Ritterkreuz des Kriegsverdienstkreuzes / all recipients / pics

[Dieter Zinke]

.... à propos 3 "Ärmelbänder"(cufftitles): I could imagine "Brandenburg", "Afrika" and "Kurland" ??!??

Dieter Z.

[AlifRafikKhan]

Short bio of SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS und Polizei Otto Nikolai Ferdinand Winkelmann:

Otto Winkelmann was bom in Otterndorf on September 4, 1894, the only child of a clerk. He studied three semesters of law and joined the Army in 1912. Commissioned as a Leutnant in December, 1913, he continued his law studies while in the military until the war started. During WWI he won both classes of the Iron Cross and the Wound Badge in Silver, leaving the Army as a Oberleutnant in December 1919 after service with the Freikorps. He joined the Schutzpolizei as a Oberleutnant in November 1919 and was promoted to Hauptmann der Schutzpolizei on May 16, 1923. Arrested for political offenses by the French in 1923, he spent a year in prison and then returned to the Polizei and was promoted to Major der Schutzpolizei in 1933. He joined the NSDAP on November I, 1932, and was Police Director for Görlitz from 1930 to 1937. Serving within the Hauptamt Ordnungspolizei into the early war years and was promoted to Oberstleutant der Schutzpolizei on June 12, 1938, he also joined the SS on September 11, 1938, as an SS-Sturmbannführer. From November, 1937 to November, 1940, he held a staff post with the Ordnungspolizei in Berlin, being promoted to Oberst der Schutzpolizei on April 1, 1940, and to Generalmajor der Polizei on December 22,1941. He was promoted to SS-Obersturmbannführer on September 7, 1938, to SS-Standartenführer on April 1, 1940, to SS-Oberführer on December 9, 1941, to SS-Brigadeführer on March 26, 1942, to SS-Gruppenführer on November 9, 1942, and to SS-Obergruppenfiihrer on March 15, 1944. He also became a General der Waffen-SS on December I, 1944. From November / 940 to March 1944 he was Chief of Amtsgruppe Kommando I (Command Office Group) in the Hauptamt Ordnungspolizei (this became the Kommandoamt in October 1942). Promoted to Generalleutnant der Polizei on August 9, 1942, he was HSSPF " Ungarn " from mid-March, 1944, to mid-February, 1945, and was promoted to General der Polizei on March 15, 1944. From December, 1944 to February, 1945, he also effectively acted as Battle Commander of the besieged city of Budapest. For the rest of the war he was a senior Orpo commander in Austria supervising operations of the HSSPF acting as deputy chief of the Orpo for the Sudetenland. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the War Service Cross with Swords on December 21, 1944 for preventing the Hungarians from surrendering, the German Cross in Silver on November 5, 1943, both classes of the War Service Cross with Swords and the Social Welfare decoration 2nd class. A professional police officer, he did well in Hungary but was appalled by the deportations of the Jews which he could not stop. He was president of the Association of Former Police Officers after the war and died in Bordesholm on September 24, 1977...

Source: "Allgemeine-SS: The Commands, Units & Leaders of the General SS" by Mark C. Yerger

Danke, dear Alif,

by now I should like to point out, that Andreas Schulz and myself will bring a comprehensive bio of Winkelmann - about 17 pages - in the 6th volume of "Die Generale der Waffen-SS und der Polizei", which will be published this year, - the layout is finished until Karl Wolff now. Winkelmann will be on the pages 365 - 388 !!.
Actually because of it I had to refrain to bring Winkelmann up prior to that in this sticky
When the new book is available, I will present another bio


Dieter Z.

[Dieter Zinke]

Hello Dieter,
I found this German Newspaper about the recipients of RkzKVK from 6.6.1943. On page 3 they are listed and on page 4 is a short bio of them.

http://zefys.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de ... 35caebd737

mjölnir

Lieber Lars,

please excuse my very belated thanks, but I was only now - after your friendly explanaion - able to find the link. So we see now:
The awards were presented
to Albin Sawatzki by Generaloberst Guderian
to Obermeister Johannes Holtmeyer by SS-Obergruppenführer Sepp Dietrich
to OT-Frontarbeiter Joseph Hinkerohe by Generalleutnant Scherer (oakleaves)
to Karl Schmid by Generalmajor Galland
to Obermeister Christian Davidshöfer by Korvettenkapitän Liebe
to Walter Rohland by Leutnant Primozic (oakleaves)
to Prof. Karl Krauch by Oberfeldwebel Schönfeld (KC)
to Dr. William Werner by Feldwebel (LW) Günther Frenzel (KC)
to Karl Otto Saur by SS-Obertruppführer Seitz (KC)

Vielen Dank

D. Z.

[Dieter Zinke]

Dr. rer. techn. Hans-Joachim Kohnert (RK KVK oS 30.09.1944)

