Bio of General der Artillerie Walter Hartmann (1891-1977)

Full name: Walter Hartmann  
Nickname: None commonly recorded

Date of birth: 23 July 1891 - Mülheim an der Ruhr, Rhineprovinz (German Empire)
Date of death: 11 March 1977 - Hameln, Niedersachsen (West Germany)

Religion: Protestant (evangelisch), as was typical for many Saxon officers of his generation  
Parents: Richard Hartmann (factory owner) and Bertha Hartmann, born Schumann
Siblings: Not specified
Spouse: Married to Luise Hartmann, born von Meibom (married 1922)
Children: Two daughters

Promotions:
08.04.1911: Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier
30.06.1911: Fähnrich
04.05.1912: Leutnant
13.03.1916: Oberleutnant
01.12.1921: Hauptmann
01.10.1932: Major
01.04.1936: Oberstleutnant
01.06.1938: Oberst
01.10.1941: Generalmajor
01.02.1943: Generalleutnant
01.05.1944: General der Artillerie

Career:
01.10.1910: entered Army
01.10.1910: Fahnenjunker in the 12th Field-Artillery-Regiment
01.10.1913: Mounted Battalion of the 12th Field-Artillery-Regiment
26.03.1916: Replacement-Battalion of the 12th Field-Artillery-Regiment
16.04.1916: Beobachter, 7th Flying-Replacement-Battalion
14.06.1916: 232nd Artillery-Flying-Battalion
27.01.1917: 1st Adjutant of Artillery-Flying-School East
01.06.1918: Flying-Group-Commander 21, Training in General Staff Service to XXI. Reserve-Corps
15.12.1918: Adjutant of the Commander of Flying 9, Kurland
01.01.1919: Battery-Leader in the Kurland Field-Artillery-Regiment
01.06.1919: General-Staff-Officer with General-Command of VI. Reserve-Corps
05.12.1919: 12th Field-Artillery-Regiment
01.04.1920: Adjutant of Artillery-Leader 12
01.01.1921: 4th Artillery-Regiment
03.01.1921: training of Officers with Special Duties with the Staff of 4th Division, Dresden
18.05.1921: training as Subsidiary Detached Officer
01.10.1921: subsidiary-Leadership-Training with the Staff of 4th Division
01.10.1922: 4th Artillery-Regiment
01.05.1923: Staff of 4th Division
01.10.1925: 4th Artillery-Regiment
01.10.1926: Staff of the 4th Division
01.04.1928: Chief, 5th Battery, 4th Artillery-Regiment
22.10.1928: Firing-Course for Artillery Officers in Munster
01.10.1931: Staff, II. Battalion, 4th Artillery-Regiment
31.10.1932: retired
01.11.1932: instructor in China
01.03.1934: reactivated, Staff of the 4th Artillery-Regiment
01.10.1934: Commander, IV. Battalion, Artillery-Regiment Naumburg
15.10.1935: Commander, I. Battalion, 60th Artillery-Regiment
12.10.1937: Commander, 24th Artillery-Regiment
25.11.1940: Artillery-Commander 140 (Artillery-Leader of LII. Army-Corps)
15.07.1941: Severely Wounded (lost left arm and left leg) - in Hospital the Führer-Reserve
01.05.1942: Commander, Special-Purpose-Division 407
10.09.1942: Commander, 390th Field-Training-Division
01.04.1943: Commander, 87th Infantry-Division
20.11.1943: Führer-Reserve OKH
05.01.1944: course for Commanding Generals
05.02.1944: Army-Group North for Use as Representative for Leave and Sick Commanding Generals
01.02.1944-30.03.1944: delegated with the Leadership of I. Army-Corps
01.04.1944-28.04.1944: delegated with the Leadership of X. Army-Corps
02.05.1944: Army-Group South Ukraine for Use as Representative for Leave and Sick Commanding Generals
10.05.1944: commanding General, XXXXIX. Mountain-Corps
28.05.1944-13.06.1944: delegated with the Leadership of 17th Army
10.09.1944: commanding General, VIII. Army-Corps
18.04.1945: commanding General, XXIV. Panzer-Corps
08.05.1945: US POW
20.06.1947: released

