconnaissance, rapid assaults, and flank security amid fluid, high-intensity mobile warfare against numerically superior Soviet forces.
9 March 1943: From a security line at Schelstowo, Bochmann personally led an armed reconnaissance raid deep into enemy territory toward Katschalowka (about 13 km ahead of friendly lines). The surprise attack caught Soviet forces off guard, inflicting heavy casualties, capturing 4 operational trucks and a 7.62 cm anti-tank gun, and destroying several guns, vehicles, and sledges—all without friendly losses.
10 March 1943: His battalion received orders to seize Krassnokutsk quickly. Bochmann drove with the point platoon, gaining real-time intelligence on enemy dispositions. As darkness fell, instead of risking a costly night street fight, he orchestrated a coordinated multi-sided assault. Personally directing the attack, his troops achieved a swift and total victory, with the enemy suffering numerous dead, lost guns, anti-tank rifles, and large amounts of equipment.
17 March 1943: The battalion had a two-part mission—first to capture a forested area 3 km southeast of Ssorokowka, then to take the villages of Saroshnoje and Tetlega in coordination with another battalion. Bochmann demonstrated exceptional bravery and tactical flair: after infantry cleared initial positions, he surged forward in his SPW (armored half-track) with a platoon, sowing panic and causing the Soviets to flee the woods in disorder. Exploiting the momentum, he pressed on to Tetlega. Entering the bitterly defended village with his 5th Company, he quickly assessed the situation, rolled up enemy positions from the flank, and secured the northern part of the village in short order while linking up with southern attackers.
These rapid, skillful thrusts disrupted Soviet movements, inflicted disproportionate losses, and helped secure the Totenkopf Division’s flanks during critical phases of the Kharkov operations and follow-on fighting. The recommendation praised his personal leadership from the front, bold decision-making, and ability to turn situations decisively in Germany’s favor.
Verwundetenabzeichen in Gold (1943. WIA 08.07.1941 + 17.01.1942 + 20.04.1942 + 01.11.1943)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern #140 (26 March 1945) as SS-Standartenführer and Führer 18.SS-Freiwilligen-Panzer-Grenadier-Division "Horst Wessel". Bochmann’s award recommendation reads as follows:
“As per orders from the Supreme Commander of Heeresgruppe Mitte, Pz. AOK 1 is recommending the award of the Oakleaves with Swords to the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross for Standartenführer Bochmann, commander of the 18. SS-Freiw.Pz.Gr.Div. ‘Horst Wessel’.
1. On the 08.03.1945 Standartenführer Bochmann personally rallied and reenergized an attack by combat elements of his Division that had stalled under heavy enemy fire in the battle area north of Ratibor.
2. On the 12.03.1945 he personally led a night attack under the most difficult of conditions that resulted in the capture of VW. Annahof.
3. On the 14.03.1945 he directed the defense of Langlieben, a cornerstone of the German defense in the area, against the onslaught of an enemy that far outnumbered his forces in men and weapons. He achieved this through his personally led and boldly executed counterthrusts, and throughout the whole battle he fought from the foremost line and served as the soul of resistance for the troops that had been gathered under his command.
4. During the particularly heavy combat on the 16.03.1945 it was once again his personal intervention in the foremost line that ensured that Kreuzlinden (southwest of Oberglogau) was held. This in turn created the necessary conditions for he planned evacuation of the Cosel bridgehead.
5. On the 19.03.1945 it was once again his inspiring powers of leadership that resulted in the village of Deutsch-Mühlen being held against all enemy tank and infantry attacks. In doing so he laid the groundwork for the breakthrough of both Divisionen during the evening.
6. During the breakthrough on the 19./20.03.1945 along the route Deutsch-Rasselwitz—Stubendorf—Hotzenplotz he once again proved to be a shining example of inspiring leadership. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that, having endured a not insignificant injury on the 14.03.1945, he continued to remain with and in command of his troops despite all the medical advice to the contrary.”

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Georg Bochmann was a German officer in the Waffen-SS who rose to the rank of SS-Oberführer during World War II. Born on 18 September 1913 in Albernau in the Erzgebirge region of Saxony, he came from a modest family of textile workers. After completing his education, including attendance at the University of Leipzig, Bochmann joined the Hitler Youth and later the Nazi Party in 1933. The following year he entered the SS-Totenkopfverbände with service number 122362, initially serving in guard units and at the Dachau concentration camp before transitioning to combat roles as the Waffen-SS expanded.

Bochmann's early military career was closely tied to the 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf. He participated in the 1940 campaign in the West, where the division saw action around Cambrai, Arras, and Dunkirk. Transferred to the Eastern Front with Operation Barbarossa in 1941, he commanded elements of the division's Panzerjäger battalion and was wounded multiple times in heavy fighting near Lake Ilmen. By early 1942, during the brutal encirclement in the Demyansk Pocket, Bochmann led a Kampfgruppe consisting of infantry, anti-tank guns, assault guns, and escort troops. In savage close-quarters combat amid freezing conditions and relentless Soviet assaults, his assault battalion stormed key positions such as the village of Nowo-Ramuschewo. Fighting with bayonets and grenades in hand-to-hand engagements, his men overpowered Soviet defenders, captured numerous anti-tank guns and vehicles, and helped establish contact between the trapped forces and relieving columns from outside the pocket. For this leadership and personal bravery under extreme conditions, Bochmann was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 3 May 1942.

Following his recovery and promotion, Bochmann continued to distinguish himself in mobile operations with motorized and motorcycle infantry units of the Totenkopf Division. During the German counteroffensive in the Third Battle of Kharkov in March 1943, he commanded the II Battalion of the SS-Kradschützen-Regiment Thule. In a series of bold reconnaissance raids and rapid assaults, his troops struck deep into Soviet lines, disrupting enemy movements and inflicting heavy casualties. On one occasion he personally led an armed probe 13 kilometers ahead of friendly positions, surprising Soviet forces and capturing trucks and an anti-tank gun without losses. In night fighting around Krassnokutsk and subsequent village assaults near Tetlega, Bochmann directed coordinated attacks from the front, using armored half-tracks to sow panic and roll up enemy flanks in bitter street and forest combat. These actions contributed significantly to stabilizing German lines and recapturing Kharkov, earning him the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross as the 246th recipient on 17 May 1943.

As the war intensified, Bochmann held various command positions, including leadership of armored units within the Totenkopf Division through the Battle of Kursk and subsequent defensive battles along the Mius River. He later served with other formations, including brief associations with divisions such as Das Reich and Hohenstaufen. By January 1945 he took command of the 18th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Horst Wessel in Poland, where the unit engaged in fierce rearguard actions against overwhelming Soviet advances. In desperate fighting north of Ratibor in Silesia, despite being wounded, Bochmann organized successful breakout operations and counterattacks that inflicted notable losses on pursuing enemy forces amid fuel shortages and collapsing supply lines. For his sustained command effectiveness and personal courage in these final defensive struggles on the Eastern Front, he received the Swords to the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves as the 140th recipient on 26 March 1945 and was promoted to SS-Oberführer.

