Hubert-Erwin Meierdress
Hubert-Erwin Meierdrees
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Born | Wesel |
11 December 1916
Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Budapest |
Buried | |
Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
Service/ |
Waffen SS |
Rank | Sturmbannführer |
Service number | NSDAP #3,601,911 SS #265,243 |
Unit | Totenkopf |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Hubert-Erwin Meierdrees (11 December 1916 – 4 January 1945), usually referred to as Erwin Meierdress, was a German officer and tank commander in the Waffen-SS. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, awarded by Nazi Germany to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Meierdress was killed in action in January 1945.
Career
Meierdrees was born in Wesel in Rhenish Prussia. In April 1934, se joined the NSDAP (Nr. 3,601,911) and the SS (Nr. 265,243). He was posted to the SS Division Leibstandarte. On 1 May 1939, he was posted as a platoon commander in SS-Standarte Der Führer. During the invasion of Poland, Operation Fall Weiss, Meierdress was awarded the Iron Cross second class. For his actions with the SS Division Totenkopf in the Demyansk Pocket in February 1942 on the Eastern Front, Meierdrees was awarded the Iron Cross, first class and, later, the Knight's Cross.
In December 1942, the division was transferred to Kharkov, where it formed a part of II SS Panzer Corps; Meierdress's unit took part in the Third Battle of Kharkov. The division then took part in the Battle of Kursk; on 12 July, Meierdrees's battalion engaged the lead units of the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army. On 23 August, Army Group South abandoned Kharkov and began to retreat to the Dnieper. For his actions at Kursk and during the withdrawal Meierdress was awarded the Oak leaves to the Knight's Cross. In January 1944, Meierdress received a promotion to SS-Sturmbannführer.
In December 1944, Totenkopf was transferred to Budapest in an effort to relieve 9th SS Mountain Corps encircled there. On 4 January, Meierdrees' unit was counterattacked by a Soviet armoured force. Meierdrees' tank was hit and exploded, killing him.
Awards
- Wound Badge in Gold
- Panzer Badge in Silver
- Iron Cross (1939)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight's Cross on 13 March 1942 as Obersturmführer and leader of the SS-Sturm-Geschütz-Batterie "Totenkopf"[3][4]
- 544th Oak Leaves on 5 October 1943 as Hauptsturmführer and commander of the I./SS-Panzer-Regiment 3 "Totenkopf"[3][5]
Notes
- ↑ Meierdrees was buried next to Walter Nowotny before out of political reasons he was re-interred on 3 October 1947.[1]
References
Citations
Bibliography
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- 1916 births
- 1945 deaths
- German military personnel killed in World War II
- People from Wesel
- People from the Rhine Province
- SS-Sturmbannführer
- Panzer commanders
- Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Recipients of the Close Combat Clasp
- Burials at the Zentralfriedhof
- Waffen-SS personnel