Horst Trebes Lost His Commission and KC!
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Horst Trebes Lost His Commission and KC!
Gentlemen!
Oberlt. Horst Trebes,Crete paratrooper hero, had lost his officer commission as well as every order and badge including the Knight's Cross after a stupid accident involving the accidental shooting of another paratrooper Oberjaeger Karl Polzin. They were both drunk. Jaeger Trebes was engaged in Africa,where he lost his right arm in action. He was killed in action in Normandy at St. Deny Le Gast near Carentan,on July 29, 1944. He was a Hauptmann when he was killed. He really won back his officer commission alright! The question is,did Trebes got his decorations back including his hard won Knight's Cross which he won at Crete? I got this information from Wehrmacht Awards.com Forum which deals with Fallschirmjaegers.
Sincerely,
Edward
Oberlt. Horst Trebes,Crete paratrooper hero, had lost his officer commission as well as every order and badge including the Knight's Cross after a stupid accident involving the accidental shooting of another paratrooper Oberjaeger Karl Polzin. They were both drunk. Jaeger Trebes was engaged in Africa,where he lost his right arm in action. He was killed in action in Normandy at St. Deny Le Gast near Carentan,on July 29, 1944. He was a Hauptmann when he was killed. He really won back his officer commission alright! The question is,did Trebes got his decorations back including his hard won Knight's Cross which he won at Crete? I got this information from Wehrmacht Awards.com Forum which deals with Fallschirmjaegers.
Sincerely,
Edward
Trebes
Hi Jos a nice job on your reply,I was trying to find a
different photo of him after 1941,but he is still down as
a recipent according too Fellgiebel and is in the Fallschirmjager
book by Biblio-Verlag.
Regards Harmel
different photo of him after 1941,but he is still down as
a recipent according too Fellgiebel and is in the Fallschirmjager
book by Biblio-Verlag.
Regards Harmel
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Serious Offense For an RKT.
Gentlemen,
I know one junior recipient of the Knight's Cross that had every decorations taken away from him before his execution on October 13,1944. His name was Roland von Hosslin. Some sources give von Hosslin's first name as Richard. He was a participant of "July 20,1944,'' the attempted assassination of Adolf Hitler. A Ritterkreuztraeger can have his Cross being taken away from him if he commits a serious offense. Horst Trebes only wore his Knight's Cross for a very short time before his serious offense in the accidental killing of another paratrooper while being drunk. Unlike von Hosslin,Trebes escaped the death penalty.
Sincerely,
Edward
I know one junior recipient of the Knight's Cross that had every decorations taken away from him before his execution on October 13,1944. His name was Roland von Hosslin. Some sources give von Hosslin's first name as Richard. He was a participant of "July 20,1944,'' the attempted assassination of Adolf Hitler. A Ritterkreuztraeger can have his Cross being taken away from him if he commits a serious offense. Horst Trebes only wore his Knight's Cross for a very short time before his serious offense in the accidental killing of another paratrooper while being drunk. Unlike von Hosslin,Trebes escaped the death penalty.
Sincerely,
Edward
- Doktor Krollspell
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Hello Gentlemen!
Very interesting thread, this one. I have a question about Hauptmann Horst Trebes and his disgraceful removal of combat rewards. In an earlier thread there is a picture of Horst Trebes from the spring of 1944 and to me it seems that you can glimpse his Knight's Cross. Or maybe I'm just wrong? What's your opinion on that picture?
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... ght=trebes
Regards,
Krollspell
Very interesting thread, this one. I have a question about Hauptmann Horst Trebes and his disgraceful removal of combat rewards. In an earlier thread there is a picture of Horst Trebes from the spring of 1944 and to me it seems that you can glimpse his Knight's Cross. Or maybe I'm just wrong? What's your opinion on that picture?
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... ght=trebes
Regards,
Krollspell
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I'm So Glad!
Gentlemen!
Whew! I'm just really glad that Hauptmann Horst Trebes got his Knight's Cross and his dignity back! This poor man had already went though a lot. A loss of his arm however doen't prevented him from returning to combat! I think Trebes became more serious and sober before his own death in action.
Sincerely,
Edward (Sigh!)
Whew! I'm just really glad that Hauptmann Horst Trebes got his Knight's Cross and his dignity back! This poor man had already went though a lot. A loss of his arm however doen't prevented him from returning to combat! I think Trebes became more serious and sober before his own death in action.
Sincerely,
Edward (Sigh!)
From: http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/ ... p?t=127603
The victim,Karl Polzin,on left after Eban Emael
Photo from: http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/ ... hp?t=71727
Courtesy of haepers22
Obltn. Horst Trebes was involved in a tragic accident. After the operation on Crete he was awarded the RK and celebrated it in Halberstadt with some FJs. The night party had a tragic ending: Oberjäger Karl Polzin (member of the Trupp 4 at Eben Emael, and one of the famous Fjs depicted in the photos taken after the attack) was shot and killed "by accident" by Trebes. Polzin was sleeping in the bathroom and Trebes insisted on awakening him shooting his pistol... It´s easy to imagine the scene and the "situation under total control after a night party" before shooting him...
His mother-in-law saved him from death penalty. She had worked as a nurse during WWI and met Hermann Göring in the Lazarett where she was. After recovering from his wounds, Göring promised he would help her in the future, in case of need. She asked him the favour and Göring interceded on Trebes´behalf.
Anyway, Horst Trebes lost his Offz. graduation, as well as every order and badge. Jäger Trebes was engaged again in Africa, where he lost his right arm in action. He was KIA in Normandy at St. Denys-Le-Gast, near Carentan, on July 29, 1944. He was at that time Hauptmann and commander of III./FJR6.
Years ago at a Treffen I spoke with a veteran who was present that night. He said Polzin had gotten drunk and passed out in a toilet stall with the door closed. Trebes, who was also drunk, could not rouse Polzin by banging on the stall door or shouting. He drew his pistol and fired into the floor, but the bullet richoched off the concrete floor, and, in a one-in-a-million chance, struck Polzin inside the stall and killed him. Trebes was ruined, but more than anything his RK saved him. A German officer, and a paratrooper hero, could not be dragged through a court martial for such a thing without disgracing the entire Luftwaffe. Trebes was also emotionally shattered by the incident, and became reckless, even suicidal, in the face of the enemy, eventually being killed in action in Normany, as noted. The veteran shook his head at the end of this story and added, "it was for the best," reflecting an opinion about Trebes' death as the end to the tragic affair that I think is widely shared among surviving veterans.
The victim,Karl Polzin,on left after Eban Emael
Photo from: http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/ ... hp?t=71727
Courtesy of haepers22
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- Polzin.jpg (29.45 KiB) Viewed 7062 times
Trebes' involvement in punitive actions in Crete in June 1941 is also discussed here:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 90#1123490
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 90#1123490
- AlifRafikKhan
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Re: Horst Trebes Lost His Commission and KC!
This is pictures of Horst Trebes as Oberleutnant. From Bundesarchive collection...
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- Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-166-0526-05,_Kreta,_Auszeichnung_von_Fallschirmjägern.jpg (63.16 KiB) Viewed 5932 times
- AlifRafikKhan
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Re: Horst Trebes Lost His Commission and KC!
Another. This picture was taken not long after Crete battle...
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- Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-166-0525-13,_Kreta,_Kondomari,_Erschießung_von_Zivilisten.jpg (80.21 KiB) Viewed 5925 times