In the last weeks of the war Bochmann assumed command of the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen in southern Germany and Bavaria. The division, already depleted from earlier campaigns in Normandy, the Ardennes, and Operation Nordwind, conducted tenacious delaying actions around Nuremberg and in Niederbayern as American and other Allied forces closed in. Elements under his overall direction were involved in the unusual Battle of Castle Itter in Austria, an engagement marked by rare cooperation between Wehrmacht defenders, American troops, and French VIP prisoners against attacking SS forces. On 9 May 1945 Bochmann surrendered part of his division to American forces near Rottach-Egern in Bavaria. He survived the war, evaded major prosecution during denazification, and lived quietly in West Germany despite suffering long-term effects from malaria contracted on the Eastern Front.

Georg Bochmann died of heart failure on 8 June 1973 at the age of 59 in Offenbach am Main, Hesse. His funeral in the Frankfurt area was attended by several former high-ranking Waffen-SS comrades. Throughout his career he was noted for aggressive leadership from the front, multiple wounds that earned him the Wound Badge in Gold, and a progression from battalion-level assaults in encircled pockets to divisional command in the war's final chaotic months. His decorations placed him among the most highly recognized officers in the Waffen-SS for combat leadership on both the Eastern and Western fronts.

















Source :
http://www.2kompanie.org/georg-bochmann.html
https://charkow-43.ucoz.ru/photo/personalii/georg_bochmann/72
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/personenregister/b/bochmanng.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/georg_bochmann
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/28509/bochmann-georg-heinz-schorsch-waffen-ss.htm
https://rk.balsi.de/
https://www.unithistories.com/
https://forum.axishistory.com/
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/
https://www.geni.com/

Saturday, April 11, 2026

Bio of Major d.R. Fritz Fessmann (1913-1944)


Full name: Fritz Feßmann
Nickname: No information

Date of Birth: 25.12.1913 - Urbach/Schorndorf, Württemberg (German Empire)
Date of Death: 11.10.1944 - KIA in Pakamonen near Tilsit, East Prussia (Germany)

Battles and Operations: Polish Campaign, Western Campaign (France 1940), Operation Barbarossa, Eastern Front (Kiev-Kursk railway operations, Don-Volga sector, Stalingrad defensive battles), defensive fighting in Lithuania and along the Memel river, Courland pocket area

NSDAP-Number: No information
SS-Number: No information
Religion: No information
Parents: No information
Siblings: No information
Spouse: No information
Children: No information

Promotions:
00.00.1935 Soldat
00.00.1936 Gefreiter and Reserveoffiziersanwärter (Reserve Officer Candidate)
Early1937 Unteroffizier der Reserve
00.00.1939 Feldwebel der Reserve
00.00.1940 Leutnant der Reserve
00.00.1941 Oberleutnant der Reserve
01.01.1943 Hauptmann der Reserve
11.10.1944 Major der Reserve (posthumous)

Career:
1935 Enlistment in the Wehrmacht, Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 7
1936 Discharge as Gefreiter and officer candidate
Early 1937 Promotion to Unteroffizier der Reserve during a reserve exercise
23 August 1939 Call-up to the Cavalry School Krampnitz near Potsdam
1939-1940 Service as reconnaissance patrol leader in Aufklärungs-Abteilung (mot.) 7 of the 4. Panzer-Division
1940 Participation in the Western Campaign
June 1941 Start of the Russian Campaign as platoon leader in 1./Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 7 of the 4. Panzer-Division
27 October 1941 Award of the Knight's Cross for a successful deep reconnaissance patrol and destruction of the strategically important Kiev-Kursk railway line
October 1942 Appointment as commander of 1./Kradschützen-Bataillon 64 (14. Panzer-Division)
30 November 1942 Severe wounding in the Stalingrad area (shrapnel injuries to pelvis and legs), hospitalization and multiple operations
04 January 1943 Award of the Oak Leaves (presented while still in hospital)
June 1943 Discharge from hospital, assignment as instructor at the Panzertruppenschule Krampnitz (previously Versailles)
30 June 1944 Appointment as commander of Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5 of the 5. Panzer-Division
16 August 1944 Wounded again but remained with the unit
August-October 1944 Leadership of the battalion in defensive battles in Lithuania and along the Memel river, several times preventing the destruction of the 5. Panzer-Division
11 October 1944 Killed in action at Pakamonen north of Tilsit (hit by Soviet artillery shell while dismounting from his vehicle)
23 October 1944 Posthumous award of the Swords and promotion to Major der Reserve

Awards and Decorations:
Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse (28.05.1940)
Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse (16.07.1941)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (27.10.1941) as Leutnant der Reserve and platoon leader (Zugführer) in the 1. Kompanie of Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 7 (reconnaissance battalion) of the 4. Panzer-Division. He earned the award through one of the most daring deep-reconnaissance operations of the early Eastern Front campaign. On 8 September 1941, during the advance toward Kiev in Operation Barbarossa, Feßmann led two armored-car sections (Spähtrupps) on a high-risk raid far behind Soviet lines. The target was the strategically vital Kiev–Kursk railway line, a critical supply artery deep in enemy territory east and west of Bachmatsch (now Bakhmach). Slipping silently through dust-choked roads and dense Soviet troop columns, his small force used speed, surprise, and masterful route-finding to avoid detection. Once at the rails, they planted demolition charges under fire from startled Soviet guards and passing trains. The explosions tore gaping craters into the tracks and destroyed key switching stations, severing the line for days and disrupting the flow of Soviet reinforcements and ammunition to the front. Feßmann’s tactical skill in navigating the chaos of enemy rear areas—dodging patrols, using terrain for cover, and maintaining radio silence—allowed his unit to complete the mission and exfiltrate without catastrophic losses. This single bold strike inflicted lasting logistical damage on the Red Army and earned him the Ritterkreuz as one of the earliest Panzer reconnaissance heroes of the campaign.
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #170 (04.01.1943) as Oberleutnant der Reserve and commander (Chef) of the 1. Kompanie, Kradschützen-Bataillon 64 in the 14. Panzer-Division. On 23 November 1942, amid the bitter winter battles of the Don–Volga sector, his motorcycle-infantry company faced repeated Soviet counterattacks. Twice in a single day, Feßmann’s men stormed and ejected enemy forces from the key village of Ljabitschew (Ljubitschew) in hand-to-hand fighting, clearing the position under heavy small-arms and mortar fire. Later, when Soviet units threatened to overrun the exposed supply columns and several infantry battalions of the 14. Panzer-Division, Feßmann improvised a brilliant deception: his Kradschützen revved their motorcycle engines and armored cars at full throttle to mimic the roar and clatter of approaching German Panzer columns. The bluff worked perfectly—the Soviet attackers, convinced a major armored relief force was arriving, hesitated and withdrew, allowing the trapped German supply troops and battalions to escape destruction and rejoin the main body. These actions, performed in freezing mud and under constant artillery harassment, saved critical manpower and materiel at a desperate moment in the Stalingrad offensive. Feßmann himself was gravely wounded by grenade splinters on 30 November 1942 (pelvis and legs) and received the award while still in hospital.
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern #103 (23.10.1944, posthumously) as Hauptmann der Reserve and commander of Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5 of the 5. Panzer-Division. In the chaotic retreats following the Soviet summer offensives, the 5. Panzer-Division faced repeated encirclement threats as Red Army forces pushed toward the Baltic coast and East Prussia. Feßmann’s reconnaissance battalion became the division’s “fire brigade,” conducting aggressive forward probes, providing vital intelligence, and launching lightning counter-strikes that repeatedly prevented annihilation. His unit’s accurate scouting repeatedly allowed the division to slip out of tightening Soviet nooses, reposition artillery, and launch spoiling attacks that bought precious time.
The climax came on 8 October 1944. Cut off 8 km south of Sidale (near the Memel River), Feßmann personally led his Abteilung in a desperate fighting withdrawal and break-through. Under heavy Soviet artillery and tank fire, they battled through enemy blocking positions, destroyed roadblocks, and linked up with the main division, preserving its combat strength. These repeated rescues—often executed with minimal forces against superior numbers—kept the 5. Panzer-Division intact during the desperate defense of Lithuania and the Memel sector, just before the formation of the Courland Pocket. Feßmann was killed three days later on 11 October 1944 near Pakamonen (north of Tilsit) when Soviet artillery scored a direct hit as he dismounted his vehicle. The Schwerter were awarded posthumously, recognizing his decisive role in saving the division multiple times in the face of overwhelming odds.
Panzerkampfabzeichen III. Stufe
Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Silber (30.11.1942)
Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938
Medaille "Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42" (Ostmedaille)
Nennung im Wehrmachtbericht

