Waffen-SS Knights in the Third Battle of Kharkov: The Donets Campaign

Generaloberst Heinz Guderian visiting SS-Panzer-Regiment 1

Das Reich award ceremony following the recapture of Kharkov

Knight's Cross winners of SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Das Reich

Top image: on April 27 1943, the newly appointed Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppen, Generaloberst Heinz Wilhelm Guderian made an inspection visit to the SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Leibstandarte SS after the Third Battle of Kharkov, dubbed the Donets Campaign. Also seen in this pictures taken by SS-Kriegsberichters SS-Hauptsturmführer Otto Ohlemacher and SS-Oberscharführer Wolfgang Wiesebach is among others the chief of staff of the II.SS-Panzerkorps SS-Oberführer Werner Ostendorff (Oakleaves to the KC on May 5 1945) and Leibstandarte officers SS-Obersturmbannführer Georg Schönberger (posthumous KC on Dec. 20 1943), SS-Sturmbannführer Rudolf Lehmann (KC on Feb. 23 1944) and SS-Hauptsturmführer Heinrich Heinz Kling (KC on Feb. 23 1944) with Befehlstiger n°405 in the background. Middle image: following the Donets Campaign and the recapture of Kharkov award ceremonies were held on April 20 1943. These are shots taken just after the Das Reich award ceremony of the Knight's Cross presented by SS-Gruppenführer Walter Krüger (Swords to the KC on Jan. 11 1945). All of the men in the photograph except SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Kumm were awarded the Knight's Cross for extreme battlefield bravery and outstanding military leadership during the Donets Campaign. Kumm himself had won the Knight's Cross back on February 16 1942 as commander of SS-Regiment Der Führer. Bottom image: from left to right: Das Reich officers SS-Obersturmbannführer Sylvester Stadler (Swords to the KC just before the wars end. The award was presented by SS-Oberstgruppenführer Sepp Dietrich, who had no approval authority for the decoration), died in Königsbrunn in Bayern on August 23 1995, SS-Hauptsturmführer Hans Weiß, died in Bruneck in the Italian South Tyrol on October 2 1978, SS-Sturmbannführer Christian Tychsen (Oakleaves to the KC on Dec. 10 1943), died wounded in U.S. captivity in Normandy on July 28 1944, SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Kumm (Swords to the KC on March 17 1945), died in Baden-Württemberg on March 23 2004, SS-Hauptsturmführer Vinzenz Kaiser (recommended for the Oakleaves before his death but never officially confirmed by the OKH), presumably killed in U.S. captivity in the Nürnberg area on the night of April 19-20 1945, and SS-Untersturmführer Karl-Heinz Worthmann, KIA during Operation Citadel in the Belgorod sector on July 6 1943. The Third Battle of Kharkov would be the last major German victory of World War II. Photo by SS-KB Friedrich Zschäckel in the outskirts of Kharkov on April 20 1943. Commons: Bundesarchiv.

ϟϟ-Standartenführer der Waffen-SS Witt

Fritz Witt as SS-Obersturmbannführer

Fritz Witt joined the SS in 1931 and was one of the original 120 men picked for the special SS guard unit, known as the SS-Stabswache Berlin, which was organized by Josef Sepp Dietrich to provide security for Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. By 1933, Witt had reached the rank of SS-Sturmführer in the unit, which had become known as Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler. The young officer had been marked as one of the rising stars of the Waffen-SS for exploits during the early war years. In January 1935, Witt was appointed company commander in the SS-Standarte Deutschland, a unit that later became part of the SS-Division Das Reich. Here, he received the Knight's Cross as SS-Sturmbannführer. He was then transferred to the Leibstandarte SS on October 16 1940 as battalion commander. The Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross were awarded to Witt in recognition of his leadership role in the German counter-strike at Kharkov. Witt's force was reinforced with tanks, artillery and assault guns, and was given the task of attacking from the North. He received the award as SS-Standartenführer from Adolf Hitler at the Werwolf compound north of Vinnytsia in Ukraine on March 1 1943. After the ceremony, Witt went straight back to the still ongoing battle. SS-Kampfgruppe Witt was to form one of three pincers which would destroy Mobile Group Popov and recapture Kharkov. The attack got underway on March 2 1943, and by March 10 1943 SS-Standartenführer Witt had reached the suburbs of Kharkov. After ferocious fighting near Dergatschi, Witt broke through and advanced into the city centre, fighting alongside Kurt Meyer's Kampfgruppe. Over the next few days, the SS battle groups of Witt and Meyers' saw intense fighting, and were cut off several times inside the city. Despite this, they held and SS-Kampfgruppe Peiper reached them and together the three Leibstandarte SS units annihilated the Soviet defenders. Witt was killed by naval artillery barrage aged 36 on June 14 1944 in Normandy. Image: Fritz Witt enjoying sun with Leibstandarte Cdr. SS-Ogruf. Sepp Dietrich before the Donets Campaign. Credit: Julia Kotterias. Fair use.

