Hermann Richard Heidrich (27 July 1896 – 22 December 1947) was a German paratroop general during

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 ...

. He was a recipient of the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords 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 ...

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 ...

Life

Richard Heidrich, the son of Johann Carl Heidrich and his wife Amalie, née Auguste, volunteered for military service in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

after achieving his emergency

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

(''Notabitur''). He became an officer in 1915 and won the

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 in ...

1st Class. After the war, he fought with the Freikorps in the

Baltics The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...

and in 1920 was accepted by the

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' (; ) was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first two years of Nazi Germany. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...

, where he served in a number of posts in the infantry. In 1938, Heidrich commanded the parachute infantry battalion (''Fallschirm-Infanterie-Bataillon'') of the Heer which he had formed as a Major in the infantry. Heidrich and his unit were transferred into the Luftwaffe on 1 January 1939. The

Fallschirmjäger The () were the airborne forces branch of the Luftwaffe before and during World War II. They were the first paratroopers to be committed in large-scale airborne operations. They were commanded by Kurt Student, the Luftwaffe's second-in-comman ...

, while still in an early stage of formation, were thus augmented by a 2nd Battalion for the 1st Parachute Regiment. Heidrich was transferred to the staff of the

7th Air Division The 7th Air Division (7 AD) served the United States Air Force with distinction from early 1944 through early 1992, earning an outstanding unit decoration and a service streamer along the way. History Hawaii As the 7th Fighter Wing, the divis ...

, but then left the Luftwaffe to lead the 514th Infantry Regiment in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

. In June 1940, General

Kurt Student Kurt Arthur Benno Student (12 May 1890 – 1 July 1978) was a German general in the Luftwaffe during World War II. An early pioneer of airborne forces, Student was in overall command of developing a paratrooper force to be known as the ''Fallschi ...

was able to persuade Heidrich to transfer back to the Luftwaffe. He then formed the 3rd Parachute Regiment which he led with great success in the

Battle of Crete The Battle of Crete (, ), codenamed Operation Mercury (), was a major Axis Powers, Axis Airborne forces, airborne and amphibious assault, amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May ...

. In November 1942, Heidrich commanded the 1st Parachute Division, which was deployed on the Eastern Front. Starting 12 July 1943, the 1st Parachute Division was deployed to

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

to counter the Allied invasion of the island. The division was directly involved in fighting around the Primosole Bridge. The 1st Parachute Divisions toughest fighting came after the Allied landings on the Italian mainland, particularly in the three battles of Monte Cassino. Elements of the division under Heidrich's command also participated in the fighting at Anzio-Nettuno. As commanding general of the I Parachute Corps, Heidrich oversaw the corps’ withdrawal up the entire length of Italy. On 23 January 1945, General Heidrich was seriously wounded and taken to the field hospital. He gave his last order on 1 May 1945 at the corps command post in Italy and gave up his command of the 1st Parachute Corps. He was then transferred to the hospital at home. There he was taken prisoner of war by the British on 3 May 1945.

Death

When he was released from captivity in the summer of 1945, General Richard Heidrich, who had never recovered from his wounds, did not have long to live and died on 22 December 1947 at the age of just 51 in the Hamburg-Bergedorf (another source states Hamburg-Bahrenfeld) care hospital (''Versorgungslazarett'').

Awards

(1914), 2nd and 1st Class * Saxon

Albert Order The Albert Order () was created on 31 December 1850 by King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony to commemorate Albert III, Duke of Saxony (known as Albert the Bold). It was to be awarded to anyone who had served the state well, for civil virtue, s ...

, Knights Cross 2nd Class with Swords (SA3bX) * Civil Order of Saxony, Knights Cross 2nd Class with Swords (SV3bX) *

Wound Badge The Wound Badge () was a German military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was first awarded to soldiers of the Imperial German Army, German Army who were wounded during World War I. Between the worl ...

(1918) in Black *

Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (), commonly referred to as the Hindenburg Cross or the German WWI Service Cross, was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, President of the German Weimar Republic, by an order dated 13 July ...

with Swords * Parachutist Badge of the Army *

Sudetenland Medal The 1 October 1938 Commemorative Medal () was commonly known as the Sudetenland Medal. It was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded during the interwar period, and the second in a series of Occupation Medals. Description Instituted on 18 October ...

with the Prague Castle Bar * Repetition Clasp 1939 to the Iron Cross 1914, 2nd and 1st Class on 25 May 1941Thomas 1997, p. 259. * Mentioned four times in the ''

Wehrmachtbericht ''Wehrmachtbericht'' (, literally: "Armed forces report", usually translated as Wehrmacht communiqué or Wehrmacht report) was the daily Wehrmacht High Command mass-media communiqué and a key component of Nazi propaganda during World War II. ...

'' (9 June 1941, 24 December 1943, 25 March 1944, 29 June 1944) * Crete Cuff Title * Parachutist Badge of the Luftwaffe on 12 December 1943 (in exchange for the army badge) *

(1939) in Silver *

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 on 31 March 1942 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 ...

'' in Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 3Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 172. *

** Knight's Cross on 14 June 1941 as ''Oberst'' and commander of the Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 3Scherzer 2007, p. 374. ** Oak Leaves on 5 February 1944 as ''

Generalleutnant () is the German-language variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO ...

'' and commander of the 1. Fallschirmjäger-Division ** Swords on 25 March 1944 as ''Generalleutnant'' and commander of the 1. Fallschirmjäger-Division

References

Citations Bibliography * * * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Heidrich, Richard 1896 births 1947 deaths Military personnel of the Kingdom of Saxony Luftwaffe World War II generals German Army personnel of World War I Reichswehr personnel Generals of Parachute Troops Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United Kingdom Military personnel from Saxony People from Görlitz (district) Battle of Crete