Nickname: No information
Date of Birth: 8 August 1916 - Duisburg, Nordrhein-Westfalen (German Empire)
Date of Death: 7 May 1981 - Duisburg, Nordrhein-Westfalen (West Germany)
Battles and Operations: Operation Merkur (Conquest of Crete 1941), Paratrooper operations 1940-1945
NSDAP-Number: No information
SS-Number: No information
Religion: No information
Parents: No information
Siblings: No information
Spouse: No information
Children: No information
Promotions:
Oberfeldwebel (01.04.1941)
Career:
At the age of 17, Heinrich Welskop volunteered for the Wehrmacht after attending the upper classes of the Overberg School in Hamborn and another school. He grew up in the house at Gerlingstraße 11 in Hamborn and developed an early passion for military service. He served in the 11th Company of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 3 as a platoon leader (Oberfeldwebel).
On 20 May 1941, his unit jumped as part of Operation Merkur onto Crete. After landing, Welskop and his men captured an important height near Chania that was deep within the Allied defensive system. He held this position despite fierce counterattacks, which had to be repelled in bitter close combat. When the German forces under General Heidrich later had to evacuate the heights, Welskop's platoon did not receive the withdrawal order and managed to retain their position. By doing so, they deceived the Allies about the true German strength in the area and contributed significantly to the German victory.
On 21 August 1941, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross by Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring personally (together with other Fallschirmjäger Knight's Cross recipients such as Dr. Heinrich Neumann, Hans Kroh, Erich Schuster, and Wilhelm Kempke).
Further details of his military career after 1941 and his postwar life are not publicly documented. He lived in Duisburg until his death in 1981.
Awards and Decorations:
Fallschirmschützenabzeichen der Luftwaffe
Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse
Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (21.08.1941) as Oberfeldwebel and Zugführer in 11Kompanie / III.Bataillon / Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 3. On 20 May 1941, as part of Operation Merkur, the airborne assault on Crete, Welskop's company was dropped into the rugged mountains south of Perivolia. The moment the paratroopers hit the ground they came under heavy Allied fire. The entire company was forced to fight its way through enemy positions in a desperate bid to link up with the I. Battalion of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 3. In the chaos of battle Welskop's platoon became separated from the rest of the unit and fought an independent action for two full days.
After the parachute drop Welskop quickly rallied his men and led them in a bold assault to seize a strategically vital height near Chania. This position lay deep inside the Allied defensive scheme, surrounded by enemy troops and machine-gun nests. The rocky hill offered little cover, and the paratroopers immediately faced furious counterattacks. Waves of British and Commonwealth soldiers charged uphill under covering fire from artillery and mortars. Welskop's men dug in with entrenching tools and rifles, repelling the assaults in savage close-quarters combat. Grenades exploded in showers of rock splinters, bayonets flashed in the dust, and the air filled with the rattle of submachine guns and the shouts of desperate men locked in hand-to-hand fighting. Despite being heavily outnumbered and running low on ammunition, the platoon held the crest through sheer determination and skillful use of the terrain.
Later, when General Heidrich ordered the evacuation of the surrounding heights because of mounting pressure, Welskop's isolated platoon never received the withdrawal order. Cut off and unaware of the broader retreat, they continued to defend their hard-won position. By clinging stubbornly to the hill they created the illusion of a much stronger German presence in that sector than actually existed. This deception confused Allied commanders, pinned down enemy reserves, and helped tip the balance toward the eventual German victory on Crete.
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Heinrich Welskop was a highly decorated German paratrooper who served with the Luftwaffe's Fallschirmjäger during the Second World War and rose to prominence for his extraordinary leadership and bravery during the airborne invasion of Crete in May 1941. Born on 8 August 1916 in Duisburg, Germany, he grew up in the Hamborn district of the city and developed an early enthusiasm for military life after completing his education at the upper classes of the local Overberg School and another secondary institution. At the age of seventeen he volunteered for the Wehrmacht, eventually transferring to the elite paratrooper forces where he proved himself a capable and determined soldier. By the outbreak of war he had advanced through the ranks to become an Oberfeldwebel and platoon leader in the 11th Company of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 3, a unit renowned for its rigorous training and combat effectiveness in airborne operations.
Welskop's first major combat experience came during the 1940 campaign in the Netherlands, where his regiment participated in the rapid airborne assaults that secured key bridges and airfields for the advancing German forces. In the intense fighting around The Hague and surrounding areas he distinguished himself sufficiently to earn both the Iron Cross Second Class and First Class, decorations that underscored his coolness under fire and ability to motivate his men in chaotic conditions. These early successes prepared him for the even greater challenges that lay ahead in the Mediterranean theater. By early 1941 he was serving as Zugführer of his platoon within the 11th Company, a role that placed him at the forefront of high-risk drops behind enemy lines and demanded exceptional tactical initiative from non-commissioned officers like himself.
