Original Color Photographs of Günther Blumentritt by Walter Frentz

General der Infanterie Günther Blumentritt (Chef des Generalstabes Heeresgruppe D) in a picture taken in September 1944 by Walter Frentz, during Ritterkreuz award ceremony with Hitler at the Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze in Rastenburg, East Prussia. General der Infanterie Günther Blumentritt formally received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 13 September 1944 as Chef des Generalstabes of Heeresgruppe D / Oberbefehlshaber West for his exceptional staff leadership and operational planning during the critical first four months of the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944. Serving under successive commanders including Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt and later Generalfeldmarschall Günther von Kluge amid the chaotic defense against the massive Allied landings on 6 June 1944, Blumentritt demonstrated outstanding initiative by coordinating the rapid redeployment of German reserves, organizing counterattacks such as those around Caen and in the bocage country, and maintaining operational coherence despite severe disruptions from Allied air superiority, naval gunfire, and the disintegration of the front following the American breakout at Operation Cobra and the subsequent encirclement threat in the Falaise Pocket. Frequently acting in the absence of his superiors or under extremely difficult command circumstances, exacerbated by Hitler's rigid no-retreat orders, communication breakdowns, and the July 20 Plot fallout that temporarily sidelined him, Blumentritt orchestrated the skillful withdrawal and reorganization of battered divisions from the Normandy battlefield toward the Seine and ultimately the German frontier, preventing total collapse of the Western Front and buying precious time for the establishment of new defensive lines. His meticulous planning, calm diplomacy in inter-service coordination with the Luftwaffe and Waffen-SS, and ability to adapt to rapidly deteriorating situations under relentless pressure were explicitly cited as the reasons for the high award, recognizing a career staff officer who, though more accustomed to headquarters roles, proved decisive in one of the Wehrmacht's most desperate defensive campaigns of the war.

Source :
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=1574014&hilit=blumentritt#p1574014
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/2314/Blumentritt-G%C3%BCnther-General-der-Infanterie.htm
https://www.walter-frentz-collection.de/fotoarchiv/personenarchiv-a-z/personen-a-b/#&gid=1&pid=41

Major Hans Christern in Black Panzer Uniform

Oberst Hans Christern (1900-1966), born on 24 January 1900 in Lauenburg and deceased on 17 June 1966 in Georgenhof, was served with distinction from his early days in the German Army through both world wars, ultimately commanding the 7. Panzer-Division in the final months of the conflict before surrendering it to British forces northwest of Berlin in May 1945; after the war he returned to civilian life as a farmer and became active in the CDU political party, even running unsuccessfully in the 1949 West German federal election. His most notable recognition came with the award of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 31 January 1941 as Major and Kommandeur of II./Panzer-Regiment 31 within the 5. Panzer-Division for his extraordinary leadership during the Battle of France, where, following the breakthrough of French border fortifications on 17 May 1940, the Maubeuge Fortress with its heavy guns threatened the right flank and advance of the division; demonstrating bold initiative, Christern led a Panzer thrust directly into the fortress in a daring coup-de-main, overrunning enemy tanks, anti-tank weapons, and infantry to seize the citadel on 18 May 1940, thereby neutralizing flanking fire, preventing the destruction of the vital Sambre bridge, repelling counterattacks, and securing the position for full capitulation with supporting troops, actions that exemplified ruthless courage and enabled continued momentum in the subsequent fighting through Flanders.

Source :
Stefan Karl photo collection
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122134256403061887&set=gm.1316835996622744&idorvanity=222855636020791

Karl Schnell Studio Portrait

Feldwebel Karl Schnell (1914-1978), born on 13 June 1914 in Wetzlar in the Rhine Province and who died on 4 January 1978 in the same city, was a German soldier who served in the Heer during the Second World War and rose to the rank of Feldwebel as Kompanietruppführer of the 1. Kompanie, I. Bataillon, Grenadier-Regiment 423 within the 212. Infanterie-Division. Serving as the company troop leader responsible for coordinating headquarters elements and supporting the Kompanie in combat, Schnell distinguished himself through repeated acts of courage and decisive leadership amid the intense defensive fighting of 1944 on the Eastern Front in the Baltic region, where German forces struggled to stabilize lines against powerful Soviet offensives. His Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes was awarded on 2 September 1944 in recognition of his exemplary performance in critical situations, where he helped maintain unit cohesion, repel enemy assaults, and contribute to holding key positions despite overwhelming pressure, earning him one of the highest military honors for non-commissioned officers through demonstrated bravery and tactical skill in the face of superior enemy forces. Prior to this, Schnell had already been decorated with both classes of the Eisernes Kreuz for earlier service, reflecting a career marked by frontline reliability in one of the Wehrmacht's infantry formations that later transitioned into the 212. Volksgrenadier-Division, and his actions exemplified the steadfast endurance required of experienced NCOs in the later stages of the war before he survived the conflict and returned to civilian life in his hometown.

Source :
Stefan Karl photo collection
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122134917837061887&set=gm.1322155279424149&idorvanity=222855636020791

Major Erich Löwe in a Studio Portrait

Erich Löwe (24 September 1906 – 23 December 1943) rose to the rank of Major and was posthumously promoted to Oberstleutnant, earning both the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes and the Eichenlaub as a highly experienced panzer commander, particularly noted for his leadership of schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501 equipped with Tiger I tanks on the Eastern Front. Born in Mühlhausen, he joined the Reichswehr in 1923 initially as a Kraftfahrer, was commissioned Leutnant in 1935, and served as Hauptmann and Chef 3./Panzer-Abteilung 65 during the 1940 French campaign where his Ritterkreuz was awarded on 4 September 1940 for decisive actions as vanguard leader of a reinforced Kampfgruppe, including securing intact river and canal bridges over the Oise after bitter street fighting on 17 May, playing a key role in capturing the staff of the French 9th Army at Le Catelet the next day, and later forcing a path through the heavily defended village of Doullens with his Kompanie on 20 May to enable continued advances. He subsequently commanded I. Abteilung/Panzer-Regiment 11, receiving the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold in March 1943, before taking over schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501 in September 1943; in December 1943 near Witebsk his Abteilung supported the 14. Infanterie-Division (mot.) in fierce defensive and counterattack operations, notably during the fighting around Losovka on 20 December where despite harsh winter conditions and infantry struggling to keep pace, the Tigers destroyed numerous Soviet tanks and guns, with Löwe personally leading assaults by transferring from tank to tank after his own Tiger received two hits, maintaining command momentum until he was mortally wounded by enemy artillery fire on 23 December 1943. For his sustained exemplary leadership, personal bravery under fire, and the battalion's critical impact in staving off Soviet thrusts along the Rollbahn to Welisch, he was posthumously awarded the 385th Eichenlaub on 8 February 1944.

Source :
Ltn Rackow photo collection
https://www.facebook.com/groups/222855636020791/posts/1325973089042368/?__cft__[0]=AZbNz9H5y8KP0BUUhiHvUxftlkGY6NHOEGoNTf5LoX_Nd3A_SSm7VpnXYiygtu3t6A81NI9IkzTUCYIx2TUYk0R_8QSTWc1FXxd63R_5Ened9HNVdvfqg9qQwi91dcEdPveW0NvV8yfko8YuCLOVVChWU7jbZ1MGf_UwS_iOMBTdaQ&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

Bio of Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein (1887-1973)

Full name: Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Lewinski genannt von Manstein
Nickname: none

Date of Birth: November 24, 1887 in Berlin (German Empire)
Date of Death: June 9, 1973 in Irschenhausen, Bavaria (West Germany)

Religion: Protestant
Parents: Eduard von Lewinski (1829-1906, General der Artillerie) and Helene von Sperling (1847-1910)
Siblings: Nine older siblings, including Agnes Auguste Louise Marie von Lewinski (born 1860), Staats August Friedrich Eduard von Lewinski (1863-1906), August Alfred Friedrich von Lewinski (1866-1957), Philippine von Lewinski (1869-1958), Oscar Eugen Alfred Edwin von Lewinski (1873-1913); exact full list of names not fully documented, as he was the tenth child
Spouse: Jutta Sibylle von Loesch (1896-1966, married June 10, 1920)
Children: Gisela von Manstein (born 1921), Gero Erich Sylvester von Manstein (born December 31, 1922; died October 29, 1942, on the Eastern Front as a Leutnant), Rudiger von Manstein (born 1929)