ϟϟ-Obersturmbannführer der Waffen-SS Meyer

SS-Obersturmbannführer Kurt Meyer

Kurt Meyer aka Panzermeyer was accepted in the SS on October 15 1931. In May 1934, he was transferred to the SS most prestigious unit, the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. SS-Obersturmbannführer Kurt Meyers battalion proved to be extremely valuable during the defensive operations of Armeeabteilung Lanz and Kempf in early 1943, which shielded the key railroad complex of Krasnograd, which allowed the other two divisions of the SS-Panzerkorps to assemble in preparation for Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein's counterattack on Kharkov. The SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Leibstandarte SS was heavily outnumbered and was forced to use aggressive defensive thrusts to keep the Soviets continually off balance while Das Reich and Totenkopf assembled at Krasnograd. After Leibstandarte SS joined the other two divisions of the SS-Panzerkorps southwest of Kharkov, Meyer and his battalion played a key role in the Kharkov counteroffensive that recaptured Kharkov. For his exploits during the Kharkov fighting, Meyer was personally awarded the Oakleaves on February 23 1943 by Adolf Hitler. He was flown to Germany so that Hitler could personally bestow upon him the Oakleaves to his Knight's Cross. After talking in private with Hitler for a time, answering questions about the fighting in the Soviet Union, Meyer soon returned to the Eastern front, rejoining his battalion in time to take part in the recapture of Kharkov. In the summer of 1943, Hitler declared the formation of a new SS division. The SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Hitlerjugend was to be filled by members of the Hitler Youth organization born in 1926. The division's commanding officers were to come from the Leibstandarte SS and was to be commanded by Meyer's old comrade SS-Brigadeführer Fritz Witt. SS-Obersturmbannführer Kurt Meyer was selected to command the young Panzergrenadiers of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 25. He was promoted to SS-Standartenführer on June 21 1943. Credit: George Nipe and Remy Spezzano: Platz der Leibstandarte. Image: portrait of the 33 y.o. SS-Ostubaf. Kurt Meyer, shortly after the award of the Oakleaves. Picture taken in the outskirts of Kharkov 1943. c. Bundesarchiv.

ϟϟ-Obersturmbannführer der Waffen-SS Harmel

SS-Brigadeführer Heinz Harmel

SPWs of Harmel's 10.SS-Panzerdivision Frundsberg

         

           

