Otto Paetsch
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Otto Paetsch
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Born | 3 August 1909 Rheinhausen, Germany |
Died | 16 March 1945 (aged 35) Altdamm, Stettin |
Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
Service/ |
Waffen SS |
Years of service | 1931–45 |
Rank | Standartenführer |
Unit | 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Knight's Cross with Oakleaves Iron Cross 1st Class Iron Cross 2nd Class German Cross in Gold Wound badge in Silver |
Otto Paetsch (3 August 1909 – 16 March 1945) was a Standartenführer (Colonel) in the Waffen SS who was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves during World War II.[1][2]
Career
Paetsch was born on the 3 August 1909, at Rheinhausen. In his early life he studied Theology at Tübingen Evangelical college.[1]
In 1931 he volunteered for the SS and was posted to the Germania Regiment, promoted on 20 April 1936 to Untersturmführer (Second Lieutenant) and made a Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 15th Company, Germania Regiment, and promoted again in April 1940 to Hauptsturmführer (Captain) and given command of the 15th Company.[1]
After the Battle of France the Germania Regiment was used as the basis of a new SS division 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking, which from June 1941 fought in Operation Barbarossa the invasion of the Soviet Union, when he was given command of the Reconnaissance Battalion in December 1941.[1]
On 20 April 1942, he was promoted to Sturmbannführer (Major) and awarded the German Cross in Gold for bravery. He was made the commander of the 10th SS Panzer Regiment and promoted to Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel), 3 November 1943. From June 1944 he led his regiment in Normandy, and distinguished himself in the fighting in the Avranches area and the breakout from Falaise (Falaise Pocket) for which he was awarded the Knight's Cross.[1]
In the autumn of 1944 he fought at Arnhem (Operation Market Garden) against the British 1st Airborne Division, then in early 1945 in Lower Alsace and in early 1945 was involved in the fighting in Pomerania, where on 16 March 1945 at Altdamm, he was fatally wounded.[1]
For the successful fighting at the Hagenau bridgehead and at Stettin he was awarded a posthumous award of the Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross in May 1945 and promoted to Standartenführer (Colonel).[1][2]
Awards
- Iron Cross (1939)
- German Cross in Gold on 24 April 1943 as SS-Sturmbannführer in SS-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5[4]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight's Cross on 23 August 1944 as SS-Obersturmbannführer and commander of SS-Panzer-Regiment 10 "Frundsberg"[5][Note 1]
- 820th Oak Leaves on 5 April 1945 as SS-Obersturmbannführer and commander of SS-Panzer-Regiment 10 "Frundsberg"[6][7]
Notes
References
Citations
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Thomas 1998, p. 139.
- ↑ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 342.
- ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 332.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Scherzer 2007, p. 581.
- ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 101.
Bibliography
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- Pages with broken file links
- Death-date and age transclusions with invalid parameters
- 1909 births
- 1945 deaths
- SS-Standartenführer
- Recipients of the Gold German Cross
- Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- People from Duisburg
- People from the Rhine Province
- German military personnel killed in World War II
- Waffen-SS personnel