Awards and Decorations:
- Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse 1914 (28 September 1914)  
- Ritterkreuz des Königlich Sächsischen Militär-St.-Heinrichs-Ordens (9 March 1915)  
- Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse 1914 (30 September 1916)  
- Ritterkreuz II. Klasse des Königlich Sächsischen Albrechts-Ordens mit Schwertern  
- Königlich Preussisches Flugzeugbeobachter-Abzeichen  
- Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer (1934)  
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung 4. bis 1. Klasse (1936)  
- Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 2. Klasse 1939 (21 September 1939)  
- Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 1. Klasse 1939 (1 October 1939)  
- Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Gold (July 1941)  
- Anerkennungsurkunde des Oberbefehlshabers des Heeres (30 July 1941)  
- Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes #409 (10 August 1941) as Oberst and Artillerie-Kommandeur 140 (Arko 140), supporting the 100. Leichte Infanterie-Division of the 17. Armee in Heeresgruppe Süd. The division was tasked with breaking through the heavily fortified Stalin Line near the village of Koserowka, on 15 July 1941. The Soviet defenses consisted of deep field fortifications, bunkers, anti-tank obstacles, and concentrated artillery and machine-gun fire. As the German infantry assault began to stall under furious enemy resistance, Hartmann moved forward to the foremost line, exposing himself directly to Soviet fire. From this advanced position, he personally directed the artillery fire with exceptional skill and calmness.
By observing the battlefield in real time, he adjusted the barrage swiftly and flexibly to match the rapidly changing needs of the attacking infantry. His precise fire support suppressed Soviet strongpoints, neutralized counter-attacking forces, and created gaps in the enemy line. This decisive artillery leadership enabled the 100. Leichte Infanterie-Division to achieve a swift and successful breakthrough. Only hours later, Hartmann himself was severely wounded in the same sector and lost his left arm and left leg.
- Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #340 (30 November 1943) as Generalleutnant and Kommandeur 87. Infanterie-Division. In September 1943, the division faced repeated heavy Soviet attacks and local penetrations. On 19 September 1943, a dangerous Soviet breakthrough occurred near Beljanskaja. Hartmann personally led two platoons of Jäger-Bataillon 1 into the breach to seal off the penetration. Moving with determination on his artificial limbs, he directed the small force in close combat and restored the line.
On 23 September 1943, Soviet forces advanced up to 15 kilometers behind the German front and threatened divisional supply units along the Janowitschi–Demidow road. Hartmann immediately assembled a small battle group consisting of about 20 men from his own divisional staff and personally led them in a counterattack. Through aggressive leadership and rapid action, they engaged the enemy and eliminated the threat to the rear areas.
The following day, on 24 September 1943, he cleared another critical situation near Tischanowo by committing reserves and coordinating localized counterthrusts. These actions, carried out under extreme personal physical hardship, demonstrated exceptional leadership and bravery. For his outstanding command of the 87. Infanterie-Division and these specific deeds, Hartmann was awarded the Eichenlaub.
- Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern #139 (18 March 1945) as General der Artillerie and Kommandierender General VIII. Armeekorps. By late January and early February 1945, the corps was engaged in desperate defensive battles along the Oder front in Silesia, holding a sector from Cosel to Oppeln (later extended toward Grotkau).
Facing overwhelming Soviet superiority in men, tanks, and artillery during the Vistula-Oder Offensive, the corps came under repeated heavy assaults. Soviet forces achieved several dangerous local break-ins. Hartmann organized a tenacious defense, rapidly shifting limited reserves and launching targeted counterthrusts even when they were numerically weak. These swift and determined counterattacks prevented the penetrations from expanding into a full breakthrough.
His leadership was particularly effective in the fighting northeast of Ratibor, in the area between Grotkau and Neiße, and east of the Zobten. Through skillful use of terrain, coordinated artillery and anti-tank fire, and personal example, the VIII. Armeekorps held its positions long enough to delay the Soviet advance toward the interior of Germany. These defensive successes in the final phase of the war, conducted under enormous pressure, earned him the Schwerter.

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Walter Hartmann was a German general of artillery in the Wehrmacht during World War II who rose to prominence through his leadership in both world wars and his extraordinary resilience after suffering devastating injuries. Born on 23 July 1891 in Mülheim an der Ruhr in the Rhine Province, he entered military service in October 1910 as a Fahnenjunker with the 1st Royal Saxon Field Artillery Regiment No. 12. During World War I he served primarily on the Eastern Front with Saxon artillery units, later transferring to aerial observation roles where he acted as an observer and adjutant in flying formations. He earned several decorations for bravery, including the Iron Cross First and Second Class and the Knight's Cross of the Saxon Military Order of St. Henry. After the war he continued in the Reichswehr, holding various staff and command positions within artillery regiments based in Dresden.

