Youngest, Oldest, The First, The Most, and Other Records

Discussions on the personalities of the Wehrmacht and of the organizations not covered in the other sections. Hosted by askropp and Frech.
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AlifRafikKhan
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Youngest Major, Oberstleutnant and Oberst of the Wehrmacht

#241

Post by AlifRafikKhan » 04 Nov 2017, 18:06

AlifRafikKhan wrote:I want to start a new thread about Third Reich records (youngest, oldest, the most, longest, etc.)... I hope it'll become a good reference for others...

The first one : Youngest Major in the German Army, Heinz-Georg Lemm (23 years old)...

Source : http://64.233.189.132/translate_c?hl=en ... Xs-Z8OKUiw
In fact, Heinz-Georg Lemm hold three records:
1. Youngest Major (1 April 1943) : 23 years 10 months old.
2. Youngest Oberstleutnant (1 November 1944) : 25 years 5 months old.
3. Youngest Oberst (15 March 1945) : 25 years 9 months old.

Source: Book "Knight's Cross, Oak-Leaves and Swords Recipients 1941–45" by Gordon Williamson
Last edited by AlifRafikKhan on 04 Nov 2017, 18:12, edited 1 time in total.

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The First Enlisted Man to be Awarded the Ritterkreuz

#242

Post by AlifRafikKhan » 04 Nov 2017, 18:10

Adolf Hitler (Führer und Oberster Befehlshaber der Wehrmacht) receives Obergefreiter Hubert Brinkforth from Schützen-Regiment 25 / 12.Panzer-Division in the Reichskanzlei, Berlin, 5 April 1941. Brinkforth is most notable for being the first enlisted man to be awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight's Cross of the Iron Crosses). Prior to the restoration of the Eisernes Kreuz in 1939, most awards of German major medals for bravery were made to officers and the nobility. This award was designed to be given without regard rank or position. He was awarded the medal for his actions as a Schütze in 14.Kompanie (Panzerjäger) / III.Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment 25 (motorisiert) / 2.Infanterie-Division (motorisiert) on 27 May 1940 during the Battle of France, when he destroyed nine British tanks near Huppy using his PAK 36 anti-tank gun. This action earned him mention in the Wehrmachtbericht: "An der Südfront wurden einzelne mit Panzern geführte feindliche Angriffe an der unteren Somme abgewiesen. Dabei wurden dreißig feindliche Panzer vernichtet, allein neun hiervon durch den Schützen Brinkforth" (On the southern front, lone enemy attacks with tanks were repulsed on the lower Somme. Here thirty enemy tanks were destroyed, nine of them by Schütze Brinkforth). Promotion to Gefreiter and the immediate award of the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse followed. General der Infanterie Erich von Manstein (Kommandierender General XXXVIII. Armeekorps) nominated him for the Ritterkreuz, which was awarded on 7 March 1941 (received on 1 April 1941 from Generalmajor Josef Harpe, Commander of 12. Panzer-Division) along with the Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse and a promotion to Obergefreiter. Brinkforth later was killed in action on 5 June 1942 during a Soviet artillery attack near Pogostje, Leningrad Oblast. He was also awarded the Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz, Panzerkampfabzeichen, Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42 (Ostmedaille), and was promoted to Unteroffizier shortly before his death.
Source: https://ritterkreuztraeger.blogspot.co. ... forth.html
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Leader of the Third Reich Adolf Hitler (left) accepts the first cavalry knight of the Brinkforth private ranks.jpg


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Another Longevity

#243

Post by AlifRafikKhan » 11 Nov 2017, 00:29

Ritterkreuzträger Johannes "Johann" Biehl (29 January 1917 - 12 March 2017) : 100 years 1 month old
Source: http://das-ritterkreuz.de/index_search_ ... word=biehl
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Youngest U-Boat Commander

#244

Post by AlifRafikKhan » 21 May 2019, 06:15

At 20 years and 3 months old, Leutnant zur See Ludwig-Ferdinand von Friedeburg (born 21 May 1924 in Wilhelmshaven-Rüstringen), the son of Generaladmiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg, was the youngest U-Boat commander of World War II. A member of Crew V/1941, he commanded the submarine U 155 (Type IXC) of the 33rd Flotilla (Flensburg) from 15 August 1944-November 1944 on one war patrol lasting 43 days. On 1 May 1945, he took command of the submarine U 4710 (Type XXIII) in the 5th Training Flotilla (Kiel), but scuttled the boat in Gelting Bay on 5 May 1945 (Operation “Regenbogen”).