Promotions:
Fahnrich (March 6, 1906)
Leutnant (January 27, 1907; Patent June 14, 1905)
Oberleutnant (June 19, 1912)
Hauptmann (July 24, 1915)
Major (1927; Rangdienstalter February 1, 1927)
Oberstleutnant (April 1, 1931)
Oberst (December 1, 1933)
Generalmajor (October 1, 1936)
Generalleutnant (April 1, 1939)
General der Infanterie (June 1, 1940)
Generaloberst (March 7, 1942)
Generalfeldmarschall (July 1, 1942)

Career:
1906-1914: Service in 3. Garde-Regiment zu Fuss, including as Bataillonsadjutant and Kriegsakademie training
1914-1918: World War I service, including adjutant roles, staff positions, wounded in November 1914
1919-1932: Reichswehr staff roles, including Gruppenkommando 2, 5. Infanterie-Regiment, 2. and 4. Division, Infanteriefuhrer IV, Reichswehrministerium T1
1932-1934: Kommandeur II. (Jager) Bataillon, 4. Infanterie-Regiment
1934-1935: Chef des Stabes, 3. Division
1935-1936: Leiter Operations-Abteilung, Generalstab des Heeres
1936-1938: Oberquartiermeister I, Generalstab des Heeres
1938-1939: Kommandeur 18. Infanterie-Division
1939: Chef des Generalstabes Heeresgruppe Sud (Poland), then Heeresgruppe A (planning Fall Gelb)
1940: Kommandierender General XXXVIII. Armeekorps (France)
1941: Kommandierender General LVI. Armeekorps (mot.) (Barbarossa)
1941-1942: Oberbefehlshaber 11. Armee (Crimea, Sevastopol)
1942-1944: Oberbefehlshaber Heeresgruppe Don/Sud
1944-1945: Retired
1949-1953: Imprisoned after war crimes trial
1950s: Advisor to Bundeswehr

Awards and Decorations:
Eisernes Kreuz (1914) 2. Klasse
Eisernes Kreuz (1914) 1. Klasse
Ritterkreuz des Koniglichen Hausordens von Hohenzollern mit Schwertern
Ritterkreuz, Erste Klasse des Friedrich-Ordens mit Schwertern
Hanseatenkreuz (Hamburg)
Verwundetenabzeichen (1918) in Schwarz
Ehrenkreuz des Weltkrieges 1914/1918
Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung 4. bis 1. Klasse
Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz (1939) 2. Klasse (September 16, 1939)
Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz (1939) 1. Klasse (September 21, 1939)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (July 19, 1940) als General der Infanterie und Kommandierender General XXXVIII. Armeekorps. This award recognized his significant contributions to the german successes in the west, particularly in the battles along the somme, seine, and loire rivers. as chief of staff for heeresgruppe a, manstein had played a pivotal role in planning the sickle cut strategy that facilitated the rapid defeat of allied forces, though hitler claimed credit for the plan. during the actual operations, his corps achieved the first breakthrough east of amiens and was the first unit to reach and cross the seine river, demonstrating exceptional leadership in the foremost lines and contributing to the overall outstanding military success of the invasion.
Ordinul Mihai Viteazul Clasa a 3-a (November 25, 1941 als General der Infanterie und Kommandeur 11. Armee)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #209 (March 14, 1943) als Generalfeldmarschall und Oberbefehlshaber Heeresgruppe Sud). This award was for his masterful execution of the backhand blow counteroffensive during the third battle of kharkov in february-march 1943. following the disaster at stalingrad, soviet forces had advanced rapidly, creating a dangerous gap in the german lines. manstein reorganized his depleted forces, allowed the soviets to overextend their supply lines, and then launched a decisive counterattack on february 20. his troops recaptured kharkov on march 14 after intense street fighting, destroyed three soviet armies, forced three others to retreat, and stabilized the southern front. the operation inflicted heavy losses on the soviets, including over 23,000 killed and 615 tanks captured by early march, preventing the collapse of the eastern front and regaining substantial territory. this feat is often referred to as mansteins miracle.
Krimschild in Gold (November 24, 1943 als Generalfeldmarschall)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern #59 (March 30, 1944) als Generalfeldmarschall und Oberbefehlshaber Heeresgruppe Sud. This award acknowledged his skilled command during the prolonged defensive operations and retreats in ukraine from july to december 1943, amid overwhelming soviet pressure. facing multiple soviet offensives, manstein orchestrated withdrawals to the dnieper line, authorized by hitler on september 15, 1943, and conducted counterattacks near bohodukhiv and okhtyrka in august. despite eventual encirclements like the kamenets-podolsky pocket and heavy losses, his leadership sustained army group south, implementing scorched-earth tactics in a 20-30 kilometer zone to deny resources to the enemy. the award came ironically on the same day hitler relieved him of command due to strategic disagreements, highlighting mansteins ability to maintain cohesion against superior forces.
Verwundetenabzeichen (1939) in Gold
Funfmalige Nennung im Wehrmachtbericht (October 11, 1941; October 12, 1941; October 31, 1941; May 19, 1942; May 20, 1942; July 2, 1942; March 20, 1943; August 4, 1943)

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Erich von Manstein was born Fritz Erich Georg Eduard von Lewinski on 24 November 1887 in Berlin, the tenth child of Prussian artillery general Eduard von Lewinski and his wife Helene von Sperling. His family had deep roots in the Prussian nobility, with his father descending from a line that included Polish and Kashubian ancestry, bearing the Brochwicz coat of arms. Due to his biological aunt and uncle, Hedwig and Georg von Manstein, being childless, he was adopted at birth and took their surname, growing up in a household steeped in military tradition. His adoptive grandfather, Albrecht Gustav von Manstein, had commanded a corps during the Franco-Prussian War, while his maternal grandfather, Oskar von Sperling, served as chief of staff in the First Army. Notably, his uncle was Paul von Hindenburg, who later became a field marshal and President of Germany. With sixteen relatives on each parental side serving as officers, many achieving general rank, Manstein's early environment was profoundly shaped by the Prussian military ethos. He attended the Imperial Lyzeum in Strasbourg from 1894 to 1899, followed by the cadet corps in Plön and Groß-Lichterfelde, where he excelled in academics and leadership. Commissioned as an ensign in the Third Foot Guards Regiment in March 1906, he was promoted to lieutenant in January 1907 and began training at the Prussian War Academy in October 1913, completing only the first year before the outbreak of World War I.

World War I saw Manstein serving on both the Western and Eastern Fronts, beginning as a lieutenant in the 2nd Guard Reserve Infantry Regiment during the invasion of Belgium, where he participated in the capture of Namur in August 1914. Transferred to East Prussia in September, he fought in the First Battle of the Masurian Lakes under Hindenburg's Eighth Army and later with the Ninth Army advancing toward Warsaw. On 16 November 1914, during a retreat, he sustained severe wounds from a bullet that struck his left shoulder, knee, and sciatic nerve, requiring six months of recovery in hospitals in Beuthen and Wiesbaden. Returning to duty in June 1915 as an assistant general staff officer with the 10th Army under Max von Gallwitz, he was promoted to captain and gained extensive experience in offensives across Poland, Lithuania, Montenegro, and Albania. By early 1916, he was stationed near Verdun, later serving as a staff supply officer under Fritz von Below at the Somme, witnessing the harsh winter withdrawals to the Hindenburg Line in 1916-1917. In October 1917, he became chief of staff for the 4th Cavalry Division in Riga, and following the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918, he transferred to the 213th Infantry Division near Reims, ending the war as a captain without full general staff training, having earned decorations for bravery including the Iron Cross First and Second Class.