In the interwar years Hartmann advanced steadily through the ranks while serving in artillery units and briefly acting as an instructor in China between 1932 and 1934. He commanded the 24th Artillery Regiment from 1937 onward, leading it through the invasion of Poland in 1939 and the campaign in the West in 1940. In November 1940 he was appointed Artillerie-Kommandeur 140, a role that placed him in charge of coordinating heavy fire support for corps-level operations. Promoted to Oberst, he brought his artillery expertise to the early stages of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, supporting the 100th Light Infantry Division in Army Group South as German forces pushed deep into Soviet territory.

The action that earned Hartmann the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross occurred on 15 July 1941 near the village of Koserowka during the assault on the heavily fortified Stalin Line. Soviet defenses featured dense bunkers, anti-tank obstacles, and intense machine-gun and artillery fire that threatened to stall the German infantry attack. Ignoring personal safety, Hartmann moved forward to the foremost lines under furious enemy fire and personally directed the artillery barrage with remarkable precision and flexibility. By adjusting fire in real time to suppress strongpoints and neutralize counterattacks, he enabled the 100th Light Infantry Division to achieve a swift breakthrough. Hours after this success, however, he was severely wounded in the same sector, resulting in the amputation of his left arm and left leg. Despite this life-changing injury, he was awarded the Knight's Cross on 10 August 1941 and later promoted to Generalmajor.

After a long period of recovery, Hartmann insisted on returning to active front-line duty in May 1942. He first commanded Division z.b.V. 407 and then the 390th Field Training Division before taking charge of the 87th Infantry Division in April 1943 in the central sector of the Eastern Front near Welish. In September 1943, as Soviet forces launched strong local offensives, he demonstrated exceptional personal courage despite his disabilities. On 19 September he led two platoons of Jäger Battalion 1 into a dangerous penetration at Beljanskaja to seal the gap through close combat. Days later, on 23 September, he assembled a small battle group of about twenty men from his divisional staff and personally led them in a counterattack against Soviet troops that had advanced fifteen kilometers behind German lines to threaten supply routes along the Janowitschi–Demidow road. The following day he resolved another critical situation near Tischanowo by committing reserves and directing localized counterthrusts. These determined actions helped stabilize the division's sector during a difficult defensive battle and earned him the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross on 30 November 1943.

In early 1944 Hartmann briefly led the I Army Corps before assuming command of the XXXXIX Mountain Corps in May 1944, overseeing the difficult evacuation of Crimea by sea to Romania. By September 1944 he had taken command of the VIII Army Corps, which faced the full weight of the Red Army's advances in Silesia and along the Oder River. During the heavy Soviet assaults of late January and early February 1945, his corps held a critical sector from Cosel to Oppeln and later toward Grotkau. Through skillful coordination of limited reserves, rapid counterattacks, and tenacious use of terrain and artillery, Hartmann prevented several dangerous penetrations from developing into a complete breakthrough, particularly in the fighting northeast of Ratibor and east of the Zobten. For his leadership in these desperate defensive battles he received the Swords to the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves on 18 March 1945. In April 1945 he assumed command of the XXIV Panzer Corps and led it until the final days of the war.

Hartmann was taken prisoner by American forces on 8 May 1945 and was released from captivity on 20 June 1947. He spent his remaining years in Hameln, Lower Saxony, where he died on 11 March 1977 at the age of 85. Throughout his career he was noted not only for his tactical competence as an artillery officer but also for his remarkable determination to continue serving despite profound physical handicaps, qualities that made him one of the few severely disabled generals to hold high command positions on the Eastern Front until the end of hostilities.

Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Hartmann  
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/34591/Hartmann-Walter-General-der-Artillerie.htm  
https://web.archive.org/web/20091028010435fw_/http://geocities.com/orion47.geo/WEHRMACHT/HEER/General/HARTMANN_WALTER.html
https://generals.dk/general/Hartmann/Walter/Germany.html  
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/H/HartmannWa.htm  
https://rk.balsi.de

Hasso von Manteuffel and Hermann Schulte-Heuthaus in the Reichsjugendführung

Generalleutnant Hasso von Manteuffel (right, Kommandeur Panzergrenadier-Division "Grossdeutschland") in conversation with Reichsjugendführer Artur Axmann (left) and Oberst Hermann Schulte-Heuthaus (Kommandeur Ersatz-Brigade "Grossdeutschland") in the guest house of the Reichsjugendführung in Berlin, 18 May 1944.

Source :
https://onb.digital/result/BAG_1246354

Bio of Oberfeldwebel Franz Bredemeyer (1913-1985)

Franz Bredemeyer

Date of Birth: 12.10.1913 - Dortmund, Nordrhein-Westfalen (German Empire)
Date of Death: 13.02.1985 - Bremen, Freie Hansestadt Bremen (West Germany)

Battles and Operations: Battle of France (1940), Invasion of Yugoslavia (1941), Operation Barbarossa (1941), Battle of Kiev (1941), Battle of the Caucasus (1942), Battle of Voronezh (1942), Battle of the Mius River (1943)

Promotions:
00.00.19__ Gefreiter
00.00.19__ Unteroffizier
00.00.194_ Feldwebel
00.00.194_ Oberfeldwebel

Career:
17.04.1935 - 02.10.1937 completed his active military service
18.08.1939 rejoined the Wehrmacht
19.09.1939 posted in the 1.Kompanie / Sicherungs-Regiment 1
01.08.1940 1.Kompanie / Infanterie-Regiment 156 (mot.) / 16.Infanterie-Division (mot.)
02.08.1941 - 15.10.1941 wounded and taken to the hospital
20.02.1942 3.Kompanie / Infanterie-Regiment 156 (mot.) / 16.Infanterie-Division (mot.)
25.03.1942 Zugführer in 2.Kompanie / Infanterie-Regiment 156 (mot.) / 16.Infanterie-Division (mot.)
23.06.1943 Zugführer in 2.Kompanie / Panzergrenadier-Regiment 156 / 16.Panzergrenadier-Division
25.08.1943 wounded for the fifth time and transferred to the hospital. There his lower leg is amputated
02.12.1943 recuperated in the Reserve-Lazarett Zakopane
12.01.1944 transferred to the Reserve-Lazarett Gronau / Wehrkreis-Kommando VI

Awards and Decorations:
26.07.1941 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
00.00.194_ Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen
17.10.1941 Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
00.00.1942 Medaille "Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42" (Ostmedaille)
00.00.194_ Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz
00.00.194_ Nahkampfspange in Bronze
00.00.194_ Nahkampfspange in Silber
00.00.194_ Verwundetenabzeichen in Silber
23.08.1943 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, as Feldwebel and Zugführer in 2.Kompanie / I.Bataillon / Panzergrenadier-Regiment 156 / 16.Panzergrenadier-Division. Awarded for distinguishing himself during the major defensive battles around Ssemenowskij in the time period 23.-25.07.1943. During this period he managed to master seemingly hopeless battlefield situations on two occasions, and by doing so he significantly contributed to the successful German defense to contain the Soviets along the Mius river. The first time was when he prevented an armoured breakthrough via a counterthrust that he led at the head of a few Panzergrenadiers. The second was when he held his position despite being attacked on all sides until a friendly counterattack restored the situation.

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Franz Bredemeyer was born on October 12th, 1913 in Hörde near Dortmund and completed his active military service from April 17th, 1935 to October 2nd, 1937.

He rejoined the Wehrmacht on August 18, 1939 and, according to the report dated August 19, 1939, he was placed in the 1st Company of the Security Regiment 1. This company came from the 1st Company of the Field Replacement Battalion 22. On August 1, 1940 the Security Regiment was Regiment 1 in Sennelager was reclassified into Infantry Regiment 156 (motorized) and subordinated to the 16th Infantry and Panzergrenadier Division.

