|
German Cross
The War Order of the German Cross (), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repeated acts of bravery or military leadership; and in silver for distinguished non-combat war service. The German Cross in Gold ranked higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, while the German Cross in Silver ranked higher than the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords but below the Knight's Cross of the War Merit Cross with Swords. Eligibility The German Cross was issued in two versions: gold and silver (the color of the laurel wreath around the swastika). The gold version was awarded to military personnel for repeated acts of bravery in combat, or of military leadership, with 6–8 acts as a rule of thumb. The silver version was awarded for multiple distinguished services in the war effort and was considered a continuation of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the insignia of the medieval Teutonic Order and borne by its knights from the 13th century. As well as being a military medal, it has also been used as an emblem by the Prussian Army, the Imperial German Army, and the of the Weimar Republic, while the ''Balkenkreuz'' (bar cross) variant was used by the ''Wehrmacht''. The Iron Cross is now the emblem of the , the modern German armed forces. King Frederick William III of Prussia established the Iron Cross award on 17 March 1813 during the Napoleonic Wars (EK 1813). The award was backdated to the birthday (10 March) of his late wife, Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen Louise, who was the first person to receive it (posthumously). The Iron Cross was also awarded during the Franco-Prussian War ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oberfeldwebel
(; OFw or OF) is the fourth highest non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in German Army and German Air Force. History The rank was introduced first by the German Reichswehr in 1920. Preferable most experienced Protégée-NCO of the old army have been promoted. Within the Reichswehr, was taken over as second-highest Protégée-NCO rank by the German Wehrmacht in 1935. In the military branch cavalry, artillery and anti-aircraft artillery it was called Oberwachtmeister. The equivalent rank to the Oberfeldwebel in the Waffen-SS was the SS-Hauptscharführer from 1938 until 1945. The rank has been used in the GDR National People's Army from 1956 until 1990 as well. Rank information It is grouped as OR6 in NATO, equivalent in the US Army to Staff Sergeant, or in British Army / RAF to Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alfred-Ingemar Berndt
Alfred-Ingemar Berndt (22 April 1905 – 28 March 1945) was a German Nazi journalist, writer and close collaborator of Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda Joseph Goebbels. Berndt joined the Nazi Party at the age of 18 and became a brownshirt at 20. A freelance journalist, he was deputy editor of Goebbels’s party newspaper before joining the staff of the Nazi Propaganda Ministry in 1936. Berndt wrote an eyewitness account of the 1940 German invasion of the Low Countries and France filled with distortions and falsehoods, he is also considered the propagandistic creator of the Rommel myth attached to German field marshal Erwin Rommel. A fervent Nazi, Berndt murdered a captured Allied pilot in cold blood in front of numerous witnesses. In early 1945, he was given command of a battalion of the 5th SS Panzer Regiment and was killed in a Soviet air raid on 28 March 1945 at Veszprém, Hungary. Youth and first political activities Alfred-Ingemar Berndt was th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bodo Zimmermann
Bodo Zimmermann (26 November 1886 – 16 April 1963) was a German general during the Second World War. He also was one of the few recipients of both German crosses (in Gold and in Silver). Biography Bodo Zimmermann was born in Metz in November 1886. He began his cadet training in 1906, joining the Royal Army of Prussia. Zimmermann served in an infantry regiment of the 34th Division. From 1907 to 1914 he served in the regiment with the rank of ''Oberleutnant'' (first lieutenant). In 1915, shortly after the start of the First World War, he was promoted to the rank of captain. During the war he received the Iron Cross for his exemplary actions. Zimmermann was promoted to major in 1920 shortly before leaving the army. After the war he ran a publishing house which specialised in military literature and instructional manuals. Shortly before the Second World War began in 1939, Zimmermann was reintegrated in the new armed forces of Nazi Germany, the Wehrmacht. As major, Zimmermann ser ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Felix Schwalbe
__NOTOC__ Eugen-Felix Schwalbe (25 March 1892 – 12 June 1974) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Awards and decorations * German Cross in Silver on 30 October 1943 and in Gold on 7 December 1944 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 13 July 1940 as ''Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...'' and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 461Fellgiebel 2000, p. 320. References Citations Bibliography * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schwalbe, Felix 1892 births 1974 deaths German Army generals of World War II Generals of Infantry (Wehrmacht) German Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recip ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walther Rauff
Hermann Julius Walther Rauff, also Walther Rauff (19 June 1906 – 14 May 1984) was a mid-ranking SS commander in Nazi Germany. From January 1938, he was an aide of Reinhard Heydrich firstly in the Security Service (''Sicherheitsdienst'' or SD), later in the Reich Security Main Office. He worked for the Federal Intelligence Service of West Germany (''Bundesnachrichtendienst'') between 1958 and 1962, and was subsequently employed by the Israeli secret service. He sailed to South America in December 1949 and landed in Ecuador, initially living in Quito. He was described in a documentary on the History Channel as one of the seven most dangerous Nazis who fled to South America after World War II. Rauff escaped an Allied internment camp in Italy and then was able to hide in Italian monasteries. Rauff was able to live in Quito, for almost ten years after World War II, departing in 1958 and travelling to Chile before returning to Germany in 1960 to collect his German Navy pension. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Standartenführer
__NOTOC__ ''Standartenführer'' (short: ''Staf'', , ) was a Nazi Party (NSDAP) paramilitary rank that was used in several NSDAP organizations, such as the SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK. First founded as a title in 1925, in 1928 it became one of the first commissioned NSDAP ranks and was bestowed upon those SA and SS officers who commanded a unit known as a '' Standarte'' (plural ''Standarten''), a unit equivalent to an army battalion and comprising 300–500 personnel. In 1929 the rank of ''Standartenführer'' was divided into two separate ranks known as ''Standartenführer'' (I) and ''Standartenführer'' (II). This concept was abandoned in 1930 when both the SA and SS expanded their rank systems to allow for more officer positions and thus the need for only a single ''Standartenführer'' rank. In 1933, when Adolf Hitler came to national power in Germany, the rank of ''Standartenführer'' had been established as the highest field officer rank, lower than that of ''Oberführer'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ernst Merk
__NOTOC__ Ernst Merk (27 September 1903 – 12 June 1975) was a general in the Army of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Awards * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. While it was order of precedence, lower in preceden ... on 15 July 1944 as '' Oberst im Generalstab'' and chief of the general staff of the III. PanzerkorpsFellgiebel 2000, p. 252. References Citations Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Merk, Ernst 1903 births 1975 deaths Military personnel from Fürth Military personnel from the Kingdom of Bavaria Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Major generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) Military personnel from Bavaria ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bruno Streckenbach
Bruno Streckenbach (7 February 1902 – 28 October 1977) was a German SS functionary during the Nazi era. He was the head of Administration and Personnel Department of the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA). Streckenbach was responsible for many thousands of murders committed by Nazi mobile killing squads known as ''Einsatzgruppen''. Early years Bruno Streckenbach was born in Hamburg, Germany on 7 February 1902. His highest education was Gymnasium, which he left in April 1918 to voluntarily report to the German Army during World War I. Just like his close colleagues Erwin Schulz and Heinrich Himmler, he never served on the front lines of the battlefield due to the ceasefire that took place in November 1918. After the end of the First World War, he was an active member of the Freikorps Bahrenfeld, which took part in the 1920 Kapp-Putsch. He was employed as a wholesale merchant, tried his hand at advertising, being a radio editor and also trying to establish himself as the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rudolf Lange
Rudolf Lange (18 April 1910 – 23 February 1945) was a German SS-'' Standartenführer'' and police official during the Nazi era. After the invasion of the Soviet Union, he served in ''Einsatzgruppe A'' before becoming a commander of the ''Sicherheitspolizei'' (SiPo) and ''Sicherheitsdienst'' (SD) forces in Riga, '' Generalbezirk Lettland'' (today, Latvia). He participated in the January 1942 Wannsee Conference, at which the genocidal Final Solution to the Jewish Question was planned, and was largely responsible for implementing the murder of Latvia's Jewish population during the Holocaust. He died at the Battle of Poznań in the closing months of the Second World War in Europe. Early life Lange was born in Weißwasser, then in Prussian Silesia, but now located in Saxony. His father was a railway construction supervisor and the family were evangelical Protestants. Lange finished high school in Staßfurt in 1928 and studied law at the University of Halle, the Ludwig Maximil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oskar Dirlewanger
Oskar Paul Dirlewanger (26 September 1895 – ) was a German SS commander known for committing numerous war crimes and atrocities in German-occupied territories during World War II. Dirlewanger was the commander of the SS penal unit known as the Dirlewanger Brigade, considered to be the most brutal and notorious Waffen-SS unit. His unit epitomized the expansion of the war of terror in its most brutal form within the SS, and with Dirlewanger himself regarded as perhaps the Nazi regime's "most extreme executioner," indulging himself in sadistic acts of violence, rape and murder. He reportedly died after the war while in the custody of the Western Allies. Dirlewanger had an impressive career as a junior officer during World War I. He further fought in the post-World War I conflicts in Germany as a minor commander in the ''Freikorps'' militia movement, with the troops he led then also characterized by excessive violence, and participated in the Spanish Civil War. He was also ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