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Fritz Fessmann was a German officer in the Wehrmacht during the Second World War who rose to the rank of major of the reserves and became one of the most highly decorated soldiers in the German armored reconnaissance forces. Born on 25 December 1913 in Urbach near Stuttgart in Württemberg, he enlisted in the army in 1935 and served initially in motorized reconnaissance units. Fessmann was killed in action on 11 October 1944 near Pakamonen in East Prussia at the age of thirty while commanding Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5. He received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 27 October 1941 as a lieutenant of the reserves, the Oak Leaves on 4 January 1943 as the 170th recipient overall, and was posthumously awarded the Swords on 23 October 1944 as the 103rd recipient, along with a promotion to major of the reserves. His exploits in deep reconnaissance raids, defensive actions, and leadership under extreme pressure on the Eastern Front earned him repeated mentions in the Wehrmachtbericht and established him as a legendary figure among Panzeraufklärer troops.

Fessmann began his military service as a conscript in 1935 with the 7th Motorized Reconnaissance Battalion. He quickly advanced through the ranks of the reserve officer pathway, becoming a Gefreiter and reserve officer candidate in 1936, an Unteroffizier der Reserve in 1937, and a Feldwebel der Reserve by 1939. Called up at the outbreak of war, he attended the cavalry school at Krampnitz near Potsdam and was commissioned as a Leutnant der Reserve in early 1940. Assigned to reconnaissance duties with what became Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 7 of the 4th Panzer Division, he participated in the invasion of Poland in September 1939, where his unit supported rapid armored advances. During the subsequent campaign in France in 1940, Fessmann distinguished himself in scouting and combat operations, earning the Iron Cross Second Class for bravery under fire as German forces swept through western Europe.

Following the armistice with France, Fessmann's division remained in occupation duties before being transferred east for Operation Barbarossa in June 1941. As a platoon leader in the 1st Company of Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 7, he conducted numerous hazardous reconnaissance missions during the early battles around Brest-Litovsk, Mogilev, and the Kiev encirclement. On 8 September 1941, Fessmann led a bold deep-penetration raid with two armored cars far behind Soviet lines near Bachmatsch, successfully destroying sections of the vital Kiev-Kursk railway line despite navigating through enemy columns. This action disrupted Soviet logistics in the sector and provided critical intelligence to his division. For these achievements he was awarded the Iron Cross First Class in July 1941 and, three months later on 27 October 1941, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross as a Leutnant der Reserve, recognizing his tactical skill and courage in operations deep in enemy territory.

In late 1942 Fessmann was transferred to the 14th Panzer Division as commander of the 1st Company of Kradschützen-Bataillon 64, a motorcycle infantry unit attached to reconnaissance elements. During the intense fighting of the German advance toward Stalingrad, he led his company in multiple defensive engagements and counterattacks that helped stabilize threatened sectors amid Soviet counteroffensives. His leadership under heavy pressure contributed significantly to holding key positions despite overwhelming odds. On 30 November 1942 he was severely wounded during these battles and evacuated for prolonged hospital treatment and convalescence. For his cumulative successes in the Stalingrad campaign, Fessmann received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross on 4 January 1943 while still recovering, becoming the 170th soldier to earn this high honor and one of the youngest recipients at age twenty-nine.

After months of recuperation and service as an instructor at the Panzertruppenschule in Krampnitz, Fessmann returned to frontline duty in June 1944 as commander of Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5 with the 5th Panzer Division. In the defensive battles across Lithuania, Kurland, and East Prussia during the Soviet summer offensives, his reconnaissance battalion repeatedly provided vital intelligence and conducted aggressive spoiling attacks that prevented the encirclement or destruction of the parent division on several occasions. Even after sustaining another wound in August 1944, Fessmann refused evacuation and continued to lead from the front. His unit's actions in the region around the Memel River and near Tilsit exemplified the critical role of armored reconnaissance in fluid, high-intensity warfare against superior Soviet forces.

On 11 October 1944, while his battalion was engaged in heavy fighting near Pakamonen north of Tilsit, Fessmann stepped out of his vehicle to assess the situation when a Soviet artillery shell exploded directly in front of him. The blast hurled him back into the vehicle, killing him instantly. His death was widely mourned within the reconnaissance community, where he was regarded as the most decorated soldier of the Panzeraufklärungstruppe. Posthumously, on 23 October 1944, he was awarded the Swords to the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves for his final campaign's achievements and promoted to Major der Reserve. Fessmann's career, spanning from enlisted ranks to battalion command in some of the war's most grueling theaters, exemplified the blend of initiative, resilience, and tactical acumen that defined elite German reconnaissance leadership on the Eastern Front.









Source:
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/
https://en.wikipedia.org/
https://www.tracesofwar.com/
https://grokipedia.com/
https://rk.balsi.de/index.php?action=list&cat=300
https://www.unithistories.com/units_index/index.php?file=/officers/personsx.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20091027052912fw_/http://geocities.com/orion47.geo/index2.html
https://forum.axishistory.com/
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/
https://www.geni.com/
https://books.google.com/
http://www.ritterkreuztraeger.info/rksc/f/SC103Fessmann.pdf
https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Fritz_Fe%C3%9Fmann
Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer: Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Podzun-Pallas, Friedburg 2000.
Scherzer, Veit: Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945. Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, Jena 2007.
Thomas, Franz: Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K. Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück 1997.
Berger, Florian: Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Selbstverlag Florian Berger, 2000.
Frey, Gerhard; Herrmann, Hajo: Helden der Wehrmacht III - Unsterbliche deutsche Soldaten. FZ-Verlag, München 2007.