* 28.06.1905 Bromberg/Westpreußen (now: Bydgoszcz/Poland)
† 26.06.1972 Unterpfaffenhofen-Harthaus bei München

13.11.1939 Joined SS (Nr.: 356.871)
01.01.1941 Joined NSDAP (Nr.: 7.848.301)

00.00.1930 Stabsfeldwebel d. R. (Polish Army Reserves)
13.11.1939 SS-Oberführer
20.04.1941 Leutnant d. R. (Reichsheer)


20.10.1939 Goldenes Ehrenzeichen der NSDAP
00.00.1940 Goldenes Hitler-Jugend Ehrenzeichen
00.00.194_ Totenkopfring der SS
01.09.1941 Kriegsverdienstkreuz 2. Klasse ohne Schwerter
25.10.1942 Gauehrenzeichen des Reichsgaues Wartheland für Verdienste im Volkstumskampf
30.01.1943 Kriegsverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse ohne Schwerter


1923 Abitur am deutschen Privatgymnasium in Bromberg
erlernt auf zwei Gütern die praktische Landwirtschaft. [working in two manors for agrarian apprenticeship]
1927 Ableistung seiner Dienstpflicht beim polnischen Militär ab [military duty in the Polish Army]
agrarwissenschaftliches Studium an der Technischen Hochschule in Danzig [studying agriculture]
1930 Prüfung als Diplomlandwirt [certificate as agronomist in Danzig]
Assistent im Institut für landwirtschaftliche Betriebslehre in Danzig [Research Associate for agricultural business operations at the Institute of Technology in Danzig]
1931 Promotion zum Dr. rer. techn. mit der Dissertation “Die Betriebsverhältnisse der deutschen Bauernwirtschaften in der ehemaligen Provinz Westpreußen“ [Operating conditions of the german agro-ecological farming system in the former province of West Prussia]
Danach bei der Landwirtschaftlichen Bank in Danzig: Sachverständiger für das Kreditwesen und Berater für Betriebswirtschaft in Pommerellen und dem Kulmer Land [He joined the agriculural bank in Danzig as an adjuster for banking and adviser for business economics]
24.05.1935 Hauptgeschäftsführer der ”Deutschen Vereinigung für Posen, Netzegau und Pomerellen“ (im Sejm und Senat)
1936 geschäftsführender Vorsitzender der ”Deutschen Vereinigung für Westpolen” (DV)
[managing director of several ethnic German associations]
Mitarbeit im ”Rat der Deutschen in Polen” [collaboration with the German advisory bord in Poland]
1939 bei Kriegsausbruch verschleppt, von einmarschierenden deutschen Truppen vor Warschau, bei Lowitsch, befreit, und durch einen Unfall schwer verletzt. Zur Behandlung nach Berlin zu Prof. Sauerbruch verbracht, musste ein Bein amputiert werden. [The outbreak of the war caused a carryover into the heartland. Rescued by the invading Wehrmacht in the Warsaw area near Łowicz. Badly injured by an accident he was transferred to the famous surgeon Ferdinand Sauerbruch in the Charité in Berlin to safe his life, but he lost a leg]
10.09.1940 in den Persönlichen Stab von Gauleiter Greiser berufen
01.04.1941 Landesbauernführer im Reichsgau Wartheland (als Nachfolger von SS-Oberführer Karl Wilhelm Reinhardt, * 04.12.1905 Kittelsthal, † 26.07.1968 Bamberg; dem späteren Militärverwaltungsvizechef)
Unterhielt offenbar auch Beziehungen zum Widerstand, vor allem zur Abwehr unter Admiral Canaris [Apparently also entertaining good relations to the German resistance especially to Admiral Canaris]
Seine zum 31.12.1941 erfolgte Ernennung zum Chef des Heiratsamtes (Amt II) im Rasse- und Siedlungshauptamt-SS (RuSHA) wurde nicht effekiv, SS-Brigadeführer Otto Heider übernahm dort am 01.02.1942 [He was officially appointed to head the newly created Amt II (Heiratsamt) when it was created, but his command was never effective]
Begründung für die Verleihung des Ritterkreuzes des Kriegsverdienstkreuzes: “Die Erzeugungs- und Ablieferungszahlen seiner Landesbauernschaft waren ein sichtbarer Beweis seiner überragenden Leistung. Denn das Landvolk des Warthegaus bestand überwiegend aus Umsiedlern, die 1939 aus Russland ’heim ins Reich’ geholt worden waren“.
[justification for the bestowal with the KC: the data concerning production and delivery of his ethnic German farming community were a visible expression for an outstanding performance, predominantly done by German resettlers from Russia]
Nach dem Krieg zum Geschäftsführer des ”Niedersächsischen Landvolks” berufen
[After the war appointed to business leader of the peasantry of Lower Saxonia ]
Einige Jahre später Hauptgeschäftsführer des ”Verbandes deutscher Fleischwarenfabriken” in Bonn. [Some years later general manager of the central federation of the German meat factories]
1956 - 1960 Sprecher der Landsmannschaft Westpreußen [spokesman of the territorial association of the West Prussians]

See also:
http://www.ostdeutsche-biographie.de/kohnha97.htm
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Joachim_Kohnert
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... rt#p523040
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsche_V ... ommerellen
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landsmanns ... eu%C3%9Fen
http://books.google.de/books?
https://kulturportal-west-ost.eu/biogra ... ert-hans-2
id=EUF7mNMHz4gC&pg=PA60&lpg=PA60&dq=Kohnert+Kriegsverdienstkreuz&source=bl&ots=WIJDay4UVn&sig=J3F0v0iwXuwjb7pM2xCCu6rYdQc&hl=de&sa=X&ei=yzCIT4HtNIH6sgafhIXDCw&ved=0CEkQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=Kohnert%20Kriegsverdienstkreuz&f=false

D.Z.

[Phil Nix]

Keep up the good work
Phil Nix

[Dieter Zinke]

Alois Ennsberger ( RK z. KVK mS 13.11.1943 )
TFK der I. Abteilung / SS-Panzer-Regiment 2 / 2. SS-Panzer-Division "Das Reich"

* 26.10.1914 in Aigen / Salzburg / Osterreich.
+ 07.04.1973 in Salzburg

[00.01.1935] SS-Mann
[00.07.1941] SS-Untersturmführer der Waffen-SS
00.00.194_ SS-Obersturmführer der Waffen-SS
[00.11.1943] SS-Hauptsturmführer der Waffen-SS

SS-Nr.: 43.743

00.01.1935 SS-Mann in SS-Standarte "Deutschland"
00.07.1941 as SS-Ustuf. Technischer Führer Kraftfahrwesen (TFK), SS-Flak-Abteilung 2
00.11.1943 as SS-Hstuf. TFK der I. Abteilung / SS-Panzer-Regiment 2 / 2. SS-Panzer-Division "Das Reich"
00.04.1945 as SS-Hstuf. Kommandeur der SS-Instandsetzungsabteilung 2

D. Z.

[Ruslan M]

Wonderful additions and great work, Dieter! In particular, great to see elusive medical luminaries. Der frühe Vogel fängt den Wurm!

Hipp, hipp, hurra!
Ruslan

[malvinas82]

Was Kurt Hecht added here already? I couldn't find him anywhere..

(Source: Andreas Thies)

Bauer Kurt Hecht (RK KVK 01.10.1944)
*
+
Vorsitzender der Hauptvereinigung der Deutschen Kartoffelwirtschaft

For the awarding ceremony see
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... le#p778580
D.Z.

[Dieter Zinke]

Dr.-Ing. Josef Müller (RK KVK 12.09.1944)

* 06.11.1944 Weinheim


Ministerialdirigent
Ministerialdirektor, Reichsverkehrsministerium
Mineis (Vertreter des Reichsverkehrsministeriums beim Chef Transportwesen/OKH bzw. beim Bedeis, Befehlshaber der Eisenbahntruppen
00.09.1941 Chef der Betriebsleitung Osten, Warschau
01.12.1942 Chef der Generalverkehrsdirektion (GVD) Osten, Warschau

GVD Osten gliedert sich in die RVD (Reichsverkehrsdirektionen) Riga, Minsk, Kiew, Dnjepropetrowsk und Rostow (nur vom 05.09. bis 22.11.1942)
Sie untersteht dem OKW, alle der GVD zugeteilten Lokomotiven erhaten die Aufschrift DR-Ost

D.Z.

[Heimatschuss]

Hello,

Prof. Dr. Erich Müller (RK KVK mS 31.03.1943)

I can´t find any news paper article. Who can confirm his date 31.03.1943 ?

while we're at it: Why did Erich Müller receive a RK KVK WITH swords? That should have been for men working under enemy fire, wasn't it? For example, all representatives of industrial production decorated 05.06.1943 received it without swords (with the exception of Hinkerohe who was frontline OT). Just in the course of 1943 the version without swords appears to have fallen more and more out of favour so now more or less anyone got the RK KVK wS.

As far as I can tell (just visited it via GoogleBooks) Patzwall (1984) doesn't list Erich Müller as a recipient of the award. Not that I think he's infallible but has anyone ever exploited this work for the sake of this thread? It even seems to contain bestowals not mentioned here so far like Oberst Ernst Müller, Nachrichtenführer of Heeresgruppe Nord-Ukraine (p.123).

References:

Patzwall, Klaus D.
Die Ritterkreuzträger des Kriegsverdienstkreuzes 1942-1945. Eine Dokumentation in Wort und Bild.
Verlag Militaria-Archiv Patzwall; Norderstedt; 1984

Best regards
Torsten

[Ingo]

Thanks !