Source:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=47962&hilit=wilhelm+oxenius
https://uboat.net/men/commanders/321.html

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First Pilot to Score 100 Victories Entirely on the Western Front

#245

Post by AlifRafikKhan » 10 Jun 2019, 10:36

A colorized picture of Egon Mayer by Mihaly Gherman. Mayer (19 August 1917 – 2 March 1944) was a Luftwaffe wing commander and fighter ace who was credited with 102 enemy aircraft shot down in over 353 combat missions. His victories were all claimed over the Western Front and included 26 four-engine bombers, 51 Supermarine Spitfires and 12 P-47 Thunderbolts. Mayer was the first fighter pilot to score 100 victories entirely on the Western Front. On 1 December 1943, Mayer shot down three P-47 Thunderbolts. His claimed aerial victories increased to 90 on 30 December 1943. Mayer was credited with four victories on 7 January 1944, three B-24s and one B-17 shot down in the vicinity of Orléans. On 4 February 1944 he claimed his 100th victory, the first fighter pilot on the Channel Front to achieve this mark.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egon_Mayer
https://ritterkreuztraeger.blogspot.com ... e-ace.html
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385aa6924bf0a9fe874dd0c36babc769.jpg

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Destroyed the First British Armored Car in North Africa

#246

Post by AlifRafikKhan » 17 Jun 2019, 20:42

Oberleutnant Winrich Behr winning the Knight’s Cross whilst Chef 3./AA (mot.) 3 of the DAK, on 15 May 1941. His company knocked out the very first enemy armoured car to be destroyed by German forces in North Africa.
Source:
https://www.pinterest.ch/pin/1552335183 ... 9/?lp=true
https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2015/08/0 ... up-b-1944/
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frodo
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Re: Youngest, Oldest, The First, The Most, and Other Records

#247

Post by frodo » 28 Jun 2019, 06:56

Hi,
another first:
which submarine (resp. commander) was the first to break through Gibraltar into Mediterranean Sea?
Regards
Frodo

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The First German Airman Killed by RAF in World War II

#248

Post by AlifRafikKhan » 21 Feb 2020, 05:17

Gefreiter Joseph Scherm’s claim to fame was that he was the first German airman killed by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. He was shot down on 27 September 1939 by point-blank return fire from Aircraftman John Ernest Summers, the gunner on Battle K9271 of No. 103 Squadron. Scherm fell into impenetrable woods near Bockweiler. Summers was later awarded the DFM for this action.
Source: Book "The Battle of France Then and Now" by Peter D. Cornwell
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First German general KIA in the Soviet Union

#249

Post by AlifRafikKhan » 11 Mar 2020, 13:07

Generalmajor Otto Lancelle, commander of the 121. Infanterie-Division, was killed by a Russian sniper, on 3 July 1941, age 56, on the bridgehead of Kraslava on the Dvina, Latvia.

Source:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/187 ... n-lancelle
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=165237&hilit=otto+Lancelle
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Kriegsmarine Großadmiral
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Longest living admiral of the Kriegsmarine

#250

Post by Kriegsmarine Großadmiral » 11 Mar 2020, 13:16

Longest living admiral of the Kriegsmarine, 100 years old.

Charakterisierter Konteradmiral (Ing.) Walter Berendt

Born: 16 April 1878 in Görlitz
Died: 16 August 1978 in Bayreuth
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Kriegsmarine Großadmiral

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One of the Longest Living General

#251

Post by AlifRafikKhan » 26 Apr 2020, 05:52

Another general who reach 100 years lifespan: Generalleutnant (der Pioniere) Hans von Donat
Born: 6 Juli 1891
Died : 11 June 1992 (100 years old)
Interestingly enough, this picture of him was taken after 1957 (note the 'modern' eyeglasses and 1957 ribbon bar!)
Sources:
https://web.archive.org/web/20091027112 ... _HANS.html
http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/cloth-hea ... ic-516311/
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Oldest officer to receive a General's rank in the Wehrmacht

#252

Post by JakeV » 17 Feb 2022, 14:58

I had no idea that this officer received a Charakter rank as Generalmajor. After all those years, there's always something new to learn:

Eugen von Kutzschenbach, born on 26.01.1838 in Groß-Breesen near Guben, became char. Generalmajor on 26.01.1938, on his 100th birthday. He died a few months later, on 01.06.1938, in Kolberg.

I knew that old generals received char. ranks, but such an old general had been unknown to me.

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Re: Youngest, Oldest, The First, The Most, and Other Records

#253

Post by askropp » 17 Feb 2022, 21:19

Theodor von Bomhard was readmitted to the list on his 100th birthday in 1941, but of course he had already been a general for decades.
There are times in history when staying neutral means taking sides.

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