Fallschirmjäger RKTs - pics and career data

Dieter Zinke · Post by **Dieter Zinke** » 13 Nov 2007 11:24

Gericke and Trebes
http://www.bild.bundesarchiv.de/archive ... w]=gallery
Bild 101I-166-0526-07, Bild 101I-166-0526-05

Dieter Z.

Peter H · Post by **Peter H** » 14 Nov 2007 02:57

Reinhard Egger,Oberleutnant Führer 10./Fsch.Jäg.Rgt 1

Knight's Cross-9th July 1941
Oak Leaves-24th June 1944

Joined Austrian Army 1929.Joined Wehrmacht 1938.Awarded KC on recommendation of his commander Major Schulz for his performance at Crete,1941.Later fought in Russia,Sicily.Promoted to Major,I/FJR4.Temporary commander of FJR4 at Cassino.Captured 31st July 1944.

From Kurowski

Peter H · Post by **Peter H** » 14 Nov 2007 03:05

Fritz Prager,Hauptmann Kdr II./Fsch.Jäg.Rgt 1
Joined Reichswehr 1923.Heer FJ Battalion 1938.Captured Wola Gulowska airfield,Poland 1939.Awarded KC for his bravery at Moerdijk Bridge,1940.Badly wounded but took out a number of enemy bunkers.Then took part in Narvik operation,against the advise of doctors.Promoted to Major,II/FJR3 1940.Died from cancer,December 1940.

Photo of Fritz Prager from Eric Queen's book: http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=5815

Peter H · Post by **Peter H** » 14 Nov 2007 03:15

From Eric Queen's Red Shines the Sun..

A wounded Prager 1940,middle.The man on the left is the future RKT Günther Straehler-Pohl.

Peter H · Post by **Peter H** » 14 Nov 2007 03:35

Herbert Schmidt,Oberleutnant Chef 1./Fsch.Jäg.Rgt 1
Joined Police Battalion Werke 1933.General Göring Regt.Awarded KC for his efforts at Dombass,Norway 1940,wounded...."Schmidt and his 38 surviving men were taken prisoner by the Norwegians but were soon freed".

Dombass 1940:
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/ ... hp?t=53871

Held Staff positions 1940-1944 as unfit for active service.

...."on June 6 1944,while driving from Vannes to Pontivy in Brittany,Major Herbert Schmidt was shot from behind by a French sniper while sitting beside his division commander,Berhard Hermann Ramcke.He was killed instantly".

Peter H · Post by **Peter H** » 14 Nov 2007 13:09

Harry Herrmann,Oberleutnant Chef 5./Fsch.Jäg.Rgt 1
Joined Werke Battalion 1933.Adjutant of FJR1 1938.Fought in Holland 1940.At Heraklion "he was wounded in the head while hanging from his parachute and was temporarily blinded".In this condition Herrmann lead his company into battle.Awarded KC.As Major commanded the Lehr Fsch.Jäg.Rgt at Anzio,Promoted to Oberst 1945.Commanded Fsch Pz Jg Abt "Herrmann".Captured by the Soviets and not released until 1955.

From: http://www.das-ritterkreuz.de

Peter H · Post by **Peter H** » 14 Nov 2007 13:33

Alfred Schwarzmann,Oberleutnant 8./Fsch.Jäg.Rgt 1
Joined Reichswehr 1929.As a member of the German gymnastics team won three gold medals in the 1936 Olympics.Army Sports Instructor in 1938,joining the FJ in 1939.Jumped into Holland with his MG Zug 1940.Badly wounded with a bullet through his lung.

At that time Lt Schwarzmann could not have realized that his connection to the Olympics probably saved his life.After he sat down in the store he passed out again.A while later he was found by a Dutch man named Heiden whose family owned the store.A German soldier came in and said."That man is a gymnast."Heiden asked."What is his name?"Another German soldier said."That is Schwarzmann,the gymnast from the Olympics"....And,as fate would have it,Heiden was also an Olympic medal winner(in speed skating) and knew who Schwarzmann was.Upon learning his identity Heiden personally made sure that Schwarzmann was taken to the hospital immediately...

Eric Queen,Red Shines the Sun..,pp 80-81.

Received the KC but some have questioned if Schwarzmann would have received it,if he had not been the famous sportsman that he was.

Later served in Crete,and lead 8./Fsch.Jäg.Rgt 3 in Russia in 1942.Commanded HQ Gruppe of 7.Flieger Division in 1943.In 1944 his old wound lead him to be hospitalised.Promoted to Major,April 1945.He won a Silver Medal in the Helsinki Games in 1952.Passed away 2000.