After the start of the Eastern campaign, Bredemeyer was wounded on August 2, 1941 and taken to a hospital. Having recovered, he returned to his 1st company in the field with a report dated October 15, 1941 from the staff company of the Infantry Replacement Battalion (with.) 156. Between February 20th and March 25, 1942, he moved first to the 3rd and then to the 2nd company of the regiment. Heavy fighting on the Mius then followed for the division, for which it was named in the Wehrmacht report. During this battle, an important high position had to be held, and Bredemeyer prevented a tank breakthrough with just a few Panzergrenadiers in the counterattack and held his position against any enemy attacks until the next day, until a counterattack of his own reached Bredemeyer's positions. During these battles the division was attacked by no less than 2 Guards Tank Corps, a Guards Tank Brigade and 8 Rifle Divisions. For Bredemeyer's bravery and courage, he was awarded the Knight's Cross on August 23, 1943, as a Feldwebel and platoon leader in the 2nd company of the Grenadier Regiment (mot.) 156.

Two days after being awarded the Knight's Cross, on August 25, 1943, Bredemeyer was seriously wounded for the fifth time and transferred to a hospital. There his lower leg is amputated. Shortly afterwards, Lieutenant General Count Schwerin handed him the Knight's Cross in the hospital. The award ceremony was shown in the newsreel on September 15, 1943.

On December 2nd, 1943 he was sent to the Zakopane reserve hospital for around 6 weeks and from January 12th, 1944 to the Gronau reserve hospital in Military District Command VI.

Bredemeyer's further career is not yet known. It has not yet been clearly proven whether he was promoted to Oberfeldwebel by the end of the war.

Franz Bredemeyer died on February 13, 1985 in Bremen.

Ritterkreuz award ceremony for Feldwebel Franz Bredemeyer (Zugführer in 2.Kompanie / I.Bataillon / Panzergrenadier-Regiment 156 / 16.Panzergrenadier-Division) which were held at the Lazarett in August/September 1943. Awarded the medal is Generalleutnant Gerhard Graf von Schwerin (Kommandeur 16. Panzergrenadier-Division). Other pictures from this occasion can be seen HERE.

Franz Bredemeyer with the Ritterkreuz.

Franz Bredemeyer in convalescence. Two days after being awarded the Ritterkreuz on 23 August 1943, Bredemeyer was seriously wounded for the fifth time since 1940 and transferred to Haupt-Verbandplatz 51 behind the frontline. There his lower leg is amputated. Shortly afterwards, Generalleutnant Gerhard Graf von Schwerin (Kommandeur 16. Panzergrenadier-Division) handed him the medal in the hospital. The award ceremony was shown in the 'Deutsche Wochenschau' (German Newsweek Reel)  Nr.680 which were published on 15 September 1943.



From left to right: Hinrich Ahrens (15 March 1921 - 31 December 2009. Ritterkreuz on 9 January 1945 as Geschützführer in 13.Kompanie / Grenadier-Regiment 1141 / 561.Volksgrenadier-Division. Last rank: Feldwebel) and Franz Bredemeyer (12 October 1913 - 13 February 1985. Ritterkreuz on 23 August 1943 as Feldwebel and Zugführer in 2.Kompanie / Panzergrenadier-Regiment 156 / 16.Panzergrenadier-Division. Last rank: Oberfeldwebel). The picture was probably taken in the 1980s.

Ritterkreuz Vorläufiges Besitzzeugnis (preliminary award document) to Feldwebel Franz Bredemeyer, presented on 28 August 1943. M. Zimmer collection.

Medal grouping of Franz Bredemeyer. The Ritterkreuz bears the horizontal "2" manufacturer mark of the Juncker firm. Bredemeyer was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 23 August 1943. He most certainly didn't receive this lazy 2 Ritterkreuz in August 1943. Maybe a very late replacement Ritterkreuz - if there is any connection to Bredemeyer at all - because lazy 2 model was a very late produced cross.

Source :
Bill D. photo collection
Agustin Vazquez photo collection
M. Zimmer photo collection
https://www.facebook.com/363610327369627/photos/a.363664750697518/378789025851757/?type=3&paipv=0&eav=Afb9iiDq5-cktMiOWAwXrCHo9lNNaV1UYyltJvD40ug_hDgolWBQ48PHn1y9uL4jxlU&_rdr
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=29879&p=2085599&hilit=bredemeyer#p2085599
https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Franz_Bredemeyer
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/28674/Bredemeyer-Franz.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20110105171709fw_/http://ritterkreuztraeger-1939-45.de/Infanterie/B/Br/Bredemeyer-Franz.htm
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/forum/wehrmacht-era-militaria/crosses-of-the-wehrmacht/12730323-juncker-lazy-2-attributed-knights-cross

Bio of Leutnant Franz Doff (1920-1945)

Franz Doff

Date of Birth: 12.07.1920 - Piding-Bad Reichenhall, Bavaria (German Empire)
Date of Death: 01.04.1945 - Schleinz, Wiener-Neustadt (Ostmark/Austria)
Burial Site: Soldatenfriedhof Blumau, Austria, Plot: 2. Row: 9. Grave: 598.