So I could be right. There is something wrong with the bestowal to Prof. Dr. Erich Müller on an date like the one of 31.03.1943.

[Dieter Zinke]

Dear fellow campaigner,

I own a "Liste der Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Kriegsverdienstkreuzes mit und ohne Schwerter von 1942-1945". Zusammenstellung Klaus D. Patzwall, .... Stand: 1. März 1993
Here Erich Müller is listed: "Prof. Dr., Dienstleister im RMfRuK., RKKVK mit Schwertern 31.03.1943" with the explanatory remark "Ich besitze keinen gesicherten Verleihungsnachweis [I don't own a documented evidence]".
BTW: On the same page Karl Remy is listed wrongly with the date 07.12.1942 [correct: 1944].

Otherwise if I remember correctly Erich Müller was mentioned in the NAFA BildArchiv in Norway (no longer online available) http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=156181 as a Knight (the pic there showed him without award).

The model with swords was not unusual for a senior industry executive - see Hermann Röchling, Wilhelm Zangen, Walter Rohland etc.

Patzwall's collection did not include a great many of sure bestowals for instance Lorenz Böhler, Ferdinand Flury,
Ernst Blaicher etc.

Concerning Alois Ennsberger I will remove the questionable pic. [Done]

... and once again: Your commitment and willingness to cooperate is absolutely comme il faut. Tausend Dank!


Dieter Z.

[Dieter Zinke]

I found this article about V 2 from December 27th, 1944. Five men recieved the RKzKVK with swords. But no names are mentioned. Who are they?
Look the article:
http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno? ... =1&zoom=33

mjölnir

These are the candidates:
Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Degenkolb, Leiter des Sonderausschusses A 4 des RM.f.R.u.K.(zugleich mit der Durchführung der A 4-Fertigung beauftragt),
SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS Dr.-Ing. Hans Kammler
Dipl.-Ing. Heinrich Temme 20.07.1944 mS
Hans Scholz 20.07.1944 mS
Dipl.-Ing. Hans Mauch 20.07.1944 mS
Dipl.-Ing. Walter Riedel 01.09.1944 mS
General der Artillerie z.V. Erich Heinemann 23.10.1944 mS
Technischer Direktor (HVA) SS-Sturmbannführer Prof. Dr. Wernher Freiherr von Braun 29.10.1944 mS
Generalmajor Dr.-Ing. Walter Dornberger (Beauftragter für besondere Versuche an der HVA) 29.10.1944 mS
Leitender Ingenieur Dr.-Ing. Walter Thiel 29.10.1944 mS
Oberst (Flakartillerie) Max Wachtel 31.01.1945 MS

The newspaper article leaves plenty of room for speculation [not contemporary, surely also specific popaganda to increase the staying power]

Dieter Z.

[mjölnir]

Hello Dieter!
I found this and more documents here:
tsamo.germandocsinrussia.org.
It's a Verleihungsvorschlag for the Ritterkreuz des Kriegsverdienstkreuzes mit Schwertern
The recipient: General der Flieger Alfred Mahnke. I cannot find him in Patzwall!
mjölnir

See Verleihungsvorschlag http://wwii.germandocsinrussia.org/de/n ... ect/zoom/6
____________________________________________________________________________________________

Apparently the bestowal was awarded by Adolf Hitler according the rules on 14.04.1945.
Veit Scherzer consecrates his new edition 3/15 of "Ritterkreuz Archiv"
[ http://www.verlag-scherzer.de/shop_content.php?coID=46 ] to the case Mahnke.

[b]Alfred Mahnke[/b] - RKzKVKmS 14.04.1945
* 18.03.1888 Idasheim/Prov. Posen
† 12.01. 1979 Eutin

01.04.1933 - 31.03.1935 als Polizeimajor Chef des Stabes des Kommandeurs (“Führer”) der Landespolizei-Inspektion Ost (Königsberg), Polizeigeneral George Bertram
19.12.1934 Polizei-Oberstleutnant
01.08.1934 Polizei-Oberst

His bio is here: http://www.oocities.org/~orion47/
http://www.ww2.dk/LwOffz%20L-R%202017.pdf

Dieter Z.

[Ingo]

Perhaps we can also collect missing dates of life.

From the first 25 holders of the RK KVK I´ve missing dates at the following names:

Kurt Leffler
born on 09.06.1907 in Mühlberg / Thüringen
died ???

Ernst Ritter
born on 16.10.1889 in Wießlet / Baden
died ???

Christian Davidshöfer
born on 04.12.1884 in Neustadt a.d.H.
died ???

Johannes Holtmeyer
born on 31.01.1898 in ???
died ???

Karl Schmid
born on 25.01.1897 in Kempten
died ???