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Bio of Generalmajor Walter Gorn (1898-1968)


Full name: Walter Hugo Gorn
Nickname: No information

Date of birth: 24 September 1898 - Bieganin, District Pleschen, Posen (now Bieganin, Poland)
Date of death: 10 July 1968 - Rosenheim, Bavaria, West Germany

Allegiance: German Empire (to 1918), Weimar Republic (to 1933), Nazi Germany
Service/branch: Imperial German Army, Reichswehr, Schutzpolizei, Wehrmacht (Heer)
Years of service: 1916-1919, 1920-1935 (police), 1935-1945
Commands held: I. Battalion / Schutzen-Regiment 10, Kradschutzen-Bataillon 59, Panzergrenadier-Regiment 10, Panzertruppenschule II, 561st Volksgrenadier-Division, 710th Infantry-Division
Battles/wars: World War I (Western Front), Freikorps actions in Lithuania and Courland, World War II (Invasion of Poland, Battle of France, Balkans Campaign, Operation Barbarossa, Battle of Uman, Battle of Kiev, Battle of Voronezh, Battles of Rzhev, Operation Bagration, Defense of East Prussia, Defense in Austria)
Spouse: Erna Flothe (married 24 September 1926)
Parents: Ferdinand Gorn (farmer) and Anna Gorn

Promotions:
14 November 1916: Grenadier
16 April 1919: Gefreiter
07 September 1919: Unteroffizier
01 June 1920: Unterwachtmeister (police)
29 April 1927: Polizei-Leutnant
26 March 1929: Polizei-Oberleutnant
01 October 1934: Polizei-Hauptmann
01 October 1935: Hauptmann (army)
20 February 1940: Major
01 February 1942: Oberstleutnant
01 March 1943: Oberst
21 July 1944: Generalmajor

Career:
14 November 1916 - 06 July 1917: Grenadier in the Grenadier-Regiment "Konig Wilhelm I." (2. Westpreussisches) Nr. 7
06 July 1917 - 19 August 1917: Transferred to the Ersatz-MG-Kompanie des V. Armeekorps
19 August 1917 - 18 December 1918: Transferred to the 1. schwere MG-Kompanie des Landsturm-Infanterie-Regiments Nr. 36
18 December 1918 - 20 September 1919: Transferred to the 2. Kompanie des Freiwilligen-Regiments 18
20 September 1919: Entlassung aus dem Heeresdienst
01 June 1920 - 29 April 1927: Unterwachtmeister in the Schutzpolizei Breslau, with detachments to police schools and courses
29 April 1927 - 01 November 1928: Platoon leader in various police units, Schutzpolizei Breslau
01 November 1928 - 05 December 1930: Adjutant of Police-Inspection East, Breslau
05 December 1930 - 02 March 1931: Detached for training as a district leader
02 March 1931 - 01 April 1931: Detached for training as traffic officer and motor vehicle driver, Police-Inspection for Technology and Traffic, Breslau
01 April 1931 - 08 May 1933: Traffic officer with the Command of the Schutzpolizei Breslau
08 May 1933 - 01 September 1933: Leader of the 5th State-Police-Unit Breslau
01 September 1933 - 01 October 1934: 2nd Officer with the Motor Vehicle Unit Breslau
01 October 1934 - 20 April 1935: Motor-transport officer with the Staff of the State-Police-Department, Iserlohn
20 April 1935 - 15 October 1935: Leader of the Motorcycle-Guards-Unit Breslau
15 October 1935 - 01 July 1939: Company chief in the 3rd Motorcycle-Rifle-Battalion (Kradschutzen-Bataillon 3)
01 July 1939 - 05 January 1940: Commandant of the headquarters staff, XIX. Motorized Army Corps
05 January 1940 - 17 March 1940: Transferred to the 82nd Rifle-Replacement-Battalion
17 March 1940 - 12 October 1940: Commander of the 10th Rifle-Replacement-Battalion
12 October 1940 - 26 January 1942: Commander of the I. Battalion, Schutzen-Regiment 10 (9th Panzer Division)
26 January 1942 - 05 October 1942: Commander of the Kradschutzen-Bataillon 59 (9th Panzer Division)
05 October 1942 - 01 March 1943: Commander of the Panzergrenadier-Regiment 10 (9th Panzer Division)
01 March 1943 - 08 September 1943: Detached to tactical course at Panzer-Troop-School I, Wunsdorf
01 November 1943 - 15 January 1944: Commander of training courses at Panzer-Troop-School II, Krampnitz
05 November 1943 - 08 November 1943: Detached to the Fuhrer Headquarters
15 January 1944 - 24 July 1944: Commander of Panzer-Troop-School II, Krampnitz
24 July 1944 - 27 July 1944: Commander of a Grenadier-Division (ad hoc)
27 July 1944 - 01 October 1944: Delegated with leadership of the 561st Volksgrenadier-Division
01 October 1944 - 01 March 1945: Commander of the 561st Volksgrenadier-Division (ill from 23 September 1944, temporarily replaced by Oberst Felix Becker)
01 March 1945 - 15 April 1945: In hospital
15 April 1945 - 08 May 1945: Commander of the 710th Infantry-Division
08 May 1945 - 16 June 1947: In U.S. captivity
16 June 1947: Released

Awards and decorations:
Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse (1914)
Ehrenkreuz fur Frontkampfer
Osterreichische Kriegs-Erinnerungs-Medaille mit Schwertern
Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. bis II. Klasse
Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 01.10.1938 mit Spange "Prager Burg"
Ungarische Kriegs-Erinnerungs-Medaille mit Schwertern
Bulgarische Kriegs-Erinnerungs-Medaille mit Schwertern
Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz II. Klasse (1939) on 16 October 1939
Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse (1939) on 08 April 1941
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes #267 on 20 April 1941 as Major and commander of I. Bataillon / Schutzen-Regiment 10, 9. Panzer-Division. On 10 April 1941, Major Gorn had the mission of advancing towards Debar via Gostivar with his small mixed Abteilung in order to establish contact with Italian troops. Following a swift, bold thrust against a much superior foe, Gorn and his troops overran a strong hostile resistance line in front of Debar and then crushed 7 enemy batteries. 9 enemy batteries, 12 anti-tank guns, and numerous additional war materiel were captured. This bold attack also liberated 800 Italian prisoners, who were armed and taken under command. Through this action, Gorn made a major contribution to the successful fighting in southern Serbia. For this, as well as for previously distinguishing himself on 08 April 1941 at the Stracin Pass, he was decorated with the Ritterkreuz. Combat Group "Gorn", detached from the 9th Panzer Division, marched from Tetovo, seized Gostivar, and advanced towards Debar and Kicevo.
Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 08 February 1942 as Major and commander of I. Bataillon / Schutzen-Regiment 10, 9. Panzer-Division
Panzerkampfabzeichen in Bronze
Medaille "Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/1942"
Verwundetenabzeichen in Silber (1939)
Nahkampfspange in Bronze
Bulgarischer Tapferkeitsorden IV. Klasse, I. Stufe
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #113 on 17 August 1942 as Oberstleutnant and commander of Kradschutzen-Bataillon 59, 9. Panzer-Division. It was awarded for his achievements during the fighting for Voronezh in July 1942, particularly near Bol.-Wereika from 23-25 July 1942. Gorn and his unit were ordered north to reinforce German forces during efforts to slow Soviet counteroffensives between Orel and Voronezh. They repelled a number of strong Soviet attacks during the Battle of Voronezh but suffered heavy casualties, leaving only 55 men combat effective by the end of August.
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern #30 on 08 June 1943 as Oberst and commander of Panzergrenadier-Regiment 10, 9. Panzer-Division. Oberst Gorn and his Regiment had a decisive share in the smashing of Soviet breakthrough attempts near Rzhev from 25 November 1942, specifically near Sytschewka (along the Wasusa river) and south of Loshki. During this time, Gorn contributed to his Division's freeing of the 129. Infanterie-Division and the destruction of cut-off enemy forces. The Battles of Rzhev involved prolonged and bloody fighting, with Soviet forces aiming to destroy Army Group Centre and liberate Rzhev, Sychevka (Sytschewka), and Vyazma to eliminate the salient used as a German bridgehead.

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Walter Gorn (24 September 1898 – 10 July 1968) was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded several divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. A veteran of both world wars, Gorn began his career as a private with a Grenadier Regiment on the Western Front in 1916 but was forced to leave the Army following the war. He then served as an officer for fifteen years with police units before joining the newly established Wehrmacht in 1935. During World War II, Gorn rose through the ranks and commanded battalions and regiments on the Eastern Front for three years before being selected for general's rank. At the Enns River in Austria, Gorn surrendered to Major General Stanley Eric Reinhart's 261st Infantry Regiment.

Gorn was born on 24 September 1898 in the village of Bieganin, a part of the town of Pleszew near Posen, as the son of farmer Ferdinand Gorn and his wife Anna. During World War I, he enlisted in the German Army and was assigned as Kriegsfreiwilliger (roughly equivalent to Private) to the West Prussian Grenadier-Regiment „König Wilhelm I.“ Nr. 7, operating with the 9th Division on the Western Front. Gorn saw combat at Verdun and Aisne before he was transferred to the replacement machine gun company of V Corps in July 1917.

After a brief period with that unit, Gorn was transferred to the 1st Heavy Machine Gun company of the 36th Landwehr-Assault-Infantry Regiment stationed in his native Posen. He remained in that capacity for the rest of the war and participated mostly in the training of replacement units. For his service during the war, Gorn was decorated with the Prussian Iron Cross 2nd Class.

Following the Armistice, his unit was disbanded, and Gorn joined the Freikorps, paramilitary units consisting of disgruntled and demobilized soldiers. He was assigned to the 2nd Company of the 18th Volunteer-Regiment and took part in combats against the Red Army in Lithuania and Courland. Gorn was promoted to Gefreiter (Lance Corporal) in April 1919 and returned to Germany in July that year. He was promoted to Unteroffizier (Corporal) on 7 September that year and discharged from the Army by the end of the month.

In June 1920, Gorn joined the Schutzpolizei (Protection Police) as Unterwachtmeister (equivalent of Sergeant) and was stationed in Breslau for the next seven years, reaching the rank of Oberwachtmeister (staff sergeant) in April 1923. While in this capacity, he completed several physical trainings and was selected for the Police-Officer-Aspirant Course at the higher police school in Eiche near Potsdam in September 1925.

Upon completing the course one year later, Gorn rejoined his unit in Breslau and was commissioned Leutnant (second lieutenant) on 29 April 1927. He subsequently served as platoon leader until November 1928, when he was transferred to the staff of Police Inspection East as adjutant. Gorn was promoted to Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) in March 1929 and ordered to the Police School for training as district leader. He completed the training in December 1930 and entered the training course as Traffic-Officer and Motor Vehicle Driver with the Police Inspection for Technology and Traffic in Breslau.

Gorn completed all his instructions in April 1931 and served as Traffic-Officer in Breslau for three years before assuming duty as Motor-Transport-Officer with the Police Department in Iserlohn, Westphalia, in October 1934. He was promoted to Hauptmann (Captain) one month later and returned to Breslau in April 1935 as leader of the Motorcycle-Guards-Unit.

Following Adolf Hitler's rise to power and the creation of the Wehrmacht in mid-1935, Gorn's unit was incorporated into the Army, and he assumed command of the 5th Company of the 3rd Motorcycle-Rifle-Battalion under Oberstleutnant Günther von Manteuffel in Bad Freienwalde. His battalion became a part of the 3rd Panzer Division, and Gorn became more involved in armoured warfare. He participated in the occupation of Sudetenland in October 1938 and the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in March 1939.
In July 1939, Gorn was transferred to the headquarters of the newly created XIX. Army Motorised Corps under General Heinz Guderian and served as Commandant of the Staff-Quarters during the Invasion of Poland, receiving the Clasp to the Iron Cross 2nd Class. He was promoted to Major in March 1940 and assumed command of the 10th Rifle Replacement Battalion in Sankt Pölten, Lower Austria.

During the Battle of the Netherlands in May 1940, his battalion was attached to the 9th Panzer Division, and Gorn later participated in the Battle of France. He was appointed commander of the 1st Battalion, 10th Rifle Regiment in October 1940 and took part in the Invasion of Yugoslavia in early April 1941. Gorn distinguished himself on 8 April and received the Iron Cross 1st Class for bravery.

Only two weeks later, Gorn led his battalion during the advance on the town of Debar in North Macedonia. His orders were to establish contact with Italian troops in the city of Gostivar, and his mixed unit overran a strong hostile resistance line and crushed seven enemy batteries. Another nine enemy batteries, twelve anti-tank guns, and numerous additional war materiel were captured. His attack also liberated 800 Italian prisoners, who were armed and taken under command. For his leadership during the battle, Gorn was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 20 April 1941.

Gorn led his battalion during the German invasion of the Soviet Union in July 1941 and took part in combats at Uman and Kiev, Ukraine. He was promoted to Oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel) in February 1942 and assumed command of the 59th Motorcycle-Rifle-Battalion, operating also with the 9th Panzer Division, one month later. For his previous service during the combats in Kursk Oblast and east Ukraine, Gorn received the German Cross in Gold on 8 February 1942.

He was subsequently ordered with his Motorcycle Battalion north to reinforce German forces during efforts to slow Soviet counteroffensives between Orel and Voronezh. Gorn and his unit repelled a number of strong Soviet attacks during the fighting in Voronezh, but suffered heavy casualties, leaving only 55 men combat effective by the end of August. For his service during that battle, he was decorated with the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 17 August 1942.

Gorn remained in command of the 59th Battalion until October that year, when he was appointed commanding officer of Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 10 attached to the 9th Panzer Division. His regiment participated in the Battles of Rzhev from November 1942 and repelled several Soviet breakthrough attempts, specifically near Sychyovka along the Vazuza river and south of Loshki, where Gorn distinguished himself again and contributed to his Division's freeing of the 129th Infantry Division and the destruction of cut-off enemy forces. For his service during that campaign, he was decorated with Swords to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 8 June 1943 and also received the Bulgarian Order of Bravery, IV. Class with swords.

In March 1943, Gorn was promoted to Oberst (Colonel) and ordered back to Germany, where he attended the tactical course at the Panzer Troops School in Wünsdorf near Berlin. Upon completing the course in September 1943, he was appointed commander of training courses at Panzer-Troop-School II in Krampnitz in November 1943. He briefly visited the Führer-Headquarters in early November 1943.