Promotions:
00.00.1942 Oberjäger
00.00.1944 Leutnant

Career:
00.00.194_ Gruppenführer in 10.Kompanie / Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 98 / 1.Gebirgs-Division

Awards and Decorations:
03.11.1941 Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen
15.03.1942 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
05.05.1942 Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
22.06.1942 Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz
00.00.1942 Medaille "Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42" (Ostmedaille)
20.07.1942 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, as Gefreiter and Gruppenführer in 10.Kompanie / II.Bataillon / Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 98 / 1.Gebirgs-Division

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The Gebirgsjäger (mountaineer) Franz Doff received the Ritterkreuz on July 20, 1942 as a private and group leader in the 10th company in the 2nd Battalion (under Captain and later Eichenlaubträger Harald von Hirschfeld) of the Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 98 for his extraordinary achievements during of the fall blues. He was badly wounded and lost his right ear.

The Ritterkreuz award ceremony took place while he was still a private, in the Reichenhall mountain infantry barracks, since Doff, who had since been released from the hospital, was at home to recover further. After the award, he was promoted to Oberjäger and freed from forced labor. This was followed by studies and speaking assignments (subordination to the Reich Youth Leadership). Doff applied twice to be posted again at the front, but was always rejected. In the autumn of 1944, when the final battle for Germany became apparent, he had been promoted to lieutenant, at least as an instructor at the Fahnenjunkerschule in Wiener Neustadt. At the end of March 1945, the entire school of 1,200 young officer candidates (plus a further 500 scattered SS soldiers and members of the Hitler Youth and the Volkssturm) were sent to the war front under the command of Captain Rudolf Kirchschläger (1915–2000; Austrian Federal President from 1974 to 1986). thrown, the battle for Vienna was imminent, the Russians were getting closer and closer. In the first hours of the battle, around 200 young men fell, hundreds were seriously wounded, just under 180 soldiers came back able to walk, but almost all of them were wounded.

Lieutenant Doff, commander of a tank destroyer, died on April 1, 1945 near Schleinz or Walpersbach in the Neustadt district while attempting to rescue a wounded comrade. First he was buried in a quick war grave, later he was recovered and transferred to the Blumau war cemetery in Lower Austria; Final grave location: block 2, row 9, grave 598.

Source :
Bundesarchiv photo collection
https://www.ca-collecting.com/shop/de/autographen-1933-1945-heer/doff-54243.html
https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Doff,_Franz
https://www.facebook.com/Militaergeschichte18131945/posts/pfbid0QGqUiTcq8uHTo5xxGWK8272WDNABkDDJmeviVqPxnqHRd6oRaBjpCNnRSiM27EB8l
https://imagesdefense.gouv.fr/fr/catalogsearch/result/?q=doff&avec_visuel=1
https://www.marhistorical.com/en/info.php3?session_id=eogn1aqu2b1svrbso7u791678h&orderNo=9068-3200108623
https://reibert.info/threads/1-ja-gorno-strelkovaja-divizija-vermaxta-ehdelvejs-egeri.445525/page-2
http://www.ritterkreuztraeger.info/rk/d.html
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/38359/Doff-Franz.htm
https://waralbum.ru/415475/
https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/cloth-headgear/unreferenced-tr-soft-headgear-610141/

Kurt von Briesen with His Troops

General der Infanterie Kurt von Briesen received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 27 October 1939 as Generalleutnant and Kommandeur 30. Infanterie-Division.

