{{Infobox military person , name = Franz Augsberger , birth_date = {{birth date, 1905, 10, 10, df=y , death_date = {{death date and age, 1945, 3, 19, 1905, 10, 10, df=y , birth_place =

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, death_place = Neustadt,

Oberschlesien Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heavy ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, image = Franz Augsberger.jpg , image_size = , caption = , allegiance =

, branch = ''

Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...

'' , serviceyears = , rank = SS-'' Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS'' , commands =

20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian) The 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian) was a foreign infantry division of the Waffen-SS that served alongside the ''Wehrmacht'' during World War II. According to some sources, the division was under ''Reichsführer-SS'' Hei ...

, unit = , battles =

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 ...

, laterwork = Franz Xaver Josef Maria Augsberger (10 October 1905 – 19 March 1945) was a high-ranking Austrian SS commander during

. He was killed in action in March 1945.

Career

Born in Austria in 1905, Franz Augsberger joined the ''

Sturmabteilung The (; SA; or 'Storm Troopers') was the original paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party of Germany. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and early 1930s. I ...

'' (SA) and the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

(NSDAP) in 1930. He was in charge of the NSDAP's propaganda until June 1933, when the Nazi Party was declared illegal in Austria. Augsberger moved to Germany and joined the ''

Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (; ; SS; also stylised with SS runes as ''ᛋᛋ'') was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II. It beg ...

'' (SS) in 1932. On 1 October 1934 Augsberger joined the ''

SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT, ) was formed in 1934 as combat troops for the Nazi Party (NSDAP). On 17 August 1938 Adolf Hitler decreed that the SS-VT was neither a part of the (order police) nor the , but military-trained men at the disposal of the . In time of wa ...

'' (SS Dispositional Troops; SS-VT), and became a platoon leader until 18 March 1935. He was then recommended to attend the first class at '' SS-Führerschule'' (Officer candidate school) in

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( ; from Low German , local dialect: ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

, where he began classes in April 1935. He was also given the rank of SS-''

Hauptscharführer __NOTOC__ ''Hauptscharführer'' ( ) was a Nazi paramilitary rank which was used by the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank was the highest enlisted rank of the SS, with the exception of the special Waffen-SS ran ...

'' on 1 April 1935. After passing the final exams, he was again promoted to the rank of SS-'' Standartenoberjunker'' in January 1936. After having been promoted to the rank of SS-''

Obersturmführer __NOTOC__ (, ; short: ''Ostuf'') was a Nazi Germany paramilitary ranks, Nazi Germany paramilitary rank that was used in several Nazi organisations, such as the Sturmabteilung, SA, Schutzstaffel, SS, National Socialist Motor Corps, NSKK and the ...

'' in 1936 and SS-''

Hauptsturmführer __NOTOC__ (, ; short: ''Hstuf'') was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in several Nazi organizations such as the SS, NSKK and the NSFK. The rank of ''Hauptsturmführer'' was a mid-level commander and had equivalent seniority to a ...

'' in 1937 and having received additional training at the '' Rasse und Siedlungshauptamt'' he returned to the school in Braunschweig, where he became an instructor, teaching weapons courses, followed by a year of teaching at the SS officer school in

Bad Tölz Bad Tölz (; Bavarian: ''Däiz'') is a town in Bavaria, Germany and the administrative center of the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district. History Archaeology has shown continuous occupation of the site of Bad Tölz since the retreat of the gla ...

until March 1939. At the beginning of March 1939, Franz Augsberger was moved to the SS-Standarte ''

Der Führer Der or DER may refer to: Places * Darkənd, Azerbaijan * Dearborn (Amtrak station) (station code), in Michigan, US * Der (Sumer), an ancient city located in modern-day Iraq * d'Entrecasteaux Ridge, an oceanic ridge in the south-west Pacific Ocean ...

'' where he remained until the beginning of August. He was temporarily reassigned to an ''

Allgemeine-SS The ''Allgemeine SS'' (; "General SS") was a major branch of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany; it was managed by the SS Main Office (''SS-Hauptamt''). The ''Allgemeine SS'' was officially established in the autum ...

'' command in Villach with the rank of SS-''

Sturmbannführer __NOTOC__ ''Sturmbannführer'' (; ) was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank equivalent to Major (rank), major that was used in several Nazi organizations, such as the Sturmabteilung, SA, Schutzstaffel, SS, and the National Socialist Flyers Corps, NSFK ...

'' on 1 August 1939. He was returned to his permanent regiment ''Der Führer'' assignment, where his ''Allgemeine-SS'' rank was changed to SS-''Hauptsturmführer'' on 21 March 1940, which would correspond to his Waffen-SS rank. Augsberger was appointed the commander of a regiment in the

6th SS Mountain Division Nord The 6th SS Mountain Division Nord () was a World War II mountain infantry division of the Waffen-SS, the military wing of the German Nazi Party, primarily consisting of ethnic Germans along with some Norwegian and Swiss volunteers. It was the o ...

. In May 1942 he was awarded the

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 leade ...

in Gold. In October 1942 Augsberger was appointed the commander of

3rd Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade The 3rd Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade () was a formation of the German Waffen-SS during World War II. It was formed in May 1943 at the SS-Truppenübungsplatz Heidelager near Dębica in the General Government through an expansion of the Estonian ...

. In 1944 the brigade was enlarged to form the

, with Augsberger remaining the unit's commander. Augsberger commanded the division during the long retreat of the German forces on the Eastern Front. In early March he was awarded the

by Field Marshal

Ferdinand Schörner Ferdinand Schörner (12 June 1892 – 2 July 1973) was a German military commander and convicted war criminal, who held the rank of ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field Marshal) in the ''Wehrmacht'' of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was the on ...

. On 19 March, he was killed in action as a result of a bomb explosion in the barracks in Neustadt,

Awards

in Gold on 30 May 1942 as SS-''

'' in the SS-Infanterie-Regiment 7 (motorized) *

on 8 March 1945 as SS-'' Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS'' and commander of the 20. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (estnische Nr. 1)Scherzer 2007, p. 196.

References

Citations

{{Reflist

Bibliography

{{Refbegin * {{Cite book , last1=Patzwall , first1=Klaus D. , last2=Scherzer , first2=Veit , year=2001 , title=Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II , trans-title=The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2 , language=German , location=Norderstedt, Germany , publisher=Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall , isbn=978-3-931533-45-8 * {{Cite book , last=Scherzer , first=Veit , year=2007 , title=Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives , trans-title=The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives , language=German , location=Jena, Germany , publisher=Scherzers Militaer-Verlag , isbn=978-3-938845-17-2 {{Refend {{s-start {{s-mil {{succession box, before=none, after=SS-Gruppenführer

Fritz von Scholz Fritz von Scholz (9 December 1896 – 28 July 1944) was a high-ranking member of the Nazi Waffen-SS during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords of Nazi Germany. Nazi military career Bor ...

, title= Commander of 11. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division "Nordland", years=22 March 1943 – 1 May 1943 {{s-end {{Knight's Cross recipients of the 20th Waffen GD {{Subject bar , portal1=Biography {{DEFAULTSORT:Augsberger, Franz 1905 births 1945 deaths Austrian Waffen-SS personnel killed in action SS-Brigadeführer Military personnel from Vienna Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Liberty Sturmabteilung personnel Deaths by airstrike during World War II

Career

Awards

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography