Full name:
Kurt Adolph Wilhelm Meyer Nickname: Panzermeyer
Date of Birth: 23 December 1910 - Jerxheim, Niedersachsen (German Empire)
Date of Death: 23 December 1961 - Hagen, Nordrhein-Westfalen (West Germany)
Battles and Operations: Poland, France, Balkans, Soviet Union, Normandy
NSDAP-Number: 316714 (1 September 1930)
SS-Number: 17559 (15 October 1931)
Religion: No information
Parents: Otto Meyer (factory worker) and Alma Meyer, born Weihe
Siblings: Melanie (one sister)
Spouse: Kate Bohlman (married 1934)
Children: Kurt (son), Irmtraud, Ursula, Inge, Gerhild (daughters)
Promotions: 00.05.1925: Hitlerjugend
01.04.1928: SA-Mann
01.10.1930: Polizeiunterwachtmeister
15.10.1930: SS-Anwärter
15.02.1932: SS-Mann
10.07.1932: SS-Sturmführer
20.04.1934: Polizeioberwachtmeister
15.05.1934: SS-Untersturmführer
10.03.1935: SS-Obersturmführer
12.09.1937: SS-Hauptsturmführer
01.09.1940: SS-Sturmbannführer
09.11.1942: SS-Obersturmbannführer
21.06.1943: SS-Standartenführer
01.08.1944: SS-Oberführer
01.09.1944: SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS
Career: 00.05.1925: Hitlerjugend
01.04.1928: SA-Mann
00.10.1929: Landespolizei Mecklenburg-Schwerin
01.09.1930: joined the NSDAP as Ortsgruppenleiter
15.10.1930: SS-Anwärter
15.10.1931: joined the SS, 2. Sturm, II. Sturmbann, SS-Standarte 22, Schwerin
15.05.1934: SS-Untersturmführer, Zugführer, SS-Standarte Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
14.09.1936: SS-Obersturmführer, Chef 14. (Panzerabwehr-)Kompanie, SS-Standarte Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
00.00.1938: participated in the annexation of Austria with Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
00.03.1939: participated in the occupation of Czechoslovakia with Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
00.09.1939: SS-Hauptsturmführer, Führer 14. Panzerabwehr-Kompanie, Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, campaign in Poland, Operation Fall Weiss
07.09.1939: wounded in the shoulder
00.10.1939: alleged order for shooting of fifty Polish Jews near Modlin
20.10.1939: SS-Hauptsturmführer, Führer 15. Kradschützen-Kompanie, Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, attached to XVI. Armeekorps
00.05.1940: campaign in the West with Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
01.09.1940-13.05.1943: SS-Sturmbannführer, Chef SS-Aufklärungs-Abteilung Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
00.04.1941: campaign in Greece, Operation Marita, breakthrough at Klisura Pass, Lechovo, Lake Kastoria and capture of Kastoria
00.06.1941: campaign in Russia, Operation Barbarossa, battles at Mariupol and the Black Sea coast
00.10.1941-00.01.1942: ill, evacuated to Berlin for recovery
00.01.1942-00.02.1943: continued command of SS-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 1 with Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, battles around Kharkov
23.02.1943: transfer to forming 12. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Hitlerjugend
21.06.1943: SS-Standartenführer, Kommandeur SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25, 12. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Hitlerjugend
14.06.1944: SS-Standartenführer, Kommandeur 12. SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend after death of Fritz Witt
00.06.1944-00.08.1944: Normandy campaign, counterattacks near Caen, Ardenne Abbey sector, fighting in the Falaise pocket
27.08.1944: continued command during retreat across the Seine into Belgium
06.09.1944-07.09.1944: ambushed near Spontin-Durnal, wounded, captured by Belgian partisans and handed to American forces
00.09.1944-00.12.1945: prisoner of war, various camps including Trent Park, England
00.12.1945-14.01.1946: war crimes trial in Aurich, sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment
00.04.1946-1951: imprisonment in Canada at Dorchester Penitentiary
1951-07.09.1954: transferred to British prison in Werl, West Germany, sentence reduced and released
1954-1961: active in HIAG veterans organisation, spokesman from 1959, author of memoirs Grenadiere
23.12.1961: died of heart attack in Hagen