Heinz Harmel, the son of a soldier, was born in Metz. Intent on following his father, he volunteered for the SS-VT in 1935. Harmel led the 9.Kompanie of the Austrian SS-Standarte Der Führer during the campaign in the Low Countries and France. In Jan. 1941 he was given command of II.Bataillon of his regiment, which he led through the Balkan campaign, being promoted to SS-Sturmbannführer in April 1941. Operating on the central sector of the Eastern Front after the launch of Operation Barbarossa, Harmel was decorated with the German Cross in Gold on Nov. 29 1941. In Dec. 1941 he was given command of SS-Infantry Regiment Deutschland of the SS-Division Reich. His success was recognized by promotion to SS-Obersturmbannführer in June 1942. During the attack that regained Kharkov in March 1943, Harmel personally launched a successful nighttime counter-attack on his own initiative, leading a combined force of tanks and armoured infantry; during this action he single-handedly destroyed a Soviet tank. This exploit brought Harmel the Knight's Cross on 31 March 1943, and on April 20 1943 he was promoted to SS-Standartenführer. Harmel was an inspirational leader, always in the thick of the fighting with his men, and was greatly admired and trusted. On Sept. 7 1943 he received the Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross, and was also awarded the Close Combat Clasp in Silver. In the spring of 1944 Harmel was appointed to command the recently formed 10.SS-Panzer-Division Frundsberg and saw action in the relief of the German pocket around Tarnopol in March-April 1944, before being rushed back to the West following the Allied landings in Normandy. After suffering badly from Allied air strikes on its way to the front, Harmel's division went into action on June 30 1944 against the British Operation Epsom. The Frundsberg fought most effectively in the see-saw battles during July and Aug. 1944, being fortunate to escape over the Dives River before the final closing of the Falaise Pocket. Withdrawing into Holland, the division was resting between Arnhem and Nijmegen in Sept. 1944 when the Allied Operation Market Garden sent them back into action. Harmel played an energetic part in defending the Waal Bridge at Nijmegen, and thereafter slowing the Allied advance along Hell's Highway. For his part in the defeat of the airborne operation Harmel was awarded the Swords to the Knight's Cross on Dec. 15 1944. Harmel's command was one of the last to surrender and did so to the British forces in Austria in May 1945. He was a prisoner of war in the United Kingdom for two years. Upon his release, he returned to Germany and worked as a sales representative. A highly respected soldier; in fact, in 1984 Harmel was awarded the Medal for Franco-German Reconciliation by the town of Bayeux in Normandie, around which his SS-Panzer division Frundsberg had fought 40 years previously. He also developed a post-war friendship with Major General John Frost, against whose British paratroopers he had fought at Arnhem; Harmel had personally authorized a ceasefire to allow the collection of British wounded from the battlefield, and ensured their decent treatment thereafter. Harmel maintained close links with his former panzergrenadiers and was a very active participant in the postwar Waffen-SS veteran's organization, taking a personal interest in their welfare. Heinz Harmel died aged 94 on Sept. 2 2000 in Krefeld. Credit: George Mai. Left image: Oakleaves and Swords holder SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS Harmel. Photo taken in December 1944 by SS-Kriegsberichter Peter Adendorf. c. Bundesarchiv. Right image: a column of SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 21 from Harmel's newly created Frundsberg during the division's first battles in Western Ukraine in spring 1944. c. Bundesarchiv.

ϟϟ-Sturmbannführer der Waffen-SS Hansen

Max Hansen as SS-Sturmbannführer

Original SS-Division Leibstandarte SS Cuff Title

Max Hansen joined the SS in 1933 before he was selected for officer training as a result of his performance and personality. Max Hansen saw intense combat in the invasion of Poland, the fall of France, the sweep through the Balkans and Greece before the Campaign in the East, named Operation Barbarossa. By the winter of 1941, Hansen was awarded the German Cross in Gold, in part for his actions at Uman, at the Sea of Asov, along the Mius and during the fighting at Rostov. SS-Sturmbannführer Max Hansen could take pleasure in the award of the Knight's Cross in the spring of 1943, which was presented to him for his extraordinary successes in the Third Battle of Kharkov. Hansen's division Leibstandarte SS, plus SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Das Reich and Totenkopf – tore open the northern flank of the defending Soviet forces and then advanced back into Kharkov in house-to-house fighting that lasted for days. His battalion broke through to the Red Square in Kharkov and opened the way to the city centre. Dozen of Soviet divisions were eliminated. Hansen also received the Wound Badge in Silver for the shrapnel he received from an exploding hand grenade in close combat. Since he was involved in so many days of close combat with the Leibstandarte SS at Kharkov and then again in the summer during the major offensive campaign at Kursk, Hansen had assembled enough close-combat days by September 1943 that he was awarded the Close Combat Badge in Silver. In 1944 he participated in the bitter fighting of the Normandy Campaign and in the Ardennes and in 1945 in the German-Hungarian attempt to relieve the Soviet siege of Budapest. Hansen was wounded for the ninth time in the failed counteroffensive Spring Awakening in Hungary – even as a regimental commander, the SS-Obersturmbannführer Max Hansen led from the front. He collected enough close-combat days that he crossed the 50 standard for the Close Combat Clasp in Gold. He not only received that award in the hospital, but was also rewarded for the performance of his regiment in the Ardennes with the Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross. He was promoted SS-Standartenführer on April 20 1945. Hansen surrendered his forces.to the Americans at Linz after six difficult years of war. All that remained of what once had been one of the proudest elite divisions of the Waffen-SS were some 1,600 SS-Panzergrenadiers. After World War II, Max Hansen served as the manager of a mid-level company. The father of four died at his place of birth on March 7 1990. Credit: The Face of Courage. Top mage: Max Hansen as SS-Sturmbannführer at the Eastern Front. Commons: Bundesarchiv.