The pivotal moment of Welskop's military career arrived with Operation Merkur, the German airborne assault on the island of Crete launched on 20 May 1941. Assigned to the mountains south of Perivolia, his company encountered immediate and overwhelming resistance upon landing, as Allied defenders from British, Australian, New Zealand, and Greek forces poured heavy fire onto the drop zones. Cut off from the main body of the I Battalion of Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 3, Welskop's platoon was forced to fight an independent two-day battle amid the rugged, rocky terrain that offered scant cover and favored the defenders. Rallying his men with calm authority despite the chaos of exploding mortar rounds and rattling machine-gun fire, he led them in a determined push to seize a strategically vital height near Chania that sat deep within the Allied defensive perimeter, surrounded by entrenched positions and interlocking fields of fire.
The fighting on that hill became a brutal test of endurance and close-quarters savagery. Waves of Allied infantry charged uphill under supporting artillery and mortar barrages, their boots kicking up clouds of dust and loose stones as they closed in. Welskop's paratroopers, low on ammunition and exhausted from the initial drop, dug shallow scrapes with entrenching tools and met the assaults with rifle fire, grenades, and bayonets in hand-to-hand clashes where the air filled with the crack of bullets, the thud of impacts, and the shouts of men grappling in the dirt. Grenades detonated in showers of rock fragments, submachine guns chattered at point-blank range, and wounded soldiers on both sides cried out amid the din. Despite being outnumbered and isolated, Welskop maintained discipline and rotated his few remaining able-bodied men to critical sectors, using the natural folds of the hillside to maximize what little defensive advantage the ground provided. His platoon repelled repeated counterattacks through sheer tenacity, preventing the Allies from overrunning the position and buying precious time for other German forces.
When the broader German command under General Julius Ringel and Generalmajor Alfred Sturm later ordered the evacuation of several contested heights due to mounting casualties and logistical strain, Welskop's isolated group never received the withdrawal signal. Unaware of the wider tactical shift and cut off from communications, they continued to cling stubbornly to their hard-won crest. This unintended holdout created a powerful deception: Allied commanders, observing the persistent German presence on the hill, overestimated the strength and cohesion of the airborne troops in that sector and diverted reserves to contain what they believed was a larger threat. The resulting confusion pinned down enemy units, disrupted counteroffensives, and contributed materially to the eventual German capture of Crete despite the operation's high cost in lives. For this combination of bold initiative, steadfast defense under extreme pressure, and decisive influence on the battle's outcome, Oberfeldwebel Heinrich Welskop was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 21 August 1941.
The decoration was presented personally by Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring during a special ceremony honoring several Fallschirmjäger heroes of the Crete campaign, including figures such as Dr. Heinrich Neumann, Hans Kroh, Erich Schuster, and Wilhelm Kempke. Welskop's recognition placed him among the earliest non-commissioned officers to receive the prestigious award for airborne actions, highlighting the critical role played by platoon-level leaders in the Luftwaffe's elite forces. After the Crete operation, details of his subsequent wartime service remain sparse in available records, though he continued to serve with the paratroopers through the remainder of the conflict amid the shifting fortunes of the German armed forces. Following the end of hostilities he returned to civilian life in his hometown of Duisburg, where he resided quietly until his death on 7 May 1981 at the age of sixty-four. His actions on Crete exemplified the daring spirit of the Fallschirmjäger and left a lasting imprint on the historical memory of Germany's airborne operations in the Second World War.
On 21 August 1941, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe, personally presented the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross) to six outstanding officers and men of the Fallschirmjäger (German paratroopers) at his headquarters. The recipients—Oberst Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke, Oberstabsarzt Dr. med. Heinrich Neumann, Oberst Hans Kroh, Oberleutnant Heinrich Welskop, Leutnant Erich Schuster, and Feldwebel Wilhelm Kempke—were honored for their extraordinary bravery, leadership, and sacrifice during the Battle of Crete (Operation Merkur) in May 1941. Other pictures from this award ceremony can be seen HERE.
Oberfeldwebel Heinrich Welskop.
Oberfeldwebel Heinrich Welskop.
Oberfeldwebel Heinrich Welskop.
Source:
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/67518/Welskop-Heinrich.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Knight%27s_Cross_of_the_Iron_Cross_recipients_of_the_Fallschirmj%C3%A4ger
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Orden/Ritterkreuz/RKW-R.htm
https://rk.balsi.de/index.php?action=list&cat=300
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=1372489
https://land-dinslaken.de/images/heimatkalender-jahrbuecher/1940-1949/1943/Inhalte/122-123a%20Bei%20der%20Eroberung%20Kretas%20mit%20dabei.pdf
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://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/
https://www.geni.com/
https://books.google.com/ (searches for Fallschirmjäger Knight's Cross recipients)
https://www.ww2.dk/lwoffz.html
Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939–1945, Teil II: Fallschirmjäger (various editions and supplements)
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