The interwar period marked a time of personal and professional development for Manstein. In 1920, he married Jutta Sibylle von Loesch, the daughter of a Silesian landowner, after a brief courtship of three days; the couple had three children—a daughter Gisela born in 1921, and sons Gero born in 1922, who would later die as a lieutenant on the Eastern Front in 1942, and Rüdiger born in 1929. Remaining in the military after the war, he volunteered for a staff position in Breslau until 1919 and contributed to restructuring the Imperial Army into the Reichswehr, which was capped at 100,000 men under the Treaty of Versailles; he was among the 4,000 officers retained. Serving as company commander in the 5th Prussian Infantry Regiment from 1921, he held staff roles in Wehrkreiskommando II and IV, teaching military history and tactics until 1927. Promoted to major on 1 February 1927, he joined the General Staff at the Ministry of the Reichswehr in Berlin, working on mobilization plans and visiting foreign militaries. Advanced to lieutenant colonel, he commanded a light infantry battalion in the 4th Infantry Regiment until 1934. Following the Nazi rise to power in 1933 and the initiation of rearmament in defiance of Versailles, he became chief of staff for the 3rd Division under Erwin von Witzleben in February 1934. By 1 July 1935, he led the Operations Branch of the Army General Staff at the OKH, influencing plans like Fall Rot for defense against France and advocating for Sturmgeschütze assault guns, which became vital in World War II. Promoted to Generalleutnant on 4 February 1938, he commanded the 18th Infantry Division in Liegnitz but was passed over for Chief of the Army General Staff in favor of Franz Halder, breeding resentment. On 20 April 1939, he delivered a speech at Hitler's 50th birthday, praising the leader while warning of potential encirclement by hostile powers.

At the onset of World War II, Manstein was appointed Chief of Staff to Gerd von Rundstedt's Army Group South on 18 August 1939 for the invasion of Poland, known as Fall Weiß. He devised a plan concentrating armored forces in the 10th Army for a breakthrough and encirclement west of the Vistula, supported by flanking armies, leading to major victories such as the encirclements at Radom from 8 to 14 September and the Battle of the Bzura from 8 to 19 September, resulting in the defeat of nine Polish divisions and Poland's surrender by 6 October. Although he attended a conference on 22 August where Hitler outlined the destruction of Poland as a nation, Manstein later claimed ignorance of extermination policies, despite receiving reports on Einsatzgruppen activities. For the Western campaign, Fall Gelb in May 1940, as Rundstedt's chief of staff for Army Group A, he proposed the innovative Sichelschnitt plan, channeling forces through the Ardennes to sever Allied troops in Belgium; refined with input from Heinz Guderian, it was initially rejected by Halder but adopted by Hitler on 17 February after a document leak. Manstein's XXXVIII Army Corps under Günther von Kluge's 4th Army achieved a breakthrough at Amiens and was the first to cross the Seine, earning him promotion to general and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 19 July 1940. He also pushed for Operation Sea Lion, the planned invasion of Britain, which was abandoned after the Luftwaffe's defeat in the Battle of Britain by October 1940.

Manstein's role expanded during Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union starting in June 1941, where he commanded the LVI Panzer Corps as part of Erich Hoepner's Fourth Panzer Army in Army Group North. His forces advanced rapidly to the Daugava River in just 100 hours, repelling counterattacks and encircling Soviet units near Luga, though a July offensive isolated his 8th Panzer Division, stalling momentum. In September 1941, following the death of Eugen Ritter von Schobert, he assumed command of the 11th Army for the conquest of Crimea, securing the Perekop Isthmus by November, capturing Simferopol on 1 November, and overrunning most of the peninsula except Sevastopol by 16 November, with around 300,000 Soviets evacuated. Initial assaults on Sevastopol faltered, leading to a siege; the Battle of the Kerch Peninsula in May 1942, bolstered by air support, culminated in Kerch's capture on 16 May and 170,000 prisoners taken. Promoted to field marshal on 1 July 1942 after a massive June artillery barrage and amphibious assault across Severnaya Bay allowed entry into Sevastopol on 1 July, his operations involved cooperation with Romanian forces under Ion Antonescu. However, in Crimea, he provided logistical support to Einsatzgruppe D, facilitating massacres of Jews and others, ignoring appeals to intervene, which later formed the basis of war crimes charges. Transferred to Leningrad in August 1942, he planned Operation Nordlicht to sever supply lines across Lake Ladoga but instead countered the Soviet Sinyavin Offensive from September to October, holding positions without assaulting the city itself.

In December 1942, amid the Battle of Stalingrad, Manstein took command of the newly formed Army Group Don to lead Operation Winter Storm, a relief effort starting on 12 December with three Panzer divisions advancing 48 kilometers by 20 December before being halted by blizzards and Soviet resistance. The tragic loss of his son Gero on 29 October 1942 added personal grief. He repeatedly urged Hitler to permit a breakout of the encircled Sixth Army on 18 December and later to authorize surrender on 24 January 1943, but these pleas were rejected, leading to the army's capitulation on 31 January with over 200,000 fatalities; historians attribute the disaster partly to his unheeded advice and Hermann Göring's failed air supply promises. Facing Soviet offensives like Operation Saturn threatening Rostov, his forces held key positions. By February 1943, redesignated as Army Group South, he executed the "backhand blow" counteroffensive at Kharkov from 20 February, reclaiming territory, annihilating three Soviet armies, and retaking Kharkov on 14 March after fierce urban combat, for which he received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross. He was awarded the Swords on 30 March 1944. During the Battle of Kursk in July-August 1943, his southern pincer made initial gains but was stopped; Hitler terminated the operation on 13 July due to the Allied landing in Sicily, despite Manstein's protests that reserves could secure victory. Ordered to retreat to the Dnieper in September 1943, he implemented scorched-earth policies, later cited in trials. Soviet advances recaptured Kharkov and Kiev by November, and in January 1944, he advocated further withdrawals, but Hitler refused. Without approval, he orchestrated a breakout from the Korsun Pocket in February and, encircled in Kamenets-Podolsky in March, persuaded Hitler to allow escape, though this led to his relief from command on 30 March 1944.

Following Germany's surrender, Manstein was captured by British forces on 26 August 1945. He testified at the Nuremberg Trials in August 1946, contributing to a document absolving the Wehrmacht of Holocaust responsibility, denying knowledge of Einsatzgruppen or the Commissar Order despite contradictory evidence. Tried in Hamburg from August to December 1949, he was convicted on nine of seventeen charges, including mistreatment of prisoners of war, civilian executions, enforcing the Commissar Order, and scorched-earth tactics, receiving an 18-year sentence reduced to 12 in February 1950. Due to health concerns, including eye problems, and advocacy from figures like Winston Churchill and Konrad Adenauer amid Cold War rearmament needs, he served less than four years and was released on 7 May 1953. In the mid-1950s, he advised the West German government on reconstructing the armed forces, addressing the Bundestag on 20 June 1953 to advocate for a professional army with 18-24 months of service and a robust reserve system. His memoirs, Verlorene Siege published in 1955 and translated as Lost Victories, critiqued Hitler's strategic meddling while emphasizing military operations, largely omitting political and ethical dimensions; a second volume, Aus einem Soldatenleben in 1958, covered his life from 1887 to 1939. After residing in Essen and Bonn, he settled near Munich, where his wife passed away in 1966. Congratulated by the Bundeswehr on his 80th birthday, Manstein died of a stroke on 9 June 1973 at age 85 near Munich, buried with full military honors in Dorfmark, Bad Fallingbostel. His legacy encompasses prestigious awards like the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, reverence as a strategic mastermind, and ongoing debates over his involvement in war crimes and potential perjury.

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.bundesarchiv.de/en/
https://www.geni.com/
https://books.google.com/
https://www.walter-frentz-collection.de/fotoarchiv/personenarchiv-a-z/personen-l-m/
Additional books: Lost Victories by Erich von Manstein (1958); Erich von Manstein: Hitler's Master Strategist by Benoit Lemay (2010); Manstein: Hitler's Greatest General by Mungo Melvin (2010).