Gorn was appointed commander of Panzer-Troop-School II in January 1944 and remained in that capacity until July 1944, when he was delegated with the leadership of the 561st Grenadier-Division (later redesignated as 561st Volksgrenadier-Division). He was promoted to Generalmajor on 1 October 1944 but fell ill on 23 September 1944, and the division was temporarily commanded by Oberst Felix Becker for three months. Gorn was hospitalized until March 1945.

Upon recovery, Gorn assumed command of the 710th Infantry-Division on 15 April 1945. He led the division until the end of the war and surrendered to U.S. forces on 8 May 1945. Gorn was held in U.S. captivity until 16 June 1947, when he was released.
He died on 10 July 1968 in Rosenheim, aged 69.





Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Gorn
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/5254/Gorn-Walter.htm
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/G/GornW-R.htm
https://rk.balsi.de/index.php?action=list&cat=300
https://web.archive.org/web/20091027052912/http://geocities.com/orion47.geo/index2.html
https://forum.axishistory.com/
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/
https://books.google.com/
https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Walter_Gorn
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/goldap-operation-soviets-in-the-prussian-heartland
Scherzer, Veit. Die Ritterkreuztrager 1939-1945. Jena, 2007.
Patzwall, Klaus D. / Scherzer, Veit. Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941-1945. Norderstedt, 2001.
Bundesarchiv personnel files for Walter Gorn.

Sunday, May 12, 2024

Hasso von Manteuffel and Kradschützen-Bataillon 2


As the Kradschützen-Bataillon 2 parades at the Luitpold park on 1 June 1937 during the opening ceremony for their new barracks, an unknown photographer takes a few images of the assembled dignitaries. Major Hasso von Manteuffel (ex-Kompaniechef in Kradschützen-Bataillon 2) is caught in the scene, standing with an unidentified general, second officer from the right.


In the mid 1930s, while still stationed in Eisenach, during the first years following conversion of the Kradschützen-Bataillon 2 to a motorcycle infantry unit, Hauptmann Hasso von Manteuffel had been both a company commander and, following promotion to major, the senior staff officer with the unit. Manteuffel’s early career had been as a horse cavalry officer, he was an expert rider and had previously commanded horse cavalry “squadrons“ (company size units in the old Reichsheer).

As select cavalry units were motorized during the modernization of the Heer after Hitler came to power, top officers were assigned to the “fast troop“ units to command, learn and study first hand, the new equipment and tactics. This brought Manteuffel to Eisenach and the 2 Krad.

As the new barracks was being built in Bad Kissingen and Oberst von Apell, commander of the 2 Krad, visited the construction site, Hasso von Manteuffel was at work with the unit staff and missed movement with the battalion to Bad Kissingen by less than a year. 2 Panzer Division commander Guderian had recognized Manteuffel as an exceptional officer and moved him from the 2 Krad to the division staff in 1937. His new position was to oversee training and school assignments of all officer cadets and junior officers within the division. Guderian saw this as a very important task, handed the job to a key subordinate and in all probability, Manteuffel moved from Eisenach to the division HQ in Wurzburg.

Some months later, as Guderian left the division for higher command and supervision of the entire Panzer personnel training system, he brought Manteuffel to Berlin and the Panzer Troops School. Despite these rapid moves, Manteuffel did not forget his connection to the 2nd Panzer Division and the last company he commanded.

On 1 June 1937, as the 2nd Kradschutzen Battalion held the formal parade and opening ceremony for their new barracks, Major Hasso von Mauteuffel traveled from Berlin to watch the proceedings. He stood not on the formal reviewing stand but off to the side, in the crowd of visiting officers and dignitaries. He was captured on film by a local photographer and the image surfaced in a collection purchased by Norbert Ruckel. Manteuffel would have recognized most of the men of the unit as they paraded, there may have been cadets and junior officers present that held his personal interest and perhaps, he felt that had duty and Guderian not called him to Berlin, he would have stood in the lead field car as the battalion commander or senior staff officer of the motorcycle infantry unit as it occupied the barracks on the hill that honored his family name.

Source :
Norbert Ruckel photo collection
http://www.eaglehorse.org/home_station/hidden_stories/60s/iron_crosses/iron_crosses.htm

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Bio of Hauptmann Wilhelm Henz (1915-1943)

Wilhelm "Willi" Henz

Date of Birth: 01.10.1915 - Eschhofen, Hesse (German Empire)
Date of Death: 30.01.1943 - near Stalingrad (Soviet Union)

Promotions:
00.00.193_ Feldwebel der Reserve
01.10.1939 Leutnant des Beurlaubtenstandes
00.00.194_ Oberleutnant des Beurlaubtenstandes
00.00.194_ Hauptmann des Beurlaubtenstandes

Career:
00.00.194_ Führer 2.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 29 / 29.Infanterie-Division

Awards and Decorations:
00.00.1939 Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938
00.00.1939 Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938 mit Spange der "Prager Burg"
00.00.19__ Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
00.00.19__ Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
08.08.1941 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, as Leutnant and Führer 2.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 29 / 29.Infanterie-Division, for capturing and holding bridge at eastern side of Smolensk with a reinforced company, then holding the position for 6 days against Soviet counterattacks.

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Fast troops - armored troops (including tank hunter detachments), riflemen (motorized), motorcycle riflemen, reconnaissance detachments (motorized), reconnaissance detachments (partially motorized), cavalry regiments and the bicycle detachment of the 1st Cavalry Division - according to Heinz Guderian's conviction, should compensate for strategic deficits, material inferiority and lack of troop strength through operational successes.
 
The Fast Troops had the task of quickly forcing decisive battles of annihilation through fast, mobile operations so as not to be forced into trench warfare. In the first years of the war, this concept worked and large-scale offensive operations brought initial success.
 
The motorcycle riflemen, a highly mobile, effective infantry unit, had to learn as early as 1941 how quickly a concept based on speed can fail. The time pressure behind each new attack was bound to lead to failure in the vastness of a country covering 22 million square kilometers. The BMW and Zündapp motorcycles literally got stuck in the Russian mud and snow - later in the African desert sand - and lost their combat effectiveness. The motorcycle riflemen continued to fight as infantrymen, but were no longer able to cover long distances without their vehicles and thus lost their tactical importance.
 
On June 22, 1941, Willi Henz was one of over 3.5 million German soldiers who attacked the Soviet Union. The officer led the 2nd Motorcycle Rifle Company of the 29th Infantry Division when his army group began its advance eastward from the Bug. For his achievements he was awarded the Knight's Cross in August 1941. In the summer of 1942, he and the troops advanced on the southern section of the Eastern Front to Stalingrad, where the unit was surrounded and destroyed together with the 6th Army. One of the 226,000 dead in the cauldron was Willi Henz, who had tried to escape until the very end.



Leutnant Wilhelm Henz (Führer 2.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 29 / 29.Infanterie-Division) being presented with the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes by General der Panzertruppe Joachim Lemelsen (Kommandierender General XXXXVII. Armeekorps). The picture was taken during the Ritterkreuz award ceremony near Smolensk, Eastern Front, which were held on 13 August 1941 during Unternehmen Barbarossa. Other pictures from this occasion can be seen HERE.