From: http://www.das-ritterkreuz.de

Dieter Zinke · Post by **Dieter Zinke** » 14 Nov 2007 14:33

Alfred Schwarzmann
See also
http://www.gymmedia.com/news/schwarzmann.htm

Dieter Z.

Peter H · Post by **Peter H** » 15 Nov 2007 01:13

Cord Tietjen,Leutnant Zugführer 5./Fsch.Jäg.Rgt 1
Joined Reichswehr 1936.Transferred to Heer FJ 1937.Member of FJR1 1939,served in Poland.As a Leutnant helped stormed the Moerdijk Railway Bridge,May 1940.Neutralised the explosive charges under the bridge.Wounded in action.Awarded KC.At Crete commanded Fsch Pi Abt 7.Then a Pioneer officer with Ramcke Brigade in Africa 1942.Captured in Tunisia in 1943.Obtained a PHD in Engineering in the US after the war.

Photo from Jean-Yves Nasse

Peter H · Post by **Peter H** » 15 Nov 2007 01:21

Andreas Hagl, Oberleutnant Zugführer 2./Fsch.Jäg.Rgt 3
Joined Reichswehr 1931.Transferred to FJ 1937.Fought in Poland,Holland.Awarded KC at Crete.Although wounded in the right arm held the defensive sector at Cladiso.Severely wounded on Russian front 1942.Staff duties 1943-1944.In Italy.Hospitalised again by his wounds early 1944.As a member of the 1FJD rearguard in July 1944 killed by Italian partisans.

The death of Hagl is discussed here;
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=112790

Photo of Hagl from Eric Queen's Red Shines The Sun

Peter H · Post by **Peter H** » 15 Nov 2007 01:32

Ludwig Heilmann, Major Kdr III./Fsch.Jäg.Rgt 3
Joined Reichswehr 1921.France 1940,awarded EK1,as Oberleutnant with IR91.Transferred to FJ,June 1940.Awarded KC for his battalion's success at Crete.Fought in Russia.As Oberstleutnant commanded FJR3 in 1943.Later fought in Italy,Ortona and Cassino,promoted to Oberst.In November 1944 promoted to Generalmajor and commanded 5FJD in the West.Captured by Americans just prior to the end of the war.

From: http://www.das-ritterkreuz.de

Peter H · Post by **Peter H** » 15 Nov 2007 01:37

Heinrich Welskop,Oberfeldwebel Zugführer 11./Fsch.Jäg.Rgt 3
Joined General Göring Regt 1937.Awarded EK1.EKII,Holland 1940.Awarded KC at Crete for holding the Chania Hill against New Zealander counterattacks.Served in Russia but wounded.Later served with FJR3 in Italy 1943-1945.

From: http://www.das-ritterkreuz.de

Peter H · Post by **Peter H** » 15 Nov 2007 01:43

Bruno Sassen,Feldwebel Zugführer 10./Fsch.Jäg.Rgt 3
Joined cavalry 1937.Studied Veterinary Medicine 1938-1939.Joined FJ June 1940.At Crete stormed a British camp,but taken prisoner,and held captive for a week.Awarded KC in Russia for fighting at Vyborgskaya--lead 5 comrades in storming an anti-tank ditch in a counterattack.Badly wounded March 1943.Now unfit for active service became a special duties officer.

From: http://www.das-ritterkreuz.de

Peter H · Post by **Peter H** » 15 Nov 2007 01:51

Friedrich Freiherr von der Heydte,Hauptmann Kdr I./Fsch.Jäg.Rgt 3

http://www.geocities.com/josephcrisp2/heydte.html

http://www.fjr6.net/images/heydte_portrait_s.jpg

Photo from wehrmacht-awards.com

Heydte in US captivity 1944.His hand was wounded by flak as he awaited in the door of the plane to jump into the Ardennes,December 1944.

Peter H · Post by **Peter H** » 15 Nov 2007 02:23

Helmut Wagner,Leutnant Zugführer 6./Fsch.Jäg.Rgt 1
Joined Luftwaffe 1938.Transferred to FJ 1939.Saw action in Holland.Wounded 5 times at Crete.Knocked out one British tank with a hand grenade.Awarded KC belatedly for his Crete efforts in January 1942 after Göring had read about him in a FJR1 Action report.Returned to active service with FJR6 as Hauptmann 1944.Killed in action at Carentan,7th June 1944.

From Kurowski