Bio of General der Panzertruppe Gerhard Graf von Schwerin (1899-1980)

Full name: Gerhard Helmut Detleff Graf von Schwerin
Nickname: Gerd

Date of Birth: 23.06.1899 - Hannover, German Empire
Date of Death: 29.10.1980 - Rottach-Egern, Bavaria, West Germany

Battles and Operations: World War I (Eastern and Western Fronts), Western Campaign (France 1940), North African Campaign (Mechili oasis), Operation Barbarossa, fighting near Mga and Schlüsselburg (approaches to Leningrad), Caucasus Campaign, retreat from the Caucasus, Mius Front, Zaporozhye bridgehead, Normandy Campaign, Battle of Aachen, Italian Campaign 1945

Religion: No information
Parents: Father was a civil official in the Prussian State Government (name unknown)
Siblings: No information
Spouse: Married three times (first to Herta Kannengiesser, second to Julia Zulich, third to Esther Klippel)
Children: Gabrielle (born August 1932), Christian (born January 1939)

Promotions:
10.08.1914 Fähnrich
18.07.1915 Leutnant (Patent: 02.06.1916)
01.07.1923 Leutnant (RDA: 01.03.1918)
01.04.1925 Oberleutnant
01.06.1933 Hauptmann
01.03.1937 Major (RDA: 01.10.1936)
10.11.1938 Major (RDA: 01.04.1936)
01.04.1939 Oberstleutnant (RDA: 01.08.1938)
01.08.1941 Oberst
01.10.1942 Generalmajor (RDA: 01.10.1942)
01.06.1943 Generalleutnant
01.04.1945 General der Panzertruppe

Career:
00.00.1914 entered Prussian Army as Fähnrich in 2. Foot Guards Regiment, later transferred to 2. (1st Pomeranian) Grenadier Regiment
1918 company commander and battalion adjutant on Eastern and Western Fronts (wounded 26.09.1918)
1920 discharged from army
1920-1922 managerial apprenticeship in coffee import firm (Bremen) and petroleum company (Berlin)
01.07.1923 rejoined Reichswehr as Leutnant in Infanterie-Regiment 1
1931 Infanterie-Regiment 18 (Paderborn)
01.06.1933 Hauptmann
1933-1935 General Staff course at Prussian Military Academy Berlin
1935-1937 various General Staff and company command positions (including Chef 13. Kompanie, Infanterie-Regiment 17)
10.11.1938 3. Abteilung, Generalstab des Heeres
01.04.1939 Oberstleutnant
1938-1939 staff officer at Oberkommando des Heeres and attaché duties in London (clandestine contacts with British officials warning of impending war and suggesting anti-Hitler coup support)
09.09.1939 Kommandeur I. Bataillon, Infanterie-Regiment Grossdeutschland
15.12.1940 Kommandeur Infanterie-Regiment 254
17.01.1941 Kommandeur Infanterie-Regiment z.b.V. 200 (5. leichte Division, North Africa)
28.07.1941 Kommandeur Infanterie-Regiment (mot.) 76, 20. Infanterie-Division (mot.)
29.05.1942 Führerreserve OKH
02.07.1942 m.d.F.b. 8. Jäger-Division
27.09.1942 Stab Oberfeldkommandantur 365
05.11.1942 Stab 16. Infanterie-Division (mot.)
13.11.1942 Kommandeur 16. Infanterie-Division (mot.), later 16. Panzergrenadier-Division
01.05.1944 Kommandeur 116. Panzer-Division (Windhund-Division)
20.09.1944 Führerreserve OKH
19.10.1944 Reserve-Lazarett
10.12.1944 Kommandeur 90. Panzergrenadier-Division
03.02.1945 m.d.F.b. LXXVI. Panzerkorps
01.04.1945 Kommandeur LXXVI. Panzerkorps (Italian front)
26.04.1945 captured by British forces
late 1947 released from POW camp
1950 chief advisor on military and security policy to Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and head of Dienststelle Schwerin (Zentrale für Heimatdienst)
1950-1950s advisor on military policy for Free Democratic Party parliamentary group
post-war resident in Rottach-Egern

Awards and Decorations:
Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse 1914 (World War I)
Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse 1914 (World War I)
Verwundetenabzeichen in Silber 1918 (wounded 26.09.1918)
Ritter des Königlich Preußischen Hausordens von Hohenzollern mit Schwertern (World War I)
Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer
DRL-Sportabzeichen in Bronze (14.03.1930)
DRL-Sportabzeichen in Silber (11.03.1932)
Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht 4. Klasse (4 years)
Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht 3. Klasse (12 years)
Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht 2. Klasse (18 years)
Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht 1. Klasse (25 years)
1939 Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 2. Klasse (11.05.1940) as Oberstleutnant and Kommandeur I. Bataillon, Infanterie-Regiment Grossdeutschland
1939 Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 1. Klasse (19.05.1940) as Oberstleutnant and Kommandeur I. Bataillon, Infanterie-Regiment Grossdeutschland
Panzerkampfabzeichen (ohne Zahl) (15.06.1941) as Oberstleutnant and Kommandeur Infanterie-Regiment z.b.V. 200
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes #803 (17.01.1942) as Oberst and Kommandeur Infanterie-Regiment (mot.) 76, 20. Infanterie-Division (mot.). During the fighting near Mga-Cory (on the approaches to Leningrad) from 30 August to 5 September 1941, Schwerin led a Kampfgruppe that became encircled and came under attack from all sides for three days. Despite a direct order from corps headquarters to break out toward Mga, he chose to hold the position with his troops until relief arrived. Through his outstanding leadership and decisive command, the Kampfgruppe held firm, was successfully relieved, and played a key role in the subsequent capture of Schlüsselburg just three days later. This action contributed significantly to German operations in the Leningrad sector during Operation Barbarossa. At the time, his regiment was advancing deep into Soviet territory as part of the broader drive eastward.
Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42 (22.07.1942)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #240 (17.05.1943) as Generalmajor and Kommandeur 16. Infanterie-Division (mot.)/ Schwerin demonstrated exceptional leadership during the difficult winter retreat of the division from the Caucasus (1942–43). He successfully extricated the division while it was under constant pressure from pursuing Soviet forces, eventually repositioning it along the Mius front by March 1943. His greatest achievement in this period was the destruction of the Soviet 4th Guards Mechanized Corps during the intense fighting for the Fedorenko gorge (18–23 February 1943). These actions prevented the collapse of the sector and preserved combat effectiveness under extreme conditions. The 16. Infanterie-Division (mot.) had been heavily engaged in the fighting around Stalingrad and the subsequent Soviet counteroffensives before the retreat.
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern #41 (04.11.1943) as Generalleutnant and Kommandeur 16. Panzergrenadier-Division. The Schwerter recognized Schwerin’s continued outstanding leadership of the division during its retreat from the Mius position in late summer 1943, followed by its successful defensive and offensive achievements in the fighting for the Zaporozhye bridgehead. These operations occurred under relentless Soviet pressure, and his command prevented encirclement while maintaining the division’s fighting capability. Adolf Hitler personally presented the Swords to him at a ceremony in the Berghof upon his return to Germany.
Ärmelband Afrika (17.12.1943)
Medaglia commemorativa della campagna italo-tedesca in Africa
Ordine della Corona d'Italia - Commendatore
Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Silber
Mentioned in Wehrmachtbericht (27.10.1943)

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Gerhard Helmut Detleff Graf von Schwerin was born on 23 June 1899 in Hanover in the German Empire into a Prussian aristocratic family whose father served as a civil official in the Prussian State Government. At the age of fifteen he entered the cadet school at Koslin and soon joined the Prussian Army as a Fahnrich in the 2nd Foot Guards Regiment before transferring to the 2nd Pomeranian Grenadier Regiment. During the closing months of the First World War in 1918 he saw combat on both the Eastern and Western Fronts as a company commander and battalion adjutant until he was wounded on 26 September 1918 and hospitalized until the armistice. For his wartime service he received the Iron Cross Second Class and First Class along with the Wound Badge in Silver and the Honour Cross for Front Fighters.