Leutnant Wilhelm Henz (Führer 2.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 29 / 29.Infanterie-Division) after the Ritterkreuz award ceremony on 13 August 1941. He received the news of his Ritterkreuz award five days previously (8 August 1941).


Wilhelm Henz.



Reichsminister Joseph Goebbels received 27 Ritterkreuzträger of the Infanterie in the Reichsministerium für Volksaufklärung und Propaganda in Berlin, 1 November 1942. These Knight's Cross recipients - who were "aus dem Osten" (coming from the East) - also visited the military training camps of the Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth) and spoke to the German youth about their experiences at the front. From left to right:
1. Oberleutnant Günter Klappich (Chef 11.Kompanie / III.Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment 60 / 16.Infanterie-Division. Ritterkreuz on 31 July 1942),
2. Oberleutnant Hans-Gotthard Pestke (Chef 3.Kompanie / I.Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment 176 / 61.Infanterie-Division. Ritterkreuz on 15 November 1941),
3. Oberleutnant Wilhelm Henz (Chef 2.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 29 / 29.Infanterie-Division. Ritterkreuz on 8 August 1941),
4. Hauptmann Max Sachsenheimer (Kommandeur II.Bataillon / Jäger-Regiment 75 / 5.Jäger-Division. Ritterkreuz on 5 April 1942),
5. Oberleutnant Hans Guhr (Adjutant Grenadier-Regiment 513 / 294.Infanterie-Division. Ritterkreuz on 10 September 1942),
6. Oberleutnant Gerhard Möws (Chef 3.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 22 / 2.Infanterie-Division [motorisiert]. Ritterkreuz on 1 November 1942),
7. Oberleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm Proske (Chef 1.Kompanie / I.Bataillon / Grenadier-Regiment 84 / 102.Infanterie-Division. Ritterkreuz on 12 April 1942),
8. Oberleutnant der Reserve Wilhelm "Willi" Hümmerich (Chef 14.Kompanie / III.Bataillon / Grenadier-Regiment 80 / 34.Infanterie-Division. Ritterkreuz on 18 October 1941),
9. Oberleutnant der Reserve Richard Grünert (Chef 3.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 7 / 7.Panzer-Division. Ritterkreuz on 14 October 1941),
10. Oberleutnant Dr.med.vet. Klaus Hilgemann (Chef 13.Kompanie / III.Bataillon / Grenadier-Regiment 422 / 126.Infanterie-Division. Ritterkreuz on 18 October 1942),
11. Hauptmann Harald von Hirschfeld (Führer II.Bataillon /Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 98 / 1.Gebirgs-Division. Ritterkreuz on 15 November 1941),
12. Hauptmann Karl Langesee (Kommandeur II.Bataillon / Jäger-Regiment 207 / 97.Jäger-Division. Ritterkreuz on 10 August 1942). Other pictures from this occasion can be seen HERE.



In 3 November 1942, a big delegation of Ritterkreuzträger (German Knight's Cross recipients) visited the Reichsjugendführung, doing inspections of training places and communications with young Hitlerjugend members. This picture was taken when they met the HJ leader, Reichsjugendführer Artur Axmann. The identification as follow: 1.Hauptmann Karl Langesee (Kommandeur II.Bataillon / Jäger-Regiment 207 / 97.Jäger-Division. Ritterkreuz in 10 August 1942), 2.Leutnant der Reserve Gerhard Hein (Führer 5.Kompanie / II.Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment 209 / 58.Infanterie-Division. Ritterkreuz in 3 September 1940 and Eichenlaub in 6 September 1942), 3.Hauptmann Harald von Hirschfeld (Führer II.Bataillon / Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 98 / 1.Gebirgs-Division. Ritterkreuz in 15 November 1941), 4.Hauptmann Erich Löffler (Kommandeur II.Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment 57 / 9.Infanterie-Division. Ritterkreuz in 7 October 1942), 5.Oberleutnant Wilhelm Henz (Kommandeur 2.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 29 / 29.Infanterie-Division. Ritterkreuz in 8 August 1941), 6.Oberleutnant der Reserve Günther Hilt (Führer 7.Kompanie / II.Bataillon / Jäger-Regiment 56 / 5.Jäger-Division. Ritterkreuz in 14 September 1942), 7.Hauptmann Max Sachsenheimer (Kommandeur II.Bataillon / Jäger-Regiment 75 / 5.Jäger-Division. Ritterkreuz in 5 April 1942), 8. Hauptmann Hans-Gotthard Pestke (Chef 3.Kompanie / I.Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment 176 / 61.Infanterie-Division. Ritterkreuz in 15 November 1941), 9.Reichsjugendführer Artur Axmann, and Generalleutnant Friedrich Herrlein (General der Infanterie beim Oberkommando des Heeres. Ritterkreuz on 22 September 1941). Other pictures from this occasion can be seen HERE.

Source :
Jason D. Mark photo collection
John M. Donovan photo collection
Michael Scha photo collection
http://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2014/03/album-foto-29-infanterie-division-29.html
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=6805734702839819&set=gm.714201243552892&idorvanity=222855636020791
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=193199&hilit=wilhelm+henz
http://www.ritterkreuztraeger.info/rk/h.html
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/35796/Henz-Wilhelm.htm
https://transgalaxis.de/tg.php?page=artikel&dir=shop&param=artnr=wk_soldaten_049&user=odbnuddpifxrgrzeubiw
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/forum/wehrmacht-era-militaria/order-of-battle-and-individual-research-forum/638165-rkt-leutnant-wilhelm-henz

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Bio of Oberstleutnant d.R. Curt Ehle (1899-1986)

Curt Ehle

Date of Birth: 21.10.1899 - Salzwedel, Sachsen-Anhalt (German Empire)
Date of Death: 16.08.1986 - Uelzen, Niedersachsen (West Germany)

Battles and Campaigns: Invasion of Poland (1939), Battle of France (1940), North African Campaign (1941-1943), Operation Battleaxe (1941), Operation Crusader (1941), Battle of Gazala (1942), First Battle of El Alamein (1942), Second Battle of El Alamein (1942), Eastern Front (1943-1945)

Promotions:
00.00.1939 Leutnant der Reserve
00.00.1940 Oberleutnant der Reserve
00.00.1940 Hauptmann der Reserve
01.10.1941 Major der Reserve
01.11.1944 Oberstleutnant der Reserve (RDA 09.11.1944)

Career:
15.06.1917 Fahnenjunker in Infanterie-Regiment 93
00.05.1920 Left the Military
00.00.1936 Reserve officer
00.00.1939 Nachr.Zugf. in Infanterie-Regiment 93 / 13.Infanterie-Division (mot.)
00.09.1939 Führer 9.Kompanie / Infanterie-Regiment 93 (mot.)
00.11.1940 Served with Kradschützen-Bataillon 15 / 15.Panzer-Division
00.00.1944 went on a course for Regimentskommandeur
00.04.1944 Served with Panzergrenadier-Regiment 93
Summer 1944 moved to the Neuruppin to join Panzer-Brigade 102
00.00.1945 Kommandeur Panzergrenadier-Regiment 7
Last days of the war fought in the north of Berlin.