ϟϟ-Sturmbannführer der Waffen-SS Peiper

Knight's Cross holder Joachim Peiper

Recipient of the Oakleaves

One incident during these hectic and confused days brought the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross to a young officer who was to become one of Leibstandarte SS best known and most highly decorated soldiers: SS-Sturmbannführer Joachim Peiper. 

The battered 320th Infantry Division had been struggling westwards to reach German-held territory before it could be overtaken by the Soviet pursuers. The division, however, was burdened with over 1,500 seriously wounded soldiers and was unable to make much speed. The divisional commander was unwilling to abandon his wounded, and so the division was by-passed by the fast-moving Soviet units and eventually surrounded. The task of leading a relief column behind enemy lines to rescue the infantrymen fell to Peiper's 3rd Battalion of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2. Peiper's Panzers crossed the Donetz and pushed eastwards for over 40km into Soviet held-territory, fending off all enemy attempts to halt it. Once contact was made with the 320th Infantry Division, the medics from Peiper's relief force toiled through the night to help treat the worst of the wounded. When morning dawned, the Waffen-SS troops formed an armoured shield around the divisional perimeter and escorted the battered Wehrmacht units on their trek westwards towards the Donetz and relative safety. On reaching the river at Udy, Peiper had hoped to cross at a small bridge which he thought was still in German hands. On arriving he discovered the bridge had been attacked and destroyed by the Soviets, who had killed most of the German defenders, as well as many of the wounded. Peiper's men fell upon the Soviet troops with a fury and a vicious battle ensued. Peiper's men gave no quarter, and the bridge was retaken. The repaired bridge, however, would not support the unit's heavy-armored half-tracks and assault guns. Peiper ordered his men back behind the Soviet lines to find another exit. Eventually, the relief force reached German-held territory safely. The Soviets alleged that the Germans set fire to two villages during Peiper's attack. SS-Obergruppenführer und Panzer-Generaloberst der Waffen-SS Josef Sepp Dietrich recommended the then SS-Sturmbannführer Joachim Peiper for the award of the Knight's Cross on March 7 1943, and Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler approved the award just two days later. 
Peiper commanded his Panzers with great skill and daring. He also provided an example of personal daring which goes far to explain his success as a combat leader: he expected much of his men but demanded more of himself. One of many anecdotes that has survived describes Peiper's destruction of an onruching Soviet T-34 tank with a rifle grenade at a few meters range. Peiper grinned, observing, that should suffice for the close-combat badge, boys. On November 20 1943, SS-Obersturmbannführer Georg Schönberger was killed in action, and Peiper took his place as commander of the SS-Panzer-Regiment 1 of the Leibstandarte SS; a position he held until the end of the war. The 28-year-old Peiper personally led the regiment through the winter and was engaged in numerous night assaults against the Red Army. His panzer unit played an essential role in stalling the Soviet offensive in the area of Zhytomyr. In the following days, Peiper's panzers penetrated thirty kilometers into the Soviet rear, put to flight the field headquarters of four Soviet divisions, and claimed 2,280 Soviet troops killed, a figure that might be contrasted with a total of three prisoners taken during the same period. SS-Obersturmbannführer Joachim Peiper was to receive the Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross for these exploits. Images: Jochen Peiper in photographs used by news agencies in numerous newspapers on the occasion of his award of the Oakleaves in January 1944. Fair use.