After the war Schwerin was discharged from the army in 1920 and spent several years in civilian occupations including a managerial apprenticeship with a coffee import firm in Bremen and work for a petroleum company in Berlin. In 1923 he rejoined the Reichswehr as a lieutenant in Infantry Regiment 1 and progressed through a series of infantry postings including service in Infantry Regiment 3 and later Infantry Regiment 18 in Paderborn. He was promoted to captain in June 1933 and from 1933 to 1935 attended the General Staff course at the Prussian Military Academy in Berlin. By October 1938 he had reached the rank of major and served on the staff of the Oberkommando des Heeres. In January 1939 while attached to the UK and US intelligence section at the German Embassy in London he made clandestine contact with British officials urging them to abandon the policy of appeasement and instead support a potential military coup within Germany by deploying naval and air forces to pressure Adolf Hitler over the impending invasion of Poland. These overtures which carried the risk of high treason were conveyed to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain but ultimately rejected.

With the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 Schwerin took command of the 1st Battalion of the motorized Infantry Regiment Grossdeutschland and led it through the 1940 campaign in France and the Low Countries where elements of his unit were later investigated for the massacre of disarmed French Senegalese Tirailleurs prisoners. He subsequently commanded Rifle Regiment 86 and other formations before transferring in April 1941 to North Africa as commander of Special Purposes Regiment 200 within the Afrika Korps. There he led a joint German-Italian commando raid deep behind British lines capturing the Mechili oasis and taking nearly three thousand prisoners including three generals an action that helped open the way for Erwin Rommel’s early successes. Returning to Europe late in 1941 he assumed command of Infantry Regiment 76 during Operation Barbarossa on the Eastern Front and for his leadership in holding a cut-off Kampfgruppe near Mga and Schlüsselburg he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross on 17 January 1942 as an Oberst.

Brief command of the 254th Infantry Brigade followed in spring 1942 before he took over the 8th Jäger Division on the Eastern Front and was promoted to Generalmajor in October 1942. In November 1942 he was given command of the 16th Infantry Division later redesignated the 16th Panzergrenadier Division which he led through the bitter fighting around Stalingrad and the subsequent retreats from the Caucasus and the Mius River line. For his skill in extricating the division and destroying Soviet mechanized forces during these operations he received the Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross on 17 May 1943 as Generalmajor and the Swords on 4 November 1943 as Generalleutnant the latter personally presented by Hitler at the Berghof. The division was transferred to France in March 1944 and upgraded to the 116th Panzer Division known as the Windhund or Greyhound Division with Schwerin assuming command on 1 May 1944.

During the Normandy campaign the 116th Panzer Division crossed the Seine on 20 July 1944 and engaged American forces between Beaucoudray and Percy retaking the former village but failing to secure Mont Robin amid difficult terrain that hampered the Panzer IV and Panther tanks. In Operation Lüttich in early August the division advanced toward Brécey but suffered from delayed commitment flank exposure and Allied bombing that severed supplies contributing to the failure of the counter-offensive and leading to Schwerin’s temporary relief from command. Reappointed he led the battered formation which by September 1944 had been reduced to roughly six hundred men twelve serviceable tanks and no artillery during the early fighting around Aachen. Facing the American advance and concerned for the several thousand unevacuated civilians and the historic status of the ancient Holy Roman Empire capital he made the unilateral decision to withdraw his forces declare the city an open city and leave a communiqué at the post office requesting that American commanders treat the civilian population humanely. When the note fell into SS hands he was relieved of command placed under close arrest and replaced by Gerhard Wilck but after intervention by Gerd von Rundstedt and Walter Model he received only a reprimand rather than harsher punishment.

In December 1944 Schwerin was transferred to the Italian front where he succeeded Traugott Herr as commander of the LXXVI Panzer Corps. He was promoted to General der Panzertruppe on 1 April 1945 and continued defensive operations until he was captured by British forces on 26 April 1945. Released from captivity in late 1947 he returned to civilian life and in May 1950 was appointed chief advisor on military and security policy to Chancellor Konrad Adenauer heading the covert Dienststelle Schwerin to lay the groundwork for West German rearmament under American occupation. He was replaced in October 1950 by Theodor Blank after public statements but later served as a military policy advisor to the parliamentary group of the Free Democratic Party. In the post-war decades he cultivated the image of the saviour of Aachen which earned him a street named Graf-Schwerin-Strasse and civic honours in the 1950s and 1970s though the name was changed in 2008 amid renewed scrutiny of incidents under his command including the execution of two fourteen-year-old looters in September 1944.

Schwerin married three times first to Herta Kannengiesser then to Julia Zulich with whom he had two children and finally to Esther Klippel. He died on 29 October 1980 in Rottach-Egern Bavaria at the age of eighty-one and was buried in the local cemetery. Throughout his long career he had also accumulated additional decorations including the 1939 Clasp to the Iron Cross Second and First Class the Panzer Combat Badge the Eastern Front Medal the Africa Cuff Title the Italian-German African Campaign Medal the Order of the Crown of Italy as Commander and various long-service awards reflecting more than three decades of military and advisory service across two world wars and the early years of the Federal Republic.

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/
Additional sources: Walther-Peer Fellgiebel, Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945 (2000); Veit Scherzer, Ritterkreuzträger 1939-1945 (2007); various unit histories and Wehrmacht documents referenced on the above websites.

Bio of SS-Standartenführer August Dieckmann (1912-1943)

Full name: August Hinrich Dieckmann
Nickname: No information

Date of Birth: 29 May 1912 - Cadenberge, Lower Saxony (German Empire)
Date of Death: 10 October 1943 - Kreschtschatik (Fuchsschwanzinsel) on the Dnieper River (Soviet Union)

Battles and Operations:
Polish Campaign 1939, Western Campaign 1940, Operation Barbarossa 1941, Battle of Rostov 1941, Defensive battles north of Samara and Otscheretino 1942, Attack on Rostov 1942, Caucasus offensive including Kuban bridgehead, Laba river, and Maikop area 1942, Battles around Malgobek and oilfields 1942, Seizure of Grischino and Alexandrowka 1943, Defensive battles west of Kharkov 1943, Heavy fighting along the Dnieper 1943

NSDAP-Number: 4.455.713 (1 May 1937)  
SS-Number: 183.917 (4 November 1933)  
Religion: not known  
Parents: not known  
Siblings: not known  
Spouse: not known  
Children: not known

Promotions:  
1 July 1935 SS-Standartenjunker  
25 February 1936 SS-Standartenoberjunker  
20 April 1936 SS-Sturmführer  
2 September 1937 SS-Obersturmführer  
1 September 1939 SS-Hauptsturmführer  
26 December 1941 SS-Sturmbannführer  
21 June 1943 SS-Obersturmbannführer  
15 May 1944 SS-Standartenführer (posthumous, rank date of rank 1 October 1943)

Career:  
4 November 1933 entered the SS with 1. Sturm, SS-Standarte 88  
1934-1935 training at SS-Junkerschule Braunschweig  
1936 service with SS-Standarte 1 Deutschland in various battalions and Zugführer roles  
1937 platoon leader and tactics instructor  
1939 company and battalion leader with SS-Regiment Deutschland during Polish Campaign  
1940 battalion leader during Western Campaign  
1941 transferred to SS-Division Wiking as leader of I. Bataillon, SS-Regiment Germania  
From late 1941 commander of I. Bataillon SS-Regiment Germania and later regimental duties in the East  
1943 commander of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment Westland, 5. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Wiking