Source ;
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewforum.php?f=5

Ritterkreuz Award Ceremony for Panzergraf

Ritterkreuz award ceremony of Major der Reserve Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz von Gross-Zauche und Camminetz (Kommandeur I.Abteilung / Panzer-Regiment 2 / 16.Panzer-Division), which was given by Generalmajor Hans-Valentin Hube (Kommandeur 16. Panzer-Division). The "Panzergraf" won this prestigious bravery medal on 25 August 1941 in the Eastern Front, as a reward for his leadership in the battle against the Red Army on 2-3 August previously. As a part of Kampfgruppe Wagner, Panzergraf has a decisive role in the efforts of the German troops to conquer the city of Pervomaisk in Ukraine, a critical road junction for the Soviets. Strachwitz's Panzer Battalion carried out an attack from the north, which later managed to destroy the defense of the Russian troops, a major contribution towards the victorious outcome of this battle. In this photo, we can see that General Hube only used his right arm when awarded the medal so it had to be helped by his aide. This is because he only has one arm, while his left hand has been lost since the Great War (and then replaced by artificial arm). Interestingly, Strachwitz and Hube would later become the two of only 27 people throughout the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS who won the fourth grade of the Ritterkreuz: Brillanten. Strachwitz received the medal on 15 April 1944, while Hube got it five days later, on 20 April 1944.

From left to right: Generalmajor Hans-Valentin Hube (Kommandeur 16. Panzer-Division) and Oberstleutnant Rudolf Sieckenius (Kommandeur Panzer-Regiment 2 / 16.Panzer-Division). Hube had previously received the same medal on 1 August 1941, while Sieckenius got it a few weeks later after this photo was taken (17 September 1941).

Source :
https://crainsmilitaria.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=59_89
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=2253827#p2253827

Bio of Gerhard Müller

Oberst Gerhard Müller as a Kommandeur of Panzer-Regiment 5 in North Africa, October 1942. Note the ribbon of Medaglia d’Argento al Valore Militare (Italian Army Silver Bravery Medal) in his button.

Gerhard Paul Wilhelm Müller

Date of birth: December 19th, 1896 (Breslau, Germany)
Date of death: April 10th, 1977 (Landau, Germany)

27.07.1916 Leutnant mit Patent vom 20.06.1915
20.01.1920 Polizei-Oberleutnant
01.04.1926 Polizei-Hauptmann
01.08.1935 Hauptmann mit RDA vom 01.12.1932 (11a)
01.08.1936 Major (56)
01.01.1940 Oberstleutnant (7)
01.03.1942 Oberst (147)
xx.xx.1943 neues RDA vom 01.02.1942 (90a) erhalten
01.09.1944 Generalmajor (4)

13.07.1915 eingetreten als Fahnenjunker
11.02.1916 ins Feld zur 3. / IR 154
01.08.1916 Zugführer
03.02.1917 Ordonnanzoffizier im IR 154
05.02.1918 Führer der Nachrichtenkompanie
21.10.1919 beurlaubt, zur Sipo Kattowitz abgestellt
20.01.1920 zur preußischen Schutzpolizei übergetreten
22.09.1920 bei der Schutzpolizei Neiße
01.07.1924 bei der Schutzpolizei Breslau
01.04.1934 bei der Landespolizei Wittenberg
01.08.1935 zur Wehrmacht übergetreten
15.10.1935 Kompaniechef in der Panzerabwehrabteilung 42 (Stuttgart)
06.10.1936 Chef der 2. / Panzerabwehrabteilung 25 (Stuttgart)
12.10.1937 Kommandeur der Panzerabwehrabteilung 31 (Braunschweig)
10.11.1938 Kommandeur der Panzerabwehrabteilung 33 (Landau)
21.01.1941 Kommandeur der II. / Panzerregiment 33
30.06.1941 Führerreserve Wehrkreis XII
01.02.1942 Kommandeur des Panzerregiments 5
25.01.1943 Führerreserve OKH (XII)
21.04.1943 kommandiert zum General der Motorisierung im OKH
01.05.1943 Chef der Inspektion 12 (Instandsetzungswesen) beim General der Motorisierung im OKH
16.05.1943 zugleich kommandiert zum Panzergrenadierregiment 26 (bis 11.06.1943)
01.03.1944 Führerreserve OKH (XII)
15.03.1944 kommandiert zum 10. Divisionsführerlehrgang (bis 20.04.1944)
21.04.1944 kommandiert zum Kurzlehrgang für Panzeroffiziere (bis 27.04.1944)
28.05.1944 mit der stellvertretenden Führung der 12. Panzerdivision beauftragt
16.07.1944 mit der stellvertretenden Führung der Korpsabteilung der 9. Armee beauftragt
27.07.1944 kommandiert zum OB West zur Verwendung als Führer von Panzerdivisionen
xx.xx.1944 mit der Führung der 116. Panzerdivision beauftragt
24.08.1944 mit der Führung der 2. Panzerdivision beauftragt
03.09.1944 Kommandeur der 9. Panzerdivision
21.09.1944 Führerreserve OKH (XII)
01.10.1944 Kommandant des Truppenübungsplatzes Wischau