ϟϟ-Sturmbannführer der Waffen-SS Stadler

SS-Sturmbannführer Sylvester Stadler

Original SS-Division Das Reich Cuff Title

An Austrian, like many of the brave soldiers of the Waffen-SS, Sylvester Stadler born in the Steiermark region. He entered the SS in 1933 before his homeland was annexed into the Reich. In August 1940, SS-Hauptsturmführer Stadler assumed command of SS-Regiment Der Führer. In the summer of 1941, SS-Division Reich was attacking in full force at Jelnja, Minsk, Orscha, Kiev and Smolensk, where Stadler and his company proved themselves. Stadler then participated in the difficult and bloody fighting outside of Moscow, before he was part of the famous defensive action of the regiment at Cholm and Welikje Luki. Together with some of the best divisions on the Eastern Front, SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Das Reich participated in fighting to retake Kharkov in early 1943. For repeated demonstrations of bravery at the head of his battalion and for his outstanding leadership during the Kharkov battles, Stadler was awarded the Knight's Cross on April 6 1943. A few weeks later SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS Paul Hausser informed him that he was being designated the regimental commander of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment Der Führer. Stadler could only stammer: Aren´t I too young for that? Hausser replied with a smile: Noncence, Stadler. Think of the great Napoleon. He wasn´t much older than you… Stadler, of course, proved to be more than up to the job. Promoted SS-Obersturmbannführer on April 20 1943, Stadler excelled in all of the engagements and battles through his initiative, bravery and loyalty to his men. During the next few months, Stadler led his battalions west of Kharkov and during the offensive against Kursk itself. He received the Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross only five months after having been awarded the Knight's Cross. He was the 17th member of the Waffen-SS to be so honored. The award of at least one, possible two, Tank Destruction Strips also demonstrated the impressive personal commitment to duty far beyond the duty description of a battalion or regimental commander. On December 12 1943, SS-Obersturmbannführer Stadler became the 35th soldier of the German armed forces to receive the Close Combat Clasp in Gold when he hit the threshold of 50 days of close combat. On January 30 1944, he was promoted SS-Standartenführer and on July 10 1944, he was made commander of the elite 9.SS-Panzer-Division Hohenstaufen. At the age of 33, he was one of the youngest officers in the Waffen-SS to hold this rank. At the end of 1944, Stadler's panzers participated in the Ardennes Offensive. During the offensive, the SS-Oberführer Stadler once again demonstrated his sense of military fairness, in which he exchanged wounded U.S. soldiers for captured soldiers of his division. A short while later, Hohenstaufen was dispatched to the 6.SS-Panzer-Armee west of Budapest. When he received order to pull back to the west in the face of the sheer hopelessness of the situation he did not carry out the order. Instead, he launched a risky relief attack on Stuhlweißenburg, which allowed the withdrawel of the German forces encircled there. Shortly afterwards he was promoted SS-Brigadeführer. On May 4 1945 he negotiated a ceasefire with American forces and received assurances that 9.SS-Panzerdivision Hohenstaufen would go into U.S. captivity. At the very end of the war, the first-class frontline SS-officer Sylvester Stadler was presented the Swords to the Knight's Cross, as the 23rd officer of the Waffen-SS, by SS-Oberstgruppenführer Sepp Dietrich, which would make it an unlawful presentation. Stadler was released from captivity in 1948 and started a life as a businessman. The family man with two sons died on Aug. 23 1995 in Königsbrunn. Credit: Florian Berger: The Face of Courage. Top image: Sylvester Stadler in Ukraine in March 1943. Photo by SS-KB Friedrich Zschäckel. c. Bundesarchiv. Bottom image: original Das Reich cuff title. PD.

ϟϟ-Sturmbannführer der Waffen-SS Wünshe

SS-Sturmbannführer Max Wünsche

Max Wünsche joined the SS in 1933 where he attended the NCO training course at Jüterbog. Wünsche was selected to be an officer and attended SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz, graduating in 1936 and posted to the Leibstandarte SS. In 1938 Wünche was assigned to the Führerbegleitkommando (Führer Escort Command). In 1940 he returned to the Leibstandarte SS, as platoon commander in the 15th (motorcycle) Company, under the command of Kurt Meyer, for the invasion of Holland and the Battle of France. He was attached to the Leibstandarte SS during the invasion of the Soviet Union and numerous times he flew over enemy held territory in a Fieseler Storch on reconnaissance missions. In 1942 Wünsche was given command of the Leibstandarte SS-Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 1. The Battalion was involved in stopping Soviet attempts to break through the German lines. In early February 1943 Wünsche resumed command of 1st Battalion of SS-Panzer-Regiment 1 of the Leibstandarte SS. His new battalion's first action was at Kharkov, fighting in blizzard conditions, they halted the Soviet advance and held the town of Merefa. They went on to relieve the encircled 1.SS-Reconnaissance Battalion of the Leibstandarte SS, commanded by his old commander SS-Obersturmbannführer Kurt Meyer. Wünsche and his battalion succeeded in breaking through the lines to Meyer's beleaguered troops, saving them from destruction. Together the two battalions formed a SS-Kampfgruppe and continued the attack, defeating the Soviet VI Guards Cavalry Corps at Kharkov. For these actions Wünsche was awarded the German Cross in Gold. Max Wünsche and SS-Obersturmbannführer Kurt Meyer were aggressive and daring in combat and Wünsche's Panzer battalion often supported Meyer's reconnaissance battalion during the fighting around Kharkov. Their relationship was tempered in the fire of the Eastern Front and each had absolute confidence in the other. On February 25 1943 Wünsche's SS-Kampfgruppe located the Soviet 350th Rifle Division approaching the Division's southern flank. Acting on his own, Wünsche personally led his Panzers in a stunning assault on a Soviet defensive position in the Jefremovka area. Nearly 800 Soviet infantry were killed during the attack, which penetrated into the depths of the Soviet defensive position and destroyed 37 7.62cm artillery pieces, ten 4.5cm anti-tank guns and several 12.2cm howitzers. For this action Wünsche was awarded the Knight's Cross on February 28 1943. In June 1943, Wünsche was ordered to transfer to a new division forming in France, which later became 12.SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend and take command of the SS-Panzer-Regiment 12. Image: SS-Stubaf. Max Wünsche, age 27, shortly after receiving the Knight's Cross. Photo taken in the outskirts of Kharkov in March 1943. c. Bundesarchiv. 

