Erich Löwe

Erich Löwe
Erich Löwe
Born	(1906-09-24)24 September 1906 Mühlhausen
Died	23 December 1943(1943-12-23) (aged 37) Losovka
Allegiance	Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1923–43
Rank	Oberstleutnant (Posthumously)
Commands held	schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501
Battles/wars	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Siege of Leningrad Battle of Moscow Battles of Rzhev Battle of Kursk
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Erich Löwe (24 September 1906 – 23 December 1943) was an Oberstleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II, and one of only 882 recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Erich Löwe was killed on 23 December 1943 in Losovka, Russia. He was posthumously promoted to Oberstleutnant and awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (24 September 1939)
  • 1st Class (22 October 1939)
• Panzer Badge
• Eastern Front Medal (24 August 1942)
• German Cross in Gold on 11 March 1943 as Major in the I./Panzer-Regiment 11
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 4 September 1940 as Hauptmann and Chef 3./Panzer-Abteilung 65
  • 385th Oak Leaves on 8 February 1944 (posthumously) as Major and commander of schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501

See also

• German heavy tank battalions of World War II

References

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
• Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9. CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)

External links

• World War 2 Awards.com
• Lexikon der Wehrmacht