Awards and Decorations: Abzeichen des SA-Treffens Braunschweig 1931 (16.10.1931)
Hitlerjugend Ehrenzeichen (Oktober 1933)
Ehrenwinkel der Alten Kämpfer (Februar 1934)
Julleuchter der SS (16.12.1935)
Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 13. März 1938 (02.03.1939)
Dienstauszeichnung der NSDAP 10 Jahre (April 1939)
Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Schwarz (07.09.1939)
Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse (20.09.1939)
SS-Dienstauszeichnung 4. Stufe (4 Jahre) (1939)
SS-Dienstauszeichnung 3. Stufe (8 Jahre) (1939)
Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse (08.06.1940)
Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938 mit Spange (12.06.1940)
Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen in Bronze (03.10.1940)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (18.05.1941) as SS-Sturmbannführer and Kommandeur SS-Aufklärungs-Abteilung / Infanterie-Regiment "Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler" (motorisiert). During the breakthrough at the Klissura Pass, Meyer commanded the reconnaissance battalion of the LSSAH. His mission was to cut off the retreat of the Greek First Army. The Greeks were well-entrenched in the heights, raining fire down on the narrow road. Meyer’s advance stalled under heavy machine-gun fire. Seeing his men hesitating to leave the cover of a ditch, Meyer reportedly took a live stick grenade, pulled the cord, and tossed it behind his own soldiers to "motivate" them to charge forward. The shock worked. Meyer led a lightning-fast assault that cleared the heights. In a follow-up move, he utilized captured fishing boats to cross the Gulf of Corinth in a daring amphibious flanking maneuver, capturing the city of Patras. His ability to maintain "Map Speed" (advancing as fast as a vehicle could physically travel) earned him the Ritterkreuz.
Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (08.02.1942)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #195 (23.02.1943) as SS-Obersturmbannführer and Kommandeur SS-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 1 / SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler". Meyer’s Eichenlaub’ recommendation reads as follows:
“I recommend the commander of the LSSAH Aufklärungs-Abteilung, SS-Obersturmbannführer Kurt Meyer, for the award of the Oakleaves to the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.
Justification:
Since being awarded the Knight’s Cross to the Iron Cross on the 18.05.1941 SS-Obersturmbannführer Meyer has repeatedly distinguished himself during the campaign in the East through his outstanding personal bravery and the skillful leadership of his Aufklärungs-Abteilung.
On the 19.08.1941 Meyer succeeded in penetrating into the heavily defended city of Cherson via a deliberate flank attack from the east. This triggered the collapse of the strong hostile defensive front at Cherson. The city (along with its valuable port and industrial facilities) fell into our hands almost without damage. Numerous armed ships were destroyed, and the prevention of ferry traffic across the Dnieper significantly impaired the retreat of those enemy forces that were defending the city.
Later, following the capture of Nowaja Majatschka, the Aufklärungs-Abteilung launched a wide-ranging thrust towards the southwest. This sliced its way through the retreating enemy units up until as far as the heavily fortified strongpoint of Rf. Presbrashenka. This disrupted the retreat of strong enemy forces towards Perekop and inflicted high losses in men and materiel on the foe.
On the 15. & 16.09.1941 SS-Obersturmführer Meyer and his Aufklärungs-Abteilung launched a bold thrust eastwards in pursuit of the enemy’s 9th Army. This eventually brought the Abteilung to Ssalkowa and Genitschesk, which were both captured. With this the last railway and land connections to those Red Army forces located on the Crimea were cut off. What’s more, a train loaded with war materiel (including over 100 trucks) fell into friendly hands intact after the locomotive was shot up.