ϟϟ-Sturmbannführer der Waffen-SS Kaiser

SS-Stubaf. Vinzenz Kaiser on his Knight's Cross award ceremony

Zenz Kaiser and Hans Weiß after the Third Battle of Kharkov

Kaiser and Weiß congratulates each other for the award of the KC

SS-Ostubaf. Otto Kumm congratulates Zenz Kaiser

Another Austrian of the Waffen-SS, Vinzenz Kaiser. He too, like Sylvester Stadler, was born in the Steiermark region of Austria. Kaiser joined the Austrian SS in 1931 and in 1934 the II./SS1, which later became SS-Standarte Deutschland. With Kaiser's regiment frequently in the lead, the SS-Division Reich proved itself in the rapid campaigning of Operation Barbarossa and, by the winter 1941, advanced in the middle sector of the front to the area of Moscow. Kaiser showed himself to be a terrific front-line soldier, a brilliant tactician. Always in the hot spots of the operations with men and vehicles, he received the German Cross in Gold in 1942. Kaiser soon became known as a specialist in maneuver warfare. The one-time aspiring businessman with an interest in politics had become a talented officer and brave soldier. His men, who were completely loyal to him, called him Zenz. In the Third Battle of Kharkov 1943 Kaiser ordered an immediate counterattack by his battalion into an enemy attack. Kaiser's Panzergrenadiers pushed the Soviets back and enabled the rapid retaking of Kharkov as a result of his risky decision. Over and over again, Kaiser's men broke through the positions of the enemy in the buildings and along the streets as the result of frontal attacks, well-directed thrusts to the flanks and in raids. It was noted that during these attacks Kaiser destroyed four Soviet tanks by hand, being the only regimental commander in the Waffen-SS to do so at this time. For these achievements he was promoted to SS-Hauptsturmführer and awarded the Knight's Cross in April 1943. Kaiser also received the Close Combat Clasp in Gold for his 50th day of close combat. At 40 years of age, he was one of the oldest recipients of that award. In June 1944, the hard frontline veteran and his men were transferred to the German-Latin 17.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Götz von Berlichingen on the Western Front. Kaiser took part in the battles of Normandy and the retreat across the Rhine. In the course of defensive operations in the very outskirts of Nürnberg in April 1945, the highly experienced SS-Obersturmbannführer Kaiser and father of three wanted to observe American movements for himself. Together with his adjutant, SS-Hauptsturmführer Franz Kukala, he headed out to conduct reconnaissance. This inappropriate action for an acting division commander – but quite typical for a Waffen-SS veteran of Kaiser's type – cost him his life. Neither of the officers returned and were considered as missing for a long time. It was not until decades after World War II ended that the gravesite of the adjutant was discovered. Signs of beating and shot to the back of the head at close range were found. Vinzenz Kaiser, holder of the RK awarded to recognize his battlefield bravery, is presumed to have died on the night of April 19-20 1945 in U.S. captivity. He was recommended for the award of the Oakleaves weeks before he was murdered. Credit: Florian Berger: The Face of Courage. Clips showing the then SS-Stubaf. Zenz Kaiser when awarded the RK on April 20 1943 after the recapture of Kharkov. He wears the Knight's Cross and no less than four Single-Handed Tank Destruction Badges on his right arm. Footage: Die Deutsche Wochenschau.