Awards and Decorations:
00.00.191_ 1914 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
00.00.191_ 1914 Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
00.00.191_ Schlesischer Adler
00.00.193_ Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer 1914-1918
07.10.1939 1939 spange zum 1914 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
21.06.1940 1939 spange zum 1914 Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
00.00.194_ Panzerkampfabzeichen in Silber
00.00.194_ Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Schwarz
27.07.1941 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes #401, as Hauptmann der Reserve and Führer 1.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 15 / 15.Panzer-Division. Awarded for preventing a British breakthrough attempt that was ultimately intended to result in the recapture of Cyrenaica. Submitted on 24.07.1941. Preliminary document and decoration on 28.07.1941 to Afrikakorps.
00.00.1943 Ärmelband Afrika
29.11.1944 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #673, as Major der Reserve and Führer Panzer-Brigade 102 / 561.Panzergrenadier-Division. Awarded for the achievements of his Panzer-Brigade, which first saw action in August 1944. It distinguished itself first at Ostrolenka and later in the defensive battles for East Prussia. Submitted on 19.11.1944.
17.02.1945 Mentioned in Wehrmachtbericht

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Curt Ehle joined the ranks on September 1, 1939 as a Leutnant d.R. into the Wehrmacht. In 1941 he was leader of the 1.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 15 in the 15th P.D. in Africa. After Ehle prevented the attempted breakthrough by the English in Bardia, it became possible to reconquer Cyrenaice. For this courageous act he was awarded the Ritterkreuz on July 27, 1941. Curt Ehle acquired the oak leaves in Russia as the leader of the Panzer Brigade 102 on the Eastern Front and later in the fighting in East Prussia with the 3rd Panzer Army.



Ritterkreuz award ceremony for Hauptmann der Reserve Curt Ehle (Führer 1.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 15 / 15.Panzer-Division) which were held on 1 August 1941 near Fort Capuzzo, Libya. The medal was presented by Generalmajor Walter Neumann-Silkow (right, Kommandeur 15. Panzer-Division). Ehle formally received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 27 July 1941. The medal was awarded for preventing a British breakthrough attempt that was ultimately intended to result in the recapture of Cyrenaica. The Ritterkreuz recommendation was submitted on 24 July 1941, while preliminary document and decoration were sent to the headquarters of Afrikakorps on 28 July 1941. The picture was taken by Bildberichter Weisgärber of PK (Propaganda-Kompanie) "Afrika". Other pictures from this sequence can be seen HERE.


Curt Ehle as Hauptmann der Reserve.


Curt Ehle (second from left) in a party.



Oberstleutnant der Reserve Curt Ehle wearing the Eichenlaub which he received on 29 November 1944 as Major der Reserve and Führer Panzer-Brigade 102 / 561.Panzergrenadier-Division. The medal was awarded for the achievements of his Panzer-Brigade, which first saw action in August 1944. It distinguished itself first at Ostrolenka and later in the defensive battles for East Prussia. The Eichenlaub recommendation was submitted on 19 November 1944 previously.


Source :
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=2494170#p2494170
https://wwii.germandocsinrussia.org/de/nodes/1450#page/109/mode/inspect/zoom/4
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwi11cHm5cWBAxWkzzgGHSz7A7E4ChAWegQIBhAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ritterkreuztraeger.info%2Frkel%2Fe%2FEL673Ehle.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2kiL0ksNSy1UDPaA0BtBxJ&opi=89978449
https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Curt_Ehle
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/forum/wehrmacht-era-militaria/photos-and-paper-items-forum/984299-rkt-identifications#post7416439

Ritterkreuz Award Ceremony for Curt Ehle


Ritterkreuz award ceremony for Hauptmann der Reserve Curt Ehle (Führer 1.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 15 / 15.Panzer-Division) which were held on 1 August 1941 near Fort Capuzzo, Libya. The medal was presented by Generalmajor Walter Neumann-Silkow (right, Kommandeur 15. Panzer-Division). Ehle formally received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 27 July 1941. The medal was awarded for preventing a British breakthrough attempt that was ultimately intended to result in the recapture of Cyrenaica. The Ritterkreuz recommendation was submitted on 24 July 1941, while preliminary document and decoration were sent to the headquarters of Afrikakorps on 28 July 1941. The picture was taken by Bildberichter Weisgärber of PK (Propaganda-Kompanie) "Afrika".



Ritterkreuz award ceremony for Hauptmann der Reserve Curt Ehle (left, Führer 1.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 15 / 15.Panzer-Division) which were held on 1 August 1941 near Fort Capuzzo, Libya. The medal was presented by Generalmajor Walter Neumann-Silkow (right, Kommandeur 15. Panzer-Division).



Hauptmann der Reserve Curt Ehle (Führer 1.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 15 / 15.Panzer-Division) posing for the camera after the Ritterkreuz award ceremony which were held on 1 August 1941 near Fort Capuzzo, Libya. He is wearing M40 tropenhelm (pith helmet) and tropenuniform (tropical uniform). The tropical sun helmet, or Tropenhelm, was issued to all German troops serving in North Africa and was strongly influenced by the design of the British Wolseley helmet, commonly known as pith helmet.



Members of Kradschützen-Bataillon 15 / 15.Panzer-Division are lined up outside Fort Capuzzo during the Ritterkreuz award ceremony for Hauptmann der Reserve Curt Ehle (back to the camera, Führer 1.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 15), 1 August 1941. The picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Valtingojer of PK (Propaganda-Kompanie) "Afrika".



Members of Kradschützen-Bataillon 15 / 15.Panzer-Division are lined up outside Fort Capuzzo during the Ritterkreuz award ceremony for Hauptmann der Reserve Curt Ehle (left, Führer 1.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 15), 1 August 1941. The picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Valtingojer of PK (Propaganda-Kompanie) "Afrika".



Generalmajor Walter Neumann-Silkow (Kommandeur 15. Panzer-Division) inspecting the troops from Kradschützen-Bataillon 15 / 15.Panzer-Division during the Ritterkreuz award ceremony for Hauptmann der Reserve Curt Ehle (Führer 1.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 15), which were held at Fort Capuzzo, Libya, on 1 August 1941. Neumann-Silkow is wearing the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on his neck, which he received on 5 August 1940 as Oberst and Kommandeur 8. Schützen-Brigade.


Source :
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek photo archive (Image-No.: 50079051)
https://www.alamy.com/kradschtzen-of-kradschtzenbataillon-15-of-the-afrika-korps-are-lined-up-at-kapuza-company-commander-captain-curt-ehle-receives-the-knights-cross-for-the-battalions-achievements-in-the-reconquest-of-cyrenaika-photo-vatingojer-automated-translation-image550694991.html?imageid=03D66D9C-AB9D-476B-9D71-89DBB6AFDC18&p=1256209&pn=1&searchId=97ff168ab8d8f6f18bac0f5eafb6df5c&searchtype=0
https://www.bpk-bildagentur.de/shop
https://www.bridgemanimages.com/en/noartistknown/award-of-the-order-of-the-afrika-korps-1941-b-w-photo/photography/asset/7325537
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=2494075#p2494075
https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30091303
https://ritterkreuz.jouwweb.nl/signed-photos-wh
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/29917/Ehle-Curt.htm