Awards and Decorations:  
Ehrenwinkel der Alten Kämpfer (1934)  
Julleuchter der SS (1935)  
Ehrendegen des Reichsführers-SS (12 December 1936)  
SS-Ehrenring  
SS-Dienstauszeichnung 4. Stufe (1937)  
Iron Cross 2nd Class (28 September 1939)  
Iron Cross 1st Class (3 June 1940)  
Wound Badge 1939 in Black  
Infantry Assault Badge in Silver  
German Cross in Gold (28 February 1942)  
Eastern Medal (1942)  
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (23 April 1942) as SS-Sturmbannführer and commander of I./SS-Regiment Germania for the defense of Otscheretino. The village of Otscheretino, captured on 16 February 1942 during the advance north of the Samara, held decisive terrain dominance and formed the vital cornerstone of the right wing of Gruppe Sanne. On the afternoon of 19 February 1942 the Russians launched a major attack after intense artillery and mortar preparation, supported by eight heavy tanks. The enemy penetrated the eastern and central parts of the burning village. With the last operational anti-tank gun knocked out and other weapons inoperable, SS-Sturmbannführer Dieckmann personally rushed to a nearby battery gun, took command, and directed close-range fire that destroyed four enemy tanks. He then immediately led a counterthrust with a loud Hurra, personally throwing the superior enemy force out of the village. On 20 February and during the night of 22-23 February his battalion, in coordination with other units, repelled further tank-supported assaults. The enemy suffered over 300 dead, 29 prisoners, and the loss of numerous heavy and light machine guns, anti-tank rifles, and rifles. Dieckmanns personal bravery, initiative, and leadership in the critical moment ensured the village remained in German hands and inflicted heavy losses on the attacker.
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #233 (16 April 1943) as SS-Sturmbannführer and commander of I./SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment Germania. After receiving the Ritterkreuz for Otscheretino, SS-Sturmbannführer Dieckmann repeatedly proved himself as an armoured combat group leader. During the attack on Rostov from 21-23 July 1942 he broke through deeply echeloned Soviet defences north and northwest of the city, always at the very spearhead. On 23 July he personally conducted terrain reconnaissance under heavy artillery, mortar, and rifle fire, escorted only by one officer and two messengers; this reconnaissance proved decisive for the assault on the third anti-tank ditch and the village of Leninawan northwest of Rostov. In the subsequent street fighting for the suburbs his personal example kept the attack moving and enabled capture of the southwestern part of the city. On 3 August 1942 during the thrust across the Kuban at Grigoripoliskaja he created and held the bridgehead despite heavy urban combat still raging in the village; he drove through the fighting in his car to the crossing site, oversaw the rubber-boat crossing under fire, and personally reconnoitred bridge-building possibilities, then intervened repeatedly in the defensive fighting. His calm ruthlessness under fire became legendary and inspired his men. In the advance toward the Laba river at Teginskaja and the Chadyshenskaja oilfield his Kampfgruppe secured key points such as Woronzowo-Daschkoff, where he rapidly regrouped forces, personally led a counterthrust, and directed howitzer fire to within 100 metres to repel a regimental-sized Soviet attack and protect the division supply route. In the street fighting for Chadyshenskaja he fought in the foremost line with riflemen and tanks, blocked the Maikop-Tuapse road, and inflicted heavy losses. On 5 October 1942 at the assault on hills west of Malgobek he stormed forward as point man to rally his pinned-down battalion, captured the objective, and repelled the immediate counterattack. The next day at Hill White House, despite fog and heavy losses, he repeatedly charged ahead of 2. Kompanie, enabling the capture of the strongly fortified height and opening the way for neighbouring units. On 7 October he personally counterattacked with his battalion against a tank- and infantry-supported Soviet assault, holding the line through his presence in the foremost positions. On 17 October at Hill 701 he rallied an assault party, fought with machine pistol and hand grenades to eject a Soviet penetration, and held the hill all day, preventing flank attacks on the division. On 12 February 1943 he seized Grischino in a surprise attack, cutting supply lines to Soviet Mobile Group Popov, and then defended it successfully. During the attack on Alexandrowka on 24 February 1943 his battalion, as the lead unit in an enveloping move, faced thousands of defenders with over twenty tanks and strong artillery; when the assault stalled at the edge of the city under heavy fire he personally placed himself at the head of the threatened company, inspired the men forward, and broke into the city. After bitter house-to-house fighting Alexandrowka fell, with the enemy losing over 100 dead plus seven tanks, twelve anti-tank guns, four artillery pieces, and numerous other weapons. Through these repeated personal interventions, fearless leadership at the decisive points, and inspirational example SS-Sturmbannführer Dieckmann contributed decisively to the successes of his battalion and regiment.
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern #39 (10 October 1943) as SS-Obersturmbannführer and commander of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 10 Westland. After taking command of Regiment Westland in the 5. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Wiking, SS-Obersturmbannführer Dieckmann led his unit in continuous defensive battles on the southern sector of the Eastern Front from 5 July 1943 onward. From 11 August 1943 alone his regiment repelled more than 100 enemy attacks west of Kharkov, most of them launched by far superior Soviet forces. In all these actions Dieckmann was the soul of the defence; despite intense enemy fire he was constantly forward among his men, motivating them through his devotion to duty, fearlessness, and prudent leadership. The divisional commander repeatedly highlighted his deeds in daily reports. Even after being wounded several times by shell splinters he remained with his troops, personally reconnoitring penetrations in an armoured car and restoring the situation wherever neighbouring units or his own companies were threatened. On 10 October 1943, while fighting in the foremost line during the heavy defensive battles along the Dnieper at Kreschtschatik, SS-Obersturmbannführer Dieckmann was killed in action. He did not live to learn that the Führer had awarded him the Swords that same day as the 39th soldier of the Wehrmacht. Throughout countless battles in the East Dieckmann had become a legendary figure of heroic troop leadership far beyond the ranks of the Wiking Division and the Waffen-SS. His loss robbed the Waffen-SS of one of its finest regimental commanders and a constant model of soldierly virtues for the Germanic volunteers under his command.

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August Hinrich Dieckmann was born on 29 May 1912 in Cadenberge in Lower Saxony, Germany. He entered the SS on 4 November 1933 as a member of the 1st Sturm of SS-Standarte 88. Between 1 April 1934 and 25 April 1935 he attended the SS-Junkerschule in Braunschweig while serving with the 2nd Sturm of SS-Standarte 2 in Munich. On 1 July 1935 he was promoted to SS-Standartenjunker and on 25 February 1936 to SS-Standartenoberjunker. After completing a Zugführerlehrgang in Dachau he joined the III. Sturmbann of SS-Standarte 1 Deutschland in Ellwangen on 1 April 1936 and received his commission as SS-Sturmführer on 20 April 1936. He continued serving with various battalions of the Deutschland regiment, undertook a Truppen-Pionier-Lehrgang at the Pionier-Schule in Dessau-Roßlau, and was promoted to SS-Obersturmführer on 2 September 1937. He joined the NSDAP on 1 May 1937 and held platoon and company leadership roles within the Deutschland regiment before being attached to the XI. Armeekorps in Hannover in September 1938. By June 1939 he had risen to command the II. Sturmbann of SS-Standarte 1 Deutschland and on 1 September 1939 he was promoted to SS-Hauptsturmführer.

At the outbreak of war Dieckmann led the II. Bataillon of the motorized SS-Regiment Deutschland, which was attached to Panzer-Division Kempf and the 3. Armee during the campaign in Poland in 1939. He earned the Iron Cross Second Class on 28 September 1939 for his actions there. In the spring of 1940 he continued to command the same battalion within the SS-Verfügungsdivision during the campaign in the West and was awarded the Iron Cross First Class on 3 June 1940. After the French campaign he served as a tactics instructor at the SS-Junkerschule in Braunschweig. In early 1941 he transferred to the newly forming SS-Division Wiking and on 10 February 1941 took command of the I. Bataillon of SS-Regiment Germania. He was promoted to SS-Sturmbannführer on 26 December 1941.