ϟϟ-Sturmbannführer der Waffen-SS Tychsen

SS-Sturmbannführer Christian Tychsen

Commanders of SS-Pz.Reg.2 Das Reich at Kursk

Christian Tychsen joined the SS in December 1931. He was one of the most highly thought of combat commanders of Das Reich and was legendary for his fearlessness in combat. The Das Reich division had a most fearsome combat reputation, seeing action in nearly all the major engagements of World War II. It performed extremely well under some of the most capable and energetic commanders of the Waffen-SS. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Das Reich's panzers played a key role in the Kharkov campaign in early 1943. The division knocked out a total of 292 Soviet tanks and SU's in the Kharkov-Belgorod campaign, and lost 77 tanks and assault guns. SS-Sturmbannführer Christian Tychsen's command tank was a Panzer II numbered B11. He was an inspirational leader preferring to command his units from the front line in the thick of the action adapting powerful and fierce tactics with great speed. Tychsen was awarded the Knight's Cross on March 31 1943 for his brilliant leadership of Das Reich's II.Battalion during the severe fighting of Kharkov. He became the commander of SS-Panzer-Regiment 2 Das Reich in November 1943. Most of the Flemish volunteers in the Das Reich division were concentrated in this regiment. After being severly wounded more than nine times, Tychsen was killed on July 28 1944 while commanding 2.SS-Panzer-Division Das Reich in Normandy. He died of his wounds in American captivity and was stripped of all his decorations and all other types of identification for souvenirs - as a result the Oakleaves holder SS-Obersturmbannführer Christian Tychsen was buried as an unknown soldier but was identified in the 1970's and rebuired with full honors. Top image: the 32-year-old Christian Tychsen in April 1943 after the Third Battle of Kharkov. Also in the picture is SS-Ostuf. Hans Pavelka, KIA on July 16 1943, and SS-Ustuf. Karl-Heinz Worthmann, KIA on July 6 1943 near Belgorod. Credit: Bekors. Bottom image: battalion commander SS-Stubaf. Christian Tychsen, the successful tank commander regimental adjutant SS-Hstuf. Karl-Heinz Lorenz, KIA on July 7 1943, near the Belgorod-Kursk railway when Tiger S24 was destroyed, and regimental commander SS-Ostubaf. Hans-Albin von Reitzenstein during Citadel in July 1943. Credit: Johannes Dorn. c. Bundesarchiv.

ϟϟ-Hauptsturmführer der Waffen-SS Bremer

SS-Obersturmführer Gerd Bremer

Gerhard Bremer from Saarbrücken studied at the Napola school in Plön between 1933 and 1936. He then joined the SS-VT aged 19 and was first assigned to SS-Standarte Germania. In 1938, after graduation from the SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz he took command of the 10th Company of the Leibstandarte SS. Bremer served in the Infanterie-Regiment Leibstandarte SS in the Polish Campaign, the Battle of France and the Balkans. After the end of the Balkan campaign he was promoted SS-Obersturmführer and given command of the first motor cycle company of the Leibstandarte SS, the SS Aufklärungs-Abteilung 1. Bremer was awarded the Knight's Cross as commander of the Kradschützen Company during Operation Barbarossa on October 30 1941, at the age of 24. He participated in the battles for Kharkov and SS-Brigadeführer Kurt Meyer later wrote in Grenadiers: The company commander, Gerd Bremer, looked at me calmly. I could always see in his eyes that he would follow me to the ends of the earth. Nowhere did I see doubt or even the hint of being uncomfortable with was going on. As far as the eye could see the Soviets were stampeding in wild flight. Bremer rampaged like a loosed hunting dog, leading his company toward the densest throng. Our lightning speed had literally unnerved the Soviets. I followed Bremer and stormed through approaching Russians with my dispatch riders. Bremer stayed with the Leibstandarte SS until June 1943 when he was given the command of III.Battalion/SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26 of the newly formed SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Hitlerjugend. Image: SS-Ostuf. Gerhard Bremer in Ukraine. Photo by SS-KB Geyk. U.S. NARA.