During the defense against enemy forces that had broken through in the Jelisawetowka area, the commander of the Aufklärungs-Abteilung managed to halt any further hostile advance via a skillfully conducted mobile defense along a broad front. In the subsequent offensive battles SS-Obersturmbannführer Meyer plunged into the fleeing enemy and established the bridgehead at Terpenjo despite powerful opposing resistance. This laid the groundwork for the bulk of the LSSAH to continue its pursuit of the enemy. Then, on the 05.10.1941, he [Meyer] scattered the staff of the enemy’s 9th Army in Romanowka.
On the 07.10.1941, during the thrust towards Berdjansk, SS-Obersturmbannführer Meyer entered into the city alongside strong enemy columns that were retreating towards Berdjansk from the west. By doing this he prevented the demolition of valuable armaments factories. Strong enemy forces were eliminated during the clearing of the city.
SS-Obersturmbannführer Meyer continued the pursuit on the following day, advancing alongside the fleeing enemy. Disregarding the strong hostile forces present on his extended left flank, he thrust into Mariupol against bitter resistance by a totally surprised enemy. He ultimately managed to secure control over this city of over 500000 residents, one which ranked second only to Odessa with regards to its importance as a harbour city for southern Russia. He also managed to seize control of the city’s valuable armaments facilities, and thereby preempted any demolitions work on them by the foe.
When the LSSAH was transferred to the area east of Kharkov [in 1943] SS-Obersturmbannführer Meyer and his Aufklärungs-Abteilung were the first divisional elements to detrain at Tschugujew, and afterwards they immediately took up a defensive position east of the Donez in the area Vorst. Ossinowka-Kalmyzkoje-Malinowka.
From this position Meyer executed a series of spoiling attacks against strong elements of the Russian 12th Tank Corps. Thanks to his skillful leadership the enemy (which hitherto had a relatively unimpeded advance) was held up long enough for the bulk of the Division to arrive and take up its ordered defensive sector. Furthermore, despite strong enemy pressure, elements of the Aufklärungs-Abteilung under SS-Obersturmbannführer Meyer’s personal command thrust towards the southeast and managed to relieve significant elements of the encircled 298. Infanterie-Division.
The outstanding offensive spirit of the Aufklärungs-Abteilung and its commander proved sufficient to stop the advance of strong Russian forces to Kharkov whilst inflicting high losses on the foe.
When the Division set out from the Norefa area SS-Obersturmbannführer Meyer had the mission of conducting a wide-ranging thrust via Nowaja Wodologa in order to reach the Jefremowka area.
He ruthlessly carried out this task despite enemy resistance and the most difficult of terrain conditions. He and his Abteilung were the sole unit to reach the ordered attack objective, and despite being isolated from resupply for days they managed to hold their ground against non-stop enemy attacks. By doing so they tied down strong opposing forces and thereby facilitated the destruction of the 6th Russian Guards Cavalry Corps.
After they had received reinforcements the enemy attempted to halt the southern wing of the LSSAH by conducting a massive attack with the 172nd Rifle Division. Among the defenders involved was SS-Obersturmbannführer Meyer and his Abteilung (reinforced by a single Panzer-Kompanie), and in the ensuing battle they held Strongpoint Jefremowka against all enemy attacks. In the process they totally obliterated the 747th Russian Rifle Regiment.
In addition to numerous small-arms, the enemy lost:
2 batteries of long 7.62 cm guns (8 pieces altogether)
18 anti-tank guns
A large number of anti-tank rifles
Over 1500 dead.
On the 21.02.1943 SS-Obersturmbannführer Meyer received the mission to take his Abteilung and thrust southwards from Strongpoint Jefremowka in order to smash elements of the 6th Russian Rifle Division that were assembling in the Jeremojewka-Krutojarowka. This mission was immediately carried out.