07.11.1916 1914 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
27.01.1918 1914 Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
28.05.1940 1939 spange zum 1914 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
06.06.1940 1939 spange zum 1914 Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
28.06.1940 Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz
20.07.1940 Schutzwallehrenzeichen
27.09.1940 Sturmabzeichen in Silber
09.09.1942 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, as Oberst and Kommandeur Panzer-Regiment 5

Source :
Agustin Vazquez photo collection
https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCller,_Gerhard_(1896)https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=7582
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=5283665325037109&set=gm.283684329872335

SS-Obersturmführer Jacques Leroy

Jacques Leroy, on the left of the photo, after having lost his right arm and right eye in the battle for the Cherkassy Pocket (he wears a glass eye). On the right is his younger brother Claude Leroy, then 17, who would also join the Waffen-SS “Wallonien” Division and be killed in action, along with hundreds of other European volunteers, in March 1945 in the fighting for the Oder River Bridgehead

Jacques Leroy was born on 10 September 1924 in Binden, Belgium. In 1943 he joined the 5.SS-Sturmbrigade “Wallonie” to battle communism on the Eastern Front. His two brothers would follow suit in the next year for the same reason. They saw the Soviet Red Terror as the greatest threat to Western Civilization. After completing an officer’s training course, SS-Untersturmführer Jacques Leroy arrived on the southern part of the Eastern Front with the “Wallonie” Assault Brigade in November 1944. During the difficult battle to escape from the encirclement around Cherkassy in February 1944, SS-Ustuf. Leroy was severely wounded, losing both his right arm and right eye. Fortunately his comrades were able to assist him out to safety.

Following an extensive convalescence, Leroy returned to his old unit, which was now the 28th SS Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Division “Wallonien” and in early 1945 he accompanied the “Wallonien” battlegroup, (SS Regiments 69 and 70 and SS Artillery Detachment 28) to the Pomeranian front where he was to serve as a liaison officer between the headquarters staff and the combat elements and was not supposed to see action. However after the I. Battalion of SS Grenadier Reg. 69 lost its commander and sustained heavy losses, the now SS-Obersturmfürer Leroy assumed command of the unit and personally led it in several fierce close-combat engagements.

In March 1945, with a task force of 40 surviving members of the battalion, Jacques Leroy led them in the defense of Altdamm at the mouth of the Oder River. For three days and nights this band of Walloon volunteers held off sizable enemy assaults, even turning back an attack by 19 Red tanks on 17 March 1945, destroying many of them in the process. When they were finally relieved, only 8 of the defenders were still alive; 32 of them had been killed in action, including Jacques Leroy’s younger brother Claude. His other brother, a platoon leader, would fall in defense of the Finkenwalde railroad station, three days before the Soviet offensive on the Oder sector temporarily halted.

On 20 April 1945, SS-Ostuf. Jacques Leroy was decorated with the Knight’s Cross to the Iron Cross for his personal heroism and the performance of his command at the Altdamm Bridgehead in March 1945. At the end of the war he went into British captivity and was soon transported back to Belgium to face a long imprisonment and much ill-treatment at the hands of the new leftist Belgian authorities. Deprived of his basic rights in Belgium, Leroy moved as soon as he could to Bavaria and became a German citizen.

The after effects of his severe war wounds would plague him for the rest of his life. In 1992 he had to seek the assistance of state provided medical care. It was soon obvious that the doctor sent to him was actually more interested in making a “political statement” than in helping him. This individual immediately accused him of “fighting against his country”, to which Leroy replied: “That was not the case, I only fought against Bolshevism!” The physician responded by saying: “I hope you are now as much an anti-Nazi as you were an anti-Bolshevik.” Jacques Leroy was too astounded to respond to this as he only sought medical help and not a political confrontation from an expert “care giver”. In any event he always remained true to his comrades and was always proud of his service in the Waffen-SS.

Source :
'Siegrunen 80' by Richard Landwehr