Eberhard Heder
Encyclopedia
Eberhard Heder was a Sturmbannführer
(Major) in the Waffen SS during World War II
who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany
during World War II. After World War II he was admitted into the Bundeswehr
and obtained the rank of Oberst
(Colonel).
.
He volunteered to join the Waffen SS and joined the SS Pionier Battalion in Dresden
on the 1 November 1937.
in 1939 and after graduation he was given command of a company in the 5th SS Pionier (Engineer) Battalion, SS Division Wiking.
He deployed with them in Operation Barbarossa
the invasion of the Soviet Union
and was awarded the Iron Cross
2nd class in August 1941 and the Iron Cross 1st class in January 1942.
He was awarded the German Cross
in Gold in March 1943, when in command of the Estnisches SS-Freiwilligen-Panzer-Grenadier-Battalion Narwa during the Battle of Kharkov
, Battle of the Cherkassy Pocket
and the "Battle of Kowel".
He was then given command of the 5th Pionier Battalion and was awarded the Knight's Cross in November 1944 for his actions in the fighting for Warsaw
.
This is what Eberhard Heder described as the reason he was awarded the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross:
"In the defensive fighting around Warsaw, I was assigned with a most hastily-assembled 'alarm group' ("Alarm-verband") of the 5. SS-Panzer Division "Wiking". We operated north of Warsaw and were tasked to close a gap in the front because fresh reserves were no longer available. In a very critical situation and cut off temporarily from our own lines, we succeeded in holding the front line and preventing a Soviet breakthrough, equipped with only some light machine guns , and the occasional support from German artillery fire and a few tanks. For three days and nights, [our small force] was mercilessly attacked again and again by their massed artillery fire and heavy weapons, as well as their low-flying aircraft. Due to our effort, the breakthrough of the enemy to the Vistula was to be prevented."
in 1955 and reached the rank of Oberst
(Colonel) on the 30 September 1976. His lived after his marriage in Daseburg and now in Warburg
.
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
(Major) in the Waffen SS during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
during World War II. After World War II he was admitted into the Bundeswehr
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
and obtained the rank of Oberst
Oberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
(Colonel).
Early life
Heder was born on 30 June 1918 in Neustettin, PomeraniaPomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
.
He volunteered to join the Waffen SS and joined the SS Pionier Battalion in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
on the 1 November 1937.
World War II
He was later selected to become an officer and posted to the SS-Junkerschule in BraunschweigBraunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
in 1939 and after graduation he was given command of a company in the 5th SS Pionier (Engineer) Battalion, SS Division Wiking.
He deployed with them in Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
the invasion of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and was awarded the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
2nd class in August 1941 and the Iron Cross 1st class in January 1942.
He was awarded the German Cross
German Cross
The German Cross was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 17 November 1941 as an award ranking higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross respectively ranking higher than the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords but below the Knight's Cross of the War Merit...
in Gold in March 1943, when in command of the Estnisches SS-Freiwilligen-Panzer-Grenadier-Battalion Narwa during the Battle of Kharkov
Third Battle of Kharkov
The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of offensive operations on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov , between 19 February and 15 March 1943...
, Battle of the Cherkassy Pocket
Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket
The Korsun–Shevchenkovsky Offensive led to the Battle of the Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket which took place from 24 January to 16 February 1944. The offensive was part of the Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive...
and the "Battle of Kowel".
He was then given command of the 5th Pionier Battalion and was awarded the Knight's Cross in November 1944 for his actions in the fighting for Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
.
This is what Eberhard Heder described as the reason he was awarded the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross:
"In the defensive fighting around Warsaw, I was assigned with a most hastily-assembled 'alarm group' ("Alarm-verband") of the 5. SS-Panzer Division "Wiking". We operated north of Warsaw and were tasked to close a gap in the front because fresh reserves were no longer available. In a very critical situation and cut off temporarily from our own lines, we succeeded in holding the front line and preventing a Soviet breakthrough, equipped with only some light machine guns , and the occasional support from German artillery fire and a few tanks. For three days and nights, [our small force] was mercilessly attacked again and again by their massed artillery fire and heavy weapons, as well as their low-flying aircraft. Due to our effort, the breakthrough of the enemy to the Vistula was to be prevented."
Post war
Heder survived the war and later joined the West German BundeswehrBundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
in 1955 and reached the rank of Oberst
Oberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
(Colonel) on the 30 September 1976. His lived after his marriage in Daseburg and now in Warburg
Warburg
Warburg is a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia on the river Diemel near the three-state point shared by Hessen, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. It is in Höxter district and Detmold region...
.
Further reading
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Hamilton Charles Leaders and Personalities of the Third Reich, R James Bender Pub 1997, ISBN 0912138270
- Kurowski Franz Panzer Aces II Stackpole Books, 2004, ISBN 0811731758
- Mitcham, Jr.Samuel, Retreat to the Reich, Stackpole books 2007. ISBN 081173384X
- Henschler Henri & Fay Will, Armor Battles of the Waffen-SS, 1943-45 Stackpole Books, 2003. ISBN 0811729052
- Mitcham Samuel, The German Defeat in the East, 1944-45,Stackpole Books, 2007. ISBN 0811733718