SS-Obersturmbannführer Meyer smashed 4 strong enemy columns, and for only minimal friendly losses (3 dead including 1 officer and 11 wounded including 1 officer) he and his men eliminated the following:
17 guns (7.62 cm long)
4 anti-tank guns (4.5 cm)
7 heavy mortars
Uncounted quantities of small-arms.”
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern #91 (27.08.1944) as SS-Standartenführer and Kommandeur 12. SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend". Meyer’s Schwerter’ recommendation reads as follows…
“After being awarded the Oakleaves SS-Standartenführer Meyer once again conducted deeds of outstanding bravery during the recapture of Kharkov. On the 10.-11.03.1943 he thrusted across the Kharkov-Belgorod road on his own initiative and proceeded to block the enemy’s retreat road to the east (Kharkov-Tschugujew) between the tractor factory and the city’s edge. This success by Standartenführer Meyer and his Aufklärungs-Abteilung contributed significantly to bringing about the fall of Kharkov in 3 days.
At the start of the Invasion SS-Standartenführer Meyer, now commander of the SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 25, decisively influenced the course of the later fighting through the attack he conducted on his own initiative west and northwest of Caen on the 07.06.1944. He succeeded in throwing back the enemy (who had thrusted ahead with tanks as far as the Carpiquet airfield) back to the line Epron-Buron-Rots by a boldly led attack. Only through this swift and decisive action was it possible to push the frontline forwards a satisfactory distance to the north of Caen.
After Meyer took command of the Division the enemy commenced an attack in the left sector of the Division with the 11th (English) armoured division as well as the 49th & 15th English infantry divisions. Their goal was to secure a bridgehead over the Orne at St. Andre. Over the course of two days of very hard combat a breakthrough by overwhelming enemy forces was prevented, and the foe was brought to a halt along the Odon river. In this fighting 117 enemy tanks were destroyed.
On the 08.07.1944 the enemy launched an attack against Caen with the 3rd & 59th English plus the 3rd Canadian infantry divisions. They sustained heavy losses during the heavy, crisis-filled battle. Although the enemy succeeded in breaking through to the eastern edge of Caen by midday in the sector of the right neighbour, the Division in general managed to hold its position and prevent a breakthrough by enemy tanks that penetrated the line. By this the construction of a new frontline south of Caen was enabled. In this fighting the enemy lost 103 tanks.
On the 08.08.1944 the enemy launched an attack in the sector of the 89. Infanterie-Division with their 1st Polish armoured division, their aim being to capture Hill 140 (4 km northeast of Potigny). At the time one Kampfgruppe of the Division was engaged in heavy combat in the sector of the 271. Infanterie-Division against enemy tank/infantry forces that had penetrated across the Orne, and another Kampfgruppe was successfully fighting in both offense and defense east of Vire. Even so the Division was able to muster another Kampfgruppe against an enemy that had deeply penetrated the line here, and intercepted them along the line St. Aignan-Bretteville sur Laize. In the hard resultant combat the 1st Polish armoured division was badly bloodied, and 90 hostile tanks were destroyed.
Despite high friendly losses in the fighting on the 07.-08.08.1944, on the 09.08.1944 the Division managed to bring an attack of the 4th Canadian armoured division to a halt on the line St. Sylvain-Seignolles-Hill 111 (northwest of Rouvres)-Quesnay-Bray en Cinglais. In this time 103 enemy tanks were destroyed, and at the same time the Division’s actions enabled the construction of a new defensive line northwest of the Liaison creek.
It is solely to the credit of SS-Standartenführer Meyer, who was involved day and night alongside his regiments and battalions, that Caen was held for over a day despite the destruction of the 16. Lw.-Felddivision. Ruthlessly committing himself to the battle, Standartenführer Meyer could always be found wherever the situation threatened to fall apart. Along with his commanders he was the soul of fanatical resistance that succeeded in fending off the enemy’s efforts to take Caen.