With the launch of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941 Dieckmann led his battalion in heavy fighting with Heeresgruppe Süd. His unit participated in the advance toward Rostov and endured the bitter defensive battles around that city in November 1941. On 28 February 1942 he received the German Cross in Gold for his leadership during these engagements. In February 1942 his battalion was committed to reinforce the village of Otscheretino, fifteen kilometers south of Barvenkovo, a key strongpoint on the right wing of Gruppe Sanne. When Soviet forces supported by eight heavy tanks attacked on 19 February after intense artillery preparation, they penetrated the eastern and central parts of the burning village and knocked out the last operational anti-tank gun. In this critical moment Dieckmann personally took charge of a nearby field gun, directed its crew under fire, and destroyed four enemy tanks at close range. He then organized an immediate counterattack, leading his men with a cheer and driving the superior Soviet force out of the village. Over the following days his battalion repelled further tank-supported assaults and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy, including more than three hundred dead and numerous prisoners and weapons. For this decisive leadership and personal bravery he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 April 1942 as commander of the I. Battalion of SS-Regiment Germania.

In the summer of 1942 Dieckmann continued to distinguish himself during the German offensive toward the Caucasus. He led an armored battle group of SS-Regiment Germania in the assault on Rostov from 21 to 23 July. Over three days of intense combat his unit broke through multiple layers of Soviet defenses north and northwest of the city. On 23 July he personally conducted terrain reconnaissance under heavy artillery, mortar, and rifle fire, escorted only by one officer and two messengers, which proved vital for the success of the armored group's attack. During the subsequent street fighting in the suburbs of Rostov he remained at the forefront, inspiring his men by example and ensuring the southwestern part of the city was secured. On 3 August 1942 his Kampfgruppe spearheaded the crossing of the Kuban River near Grigoripoliskaja, again demonstrating outstanding initiative and courage that enabled the establishment and retention of a bridgehead. These actions, building on his earlier Knight's Cross, earned him the 233rd Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross on 16 April 1943 while still commanding the I. Battalion of the newly redesignated SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment Germania within the 5. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Wiking.

By the spring of 1943 Dieckmann had assumed command of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 10 Westland in the same division. He was promoted to SS-Obersturmbannführer on 21 June 1943. On 10 October 1943, while leading his regiment in defensive fighting along the Dnieper River near Kreschtschatik, also known as Fuchsschwanzinsel, he was killed in action at the age of thirty-one. On the very day of his death he was posthumously awarded the 39th Swords to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross as commander of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 10 Westland. The following year, on 15 May 1944, he received a posthumous promotion to SS-Standartenführer with a rank seniority date of 1 October 1943.

Throughout his career Dieckmann accumulated numerous additional decorations that reflected both his early service and frontline achievements. Among them were the SS-Ehrendegen des Reichsführers-SS, the SS-Ehrenring, the Ehrenwinkel der Alten Kämpfer, the Julleuchter der SS, the SA-Sports Badge in Bronze, the DRL Sports Badge in Bronze, the SS Long Service Award 4th Class, the Anschluss Medal, the Sudetenland Medal, the Wound Badge in Black, the Infantry Assault Badge in Silver, the Close Combat Clasp in Bronze, and the Eastern Front Medal. He was buried at the German War Cemetery in Kiev, though the exact grave location remains unknown. Dieckmann exemplified the aggressive leadership and personal courage that characterized many early Waffen-SS officers, rising rapidly through the ranks from junior platoon commander to regimental commander in some of the most demanding campaigns on the Eastern Front. His repeated selection for independent battle-group commands and the exceptional nature of the recommendations for his highest decorations underscored the impact he had on the battlefield until his final action on the Dnieper in October 1943.

Source:  
Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedberg 2000.  
Scherzer, Veit. Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939-1945. Jena 2007.  
Waffen-SS Knights and their Battles (Volumes 2 and 3).  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Dieckmann  
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/29014/Dieckmann-August-Hinrich.htm  
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/D/DieckmannA.htm  
https://rk.balsi.de/index.php?action=list&cat=300  
https://www.unithistories.com/units_index/index.php?file=/officers/personsx.html  
https://forum.axishistory.com/  
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/  
https://www.bundesarchiv.de/en/
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-august-dieckmann-1942-48342984.html

Bio of Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring (1893-1946)

Hermann Wilhelm Göring

Date of Birth: 12.01.1893 - Rosenheim, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire
Date of Death: 15.10.1946 - Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany

Battles and Operations: Western Front World War I, Polish Campaign 1939, Western Campaign 1940, Battle of Britain, Operation Barbarossa air support, Eastern Front operations 1941-1945, defense of the Reich

NSDAP membership: joined October 1922, Goldenes Ehrenzeichen der NSDAP
SS-Number: none
Religion: No information
Parents: Heinrich Ernst Göring (former cavalry officer and governor-general of German South West Africa) and Franziska Tiefenbrunn
Siblings: Karl Göring, Olga Göring, Paula Göring, Albert Göring
Spouse: Carin von Kantzow (married 03.02.1922, died 17.10.1931), Emmy Sonnemann (married 10.04.1935)
Children: Edda Göring (born 02.06.1938)

Promotions:
00.00.1912 Fahnenjunker, Infanterie-Regiment Prinz Wilhelm Nr. 112
00.00.1914 Leutnant
00.00.1917 Oberleutnant
30.01.1933 General der Infanterie
01.04.1935 General der Flieger
01.02.1938 Generalfeldmarschall
19.07.1940 Reichsmarschall

Career:
00.00.1900-00.00.1911 various schools and cadet training, Haupt-Kadettenanstalt Berlin-Lichterfelde
00.00.1912 joined Prussian Army, Infanterie-Regiment Prinz Wilhelm Nr. 112, Mülhausen
01.08.1914-00.00.1915 infantry service on Western Front, wounded and hospitalized with rheumatism
00.00.1915 transferred to aviation as observer with Feldflieger Abteilung 25, reconnaissance and bombing missions
00.00.1915 pilot training at Flying School Freiburg
00.00.1916 Jagdstaffel 5, wounded in aerial combat
02.1917 Jagdstaffel 26 under Bruno Loerzer
05.1917 commander Jagdstaffel 27
07.07.1918 commander Jagdgeschwader 1 Richthofen
11.1918 demobilized, refused to surrender aircraft to Allies
00.00.1919-00.00.1920 barnstorming pilot and test pilot for Fokker
00.00.1920-00.00.1921 aviation work in Denmark and Sweden with Svensk Lufttrafik
03.02.1922 married Carin von Kantzow
00.00.1922 joined NSDAP after hearing Adolf Hitler speak, appointed Oberster SA-Führer
08.-09.11.1923 participation in Beer Hall Putsch, severely wounded in groin, fled to Austria, morphine addiction began
00.00.1925-00.00.1927 periods in Swedish asylum for morphine withdrawal
05.1928 elected to Reichstag for NSDAP
30.08.1932 President of the Reichstag
30.01.1933 Reichsminister ohne Portfolio, Reichskommissar für die Luftfahrt
11.04.1933 Minister-President of Prussia and Prussian Interior Minister, created Gestapo
1933-1945 President of the Prussian State Council
1935 appointed Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe and Reichsminister der Luftfahrt
1936 Plenipotentiary for the Four Year Plan, established Reichswerke Hermann Göring
01.02.1938 promoted Generalfeldmarschall
19.07.1940 promoted Reichsmarschall, designated successor to Hitler
1939-1945 Commander-in-Chief Luftwaffe during all major campaigns
22.04.1945 dismissed from all posts after telegram requesting succession
09.05.1945 captured by U.S. forces near Radstadt, Austria
1945-1946 prisoner, Nuremberg Trials
15.10.1946 suicide by cyanide capsule hours before scheduled execution

