ϟϟ-Obersturmbannführer der Waffen-SS Weidinger

Otto Weidinger as SS-Sturmbannführer

Original SS-Regiment Der Führer Officer's Cuff Title

Otto Weidinger from Würzburg in Bayern enlisted in the SS-Verfügungstruppe in April 1934. He volunteered for officer training and entered the SS-Junkerschule in Braunschweig in May 1935. Weidinger first saw combat with the SS-Standarte Deutschland during the invasion of Poland in 1939. After subjugating Poland, his unit participated in the Battle of the Netherlands, where he distinguished himself, earning the Iron Cross First Class. During Operation Barbarossa, Weidinger served on the divisional staff of SS-Division Reich. In June 1943, he saw significant combat action at the Battle of Kursk where he received a serious head wound while serving in SS-Regiment Germania. In April 1944, Weidinger was awarded the Knight's Cross and the assumption of command of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 4 Der Führer of the 2.SS-Panzer-Division Das Reich at the Normandy coastline. After two months of heavy fighting following the D-Day invasion, Weidinger's unit, along with 80,000 other German troops, were surrounded in what would be known as the Falaise Gap. Faced with the prospect of surrender or annihilation, Weidinger had his unit constantly probe the enemy line for weaknesses, which he then exploited by using his remaining Panzers. Ten thousand German troops were able to escape the collapsing pocket. For his actions in the face of near-certain defeat, Weidinger was awarded Oakleaves to his Knight's Cross in December 1944. One of the last things Weidinger did before surrendering to U.S. forces was to use his men to save as many ethnic German civilians and conscripts as possible from imminent massacre in Prague. He did so by leading a convoy of several hundreds of cars and trucks in all thinkable shapes and sizes out of Prague just a few days before wars' end. After the end of WWII, Weidinger was imprisoned by the Americans, along with thousands of other Waffen-SS men who were automatically considered war criminals by virtue of being volunteers in the Waffen-SS, which was designated as a criminal organization by the Allies. After 6 and 1/2 years in prison, he was finally put on trial as a war criminal, along with 50 other Waffen-SS soldiers. All were charged with a war crime for being volunteers in the Waffen-SS. He was acquitted by a military court in Bordeaux in France on June 19 1951 and released on June 23 1951. Upon his release, Weidinger worked as a pharmacist until his retirement. From 1967 to 1982, he wrote Comrades to the End - the complete regimental history of the German-Austrian SS-Regiment Der Führer as well as a 6 volume history of SS-Division Das Reich consisting of five text volumes and a photo compilation. In 1984, he published a controversial account of the Tulle massacre: Tulle and Oradour. A German-French tragedy. SS-Ostubaf. Otto Weidinger died aged 75 on Jan. 10 1990 in Baden-Württemberg. Awards i.a.: Knight's Cross with Oakleaves and Swords, Wound Badge in Silver, Close Combat Clasp in Bronze and Tank Destruction Badge. Top image: Private collection. Fair use.