Standartenführer Meyer, who would always inspire his soldiers forward in the most desperate hours, conducted exemplary actions that ensured that the initial enemy attempts to penetrate and break through into the favourable tank country southeast of Caen did not succeed. When the enemy was nevertheless ultimately able to push back the front east of the Orne due to his tremendous materiel superiority, SS-Standartenführer Meyer and his Division continued to provide the backbone for the whole frontline east of the Orne despite having suffered losses of over 6000 men. The successes and performance of the Division is a testament to the outstandingly brave and decisive leadership of its commander.
I hold SS-Standartenführer Meyer as being worthy of the Eichenlaub with Schwertern to the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on account of his distinguished service.”
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Kurt Meyer (23 December 1910 – 23 December 1961), commonly known by his nickname “Panzermeyer,” was a German Waffen-SS commander during World War II. He rose through the ranks of the Schutzstaffel to become one of its youngest divisional commanders. Meyer is most widely remembered for his role in several major campaigns on the Eastern and Western Fronts and for his conviction as a war criminal after the war, particularly in connection with the killing of Canadian prisoners of war in Normandy in 1944.
Meyer was born in Jerxheim, in the Duchy of Brunswick, in the German Empire. He joined the police force in 1929 and later became a member of the Nazi Party and the SS in the early 1930s, during the rise of Adolf Hitler. He was assigned to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH), an elite SS formation originally tasked as Hitler’s personal bodyguard. Meyer quickly established a reputation for aggressive leadership and battlefield initiative, qualities that contributed to his rapid promotion within the Waffen-SS hierarchy.
During the early stages of World War II, Meyer participated in the invasions of Poland and France, where the LSSAH was engaged in front-line combat operations. He later served in the Balkans campaign and, most significantly, on the Eastern Front during the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. Meyer commanded reconnaissance and later armored units, demonstrating tactical skill but also gaining notoriety for the harsh conduct of SS forces in anti-partisan operations. These operations were often characterized by brutality against both combatants and civilians, consistent with broader SS practices during the war.
In 1944, Meyer played a key role during the Battle of Normandy following the Allied landings on D-Day. He was given command of the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, composed largely of young recruits and experienced SS officers. Under his leadership, the division engaged Canadian and British forces in intense fighting around Caen. During this period, members of his division were responsible for the execution of Canadian prisoners of war, notably in incidents such as those at the Ardenne Abbey. These actions would later become central to the charges brought against him.
Meyer was captured by Belgian resistance fighters in September 1944 and handed over to Allied forces. He was subsequently tried by a Canadian military court in 1945 for war crimes, including responsibility for the murder of prisoners. Although not all charges were proven beyond doubt, he was convicted for inciting troops to deny quarter to enemy soldiers and for his command responsibility in the killings. He was sentenced to death, but the sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. Meyer served time in Canada before being transferred to a prison in West Germany, where he was eventually released in 1954.
After his release, Meyer became active in veteran organizations, including the Waffen-SS veterans’ group HIAG, which sought rehabilitation and recognition for former SS members. He wrote memoirs and remained a controversial figure in postwar Germany due to his unapologetic stance regarding his wartime service. Kurt Meyer died in 1961. His legacy remains highly contentious, as he is associated both with military leadership in major World War II battles and with documented war crimes committed under his command.
SS-Brigadeführer Kurt Meyer (Kommandeur 12. SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend") in the uniform of a Heer Oberst! Is this Photoshop? Is this his twin? Is this Alif Rafik Khan? Nope, this is indeed "Panzermeyer"! He was captured by Belgian partisans in September 1944 while not wearing SS uniform to minimize the risk of being tortured (and even killed) by his captors! A slightly different version is presented by the magazine "Then & Now": he was captured while wearing the SS-Oberführer uniform and was beaten so badly that his head and uniform were covered in blood. Fortunately, an American lieutenant saved him from the possibility of execution, and while Meyer was being treated in the hospital, they cleaned his wounds, burned his Soldbuch, and dressed him in a colonel uniform. Two weeks later, in the camp at Compiègne, they recognized his identity and Meyer was taken to England via Paris.
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