Awards and Decorations:
Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse 1914 (15.09.1914)
Königlich Preussisches Flugzeugbeobachter-Abzeichen (15.11.1914)
Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse 1914 (22.03.1915)
Ritter II. Klasse zu dem Orden der Löwen von Zähringen mit Schwertern (19.08.1915)
Königlich Preußische Militär-Flugzeugführer-Abzeichen (12.10.1915)
Ehrenbecher für den Sieger im Luftkampfe (15.04.1916)
Ritter des Königlicher Preussischer Hausordens von Hohenzollern mit Schwertern (20.10.1917)
Ritterkreuz des Militär Karl-Friedrich-Verdienstorden (02.06.1918)
Pour le Mérite (02.06.1918) as Oberleutnant and Führer Jagdstaffel 27 for repeated outstanding success in aerial combat over the Western Front in 1917-1918, scoring 22 confirmed victories as a fighter pilot and squadron leader, including numerous dogfights supporting ground operations and reconnaissance missions, culminating in command of elite Jagdgeschwader 1 after the death of Manfred von Richthofen
Ehrenzeichen des 9. November 1923 (Blutorden) (09.11.1933)
Goldenes Ehrenzeichen der NSDAP (01.12.1933)
Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer (01.09.1934)
1939 Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 2. Klasse (20.09.1939)
1939 Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz 1. Klasse (30.09.1939)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (30.09.1939) for direction of Luftwaffe in Polish Campaign
Großkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (19.07.1940) as Generalfeldmarschall and Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe for the decisive victories of the Luftwaffe during the Western Campaign (Fall Gelb) in May-June 1940, where air superiority, close support to armored advances, rapid seizure of airfields in the Netherlands, Belgium and northern France, and relentless bombing of enemy positions enabled the unprecedented Blitzkrieg breakthrough at Sedan, encirclement of Allied forces at Dunkirk, and swift collapse of France in six weeks, making him the sole recipient of this highest grade during the entire Second World War
Numerous foreign orders including Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland, Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword of Sweden, Grand Cross of the Order of St. Stephen of Hungary, and others
Gemeinsames Flugzeugführer-Beobachter Abzeichen mit Brillianten

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Hermann Wilhelm Göring rose from a World War I fighter ace and commander of the legendary Jagdgeschwader Richthofen to become the second most powerful man in the Third Reich and creator of the modern Luftwaffe. His bravery in the skies over Verdun and the Western Front earned him the Pour le Mérite for relentless combat missions and leadership that produced 22 victories. After the war he drifted through aviation jobs abroad before committing to the Nazi movement in 1922, surviving wounds in the Beer Hall Putsch and building key institutions including the Prussian police and air force. As Reichsmarschall his direction of air operations brought spectacular early successes in Poland and the West, rewarded by the unique Grosskreuz for the triumph in France. Later campaigns saw declining influence amid failures over Britain and the Reich, leading to his arrest in 1945. Convicted at Nuremberg he chose suicide rather than the gallows, ending one of the most dramatic careers of the era.



Source:
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/
https://en.wikipedia.org/
https://www.tracesofwar.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.bundesarchiv.de/en/
https://www.geni.com/
https://books.google.com/
http://de.metapedia.org/
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/207/G%C3%B6ring-Hermann-Wilhelm.htm
Manvell, Roger and Fraenkel, Heinrich: Hermann Göring, Heinemann, London 1962
Evans, Richard J.: The Third Reich in Power, Penguin Press, New York 2005
Franks, Norman and Van Wyngarden, Greg: Fokker Dr I Aces of World War I, Osprey Publishing, Oxford 2003

First Volkssturm Ritterkreuzträger Ernst Tiburzy

Ernst Tiburzy (1911-2004) was a battalion leader of the Volkssturm and the first Volkssturm soldier to be awarded with the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes. He destroyed 5 or 9 Soviet tanks (sources vary) during the Battle of Königsberg on February 10th, 1945, preventing a breakthrough into the city and was awarded for that. He was one of only four or five Volkssturm soldiers who received the Ritterkreuz.

The following newspaper excerpt (dated 3 March 1945) describes why Tiburzy was awarded the coveted medal:

“First Volkssturm Ritterkreuzträger:

The Bolsheviks had succeeded in achieving a penetration in the Königsberg area. In response a German Volkssturm Bataillon commander, SA-Hauptsturmführer Tiburzy (who had previously been badly wounded during the Eastern campaign), initiated a counterthrust at the head of a small shock troop. The Volkssturm managed to roll up the trench that had been occupied by the enemy with Panzerfausts and hand grenades. In the process Tiburzy destroyed 2 Soviet T-34s with Panzerfausts. Later, as the Soviets launched a new attack against the Volkssturm blocking position two days later with tanks and infantry, Tiburzy launched a counterattack with his Bataillon on his own initiative. In the fighting which followed he personally destroyed another 3 T-34s in close combat, and the situation was restored. For this reason the Hauptsturmführer was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes by the Führer.”

Source :
Die Deutsche Wochenschau No. 755 - 22 March 1945
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWxWY4rFhTg
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/61903/Tiburzy-Ernst.htm

Ritterkreuz Action of Willy Apitz

Ritterkreuzträger Unteroffizier Willy Apitz recounts his brave exploits beyond the Dnieper. Daily proof that German soldier is best and bravest individual fighter gains substance from first person account by Apitz, over supporting animation, of his experience beyond River Dnieper in being cut of by Soviet armour and calling down his own fire (Artillerie Regiment 81) and tanks to repel nearby Russian forces.

Willy Apitz received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 1 January 1944 as Obergefreiter and Funker in 10.Batterie / Artillerie-Regiment 81 / 97.Jäger-Division. During the autumn of 1943 Obergefreiter Apitz found himself engaged in his Division’s heavy defensive combat along the Lower Dnieper front between the Nikopol and Cherson bridgeheads. In this time, while he was serving as a radio operator at a forward observation post, all of his comrades were killed during a large-scale Soviet attack. When the Soviets proceeded to launch a renewed thrust with tanks and infantry, Apitz decided to personally direct the fire of his attached artillery even though he had no training in this role. However, despite being all alone, he managed to fulfill this role effectively and direct devastating artillery fire onto the attacking Soviet forces.

A unit of Soviet infantry that were passing by suddenly attacked Apitz at his position. He initially held them off with his carbine before ordering his own artillery to bombard his position. He had to repeat the order twice before his stunned comrades proceeded to do just that. Fierce artillery fire was then plastered on Apitz’s position for about a minute. However Apitz survived, and the Soviet infantry took such high losses that they decided to fall back to their jump-off position. With this the Soviet thrust came to an end.

Apitz would be initially decorated with the Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse for this action. Later on he also received the Ritterkreuz at the recommendation of his superiors.

Source :
Die Deutsche Wochenschau No. 720 - 21 June 1944
https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060004235
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/28123/Apitz-Willy.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-DzDJmt5F8

Regimentskommandeur Herbert Otto Gille in 1942

SS-Oberführer Herbert Otto Gille (Kommandeur SS-Artillerie-Regiment / SS-Division "Wiking") in 1942. Regiment formed at Truppenübungsplatz Amersfoort in the Netherlands in 1940. While in this command, Gille proved to be an apolitical soldier who led from the front. One revealing instance of this is recounted by Heinz Höhne: "[Like Felix Steiner], Standartenführer Gille, Steiner's Artillery Commander, was also in the Reichsführer's bad books. Gille was an entirely non-political officer who would have nothing to do with ideology. To Obersturmbannführer [Ernst] Fick, the divisional ideological observer, he growled: `Wearing of the brown shirt is not permitted in this aristocratic artillery regiment. I'll put a clean-out squad into your room." (Höhne, The Order of the Death's Head, p. 544, citing letter from Fick to Karl Wolff, 27.01.1942, RFSS Microfilm 38) Although Fick reported this "disrespect" to the chief of Himmler's personal staff, Karl Wolff, Steiner ensured that there were no reprisals against Gille for his political unorthodoxy and evident dislike of Fick, a belief that Steiner apparently shared." (Douglas E. Nash, From the Realm of a Dying Sun, Volume 1)

Source :
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-ss-group-leader-herbert-gille-1942-37015468.html
https://www.bridgemanimages.com/en/noartistknown/ss-group-leader-herbert-gille-1942-b-w-photo/black-and-white-photograph/asset/3002427
https://x.com/AxisBiographic1/status/1711008183907725808/photo/4