Franz Riedel
Encyclopedia
Franz Riedel was a Obersturmführer
(First Lieutenant) and panzer ace in the Waffen SS during World War II
. He was a recipient of 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
. He was credited with the destruction of more than 40 tanks and numerous anti-tank guns with his Panzerkampfwagen IV.
He once destroyed 13 T-34
's in one action.
, Czechoslovakia
. Between April 1939 and September 1939 he completed his compulsory labor service.
and trained as a gunner in a Panzerjäger
(tank hunter) unit. At the completion of his training he was posted to the SS Division Das Reich as a gunner in the 3rd Battery, Panzerjäger Battalion Deutschland.
He took part in Operation Barbarossa
the invasion of the Soviet Union
and in August 1941 he was given command of his own Panzerjäger and was awarded the Iron Cross
II class and the Wound Badge
in October 1941.
Riedel was posted to the 2 Battery, Panzerjäger Battalion Nord in January 1942. He was then selected to become an officer and posted to the SS-Junkerschule in Braunschweig
between June and December 1942.
After graduation he was posted to the 2nd Battery, Panzerjäger Training and Reserve Battalion in Hilversum
in Holland.
In February 1943, he was posted as a platoon commander in the 21 Panzergrenadier Regiment, 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg which was in the process of forming and shortly afterwards, in May given command of a platoon in the 3rd Battery, 10th SS Panzerjäger Battalion. He attended the Panzer school Sagan
between January and February 1944 and returned to the division, to the 7th Company, 10th SS Panzer Regiment. He was awarded the Iron Cross
I class and the Panzer Badge
in Silver in April 1944.
He was next in action on the Western Front
where he was awarded the German Cross
in Gold in August 1944 and the Panzer Badge "25" in October 1944. His Knight's Cross came in March 1945, awarded while in command of the 7th Company, 10th SS Panzer Regiment.
Obersturmführer
Obersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi party that was used by the SS and also as a rank of the SA. Translated as “Senior Assault Leader”, the rank of Obersturmführer was first created in 1932 as the result of an expansion of the Sturmabteilung and the need for an additional rank in...
(First Lieutenant) and panzer ace 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...
. He was a recipient of 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
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...
. He was credited with the destruction of more than 40 tanks and numerous anti-tank guns with his Panzerkampfwagen IV.
He once destroyed 13 T-34
T-34
The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II...
's in one action.
Early life
Franz Riedel was born on the 2 December 1921 in Český TěšínCeský Tešín
Český Těšín is a town in the Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. The town is commonly known in the region as just Těšín . It lies on the west bank of the Olza River, in the heart of the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. Between April 1939 and September 1939 he completed his compulsory labor service.
World War II
Franz Riedel volunteered to join the SS in October 1939 (SS number 455 613), and was posted to the 3rd Company, SS Panzer Training and Reserve Battalion in EllwangenEllwangen
Ellwangen an der Jagst, officially Ellwangen , in common use simply Ellwangen is a town in the district of Ostalbkreis in the east of Baden-Württemberg in Germany...
and trained as a gunner in a Panzerjäger
Panzerjäger
Panzerjäger was a branch of service of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War which were the anti-tank arm-of-service who operated anti-tank artillery, and made exclusive use of the tank destroyers which were also named Panzerjäger...
(tank hunter) unit. At the completion of his training he was posted to the SS Division Das Reich as a gunner in the 3rd Battery, Panzerjäger Battalion Deutschland.
He took part 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 in August 1941 he was given command of his own Panzerjäger 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....
II class and the Wound Badge
Wound Badge
Wound Badge was a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied...
in October 1941.
Riedel was posted to the 2 Battery, Panzerjäger Battalion Nord in January 1942. He was then selected to become an officer and posted to the SS-Junkerschule in Braunschweig
Braunschweig
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....
between June and December 1942.
After graduation he was posted to the 2nd Battery, Panzerjäger Training and Reserve Battalion in Hilversum
Hilversum
is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Located in the region called "'t Gooi", it is the largest town in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller villages...
in Holland.
In February 1943, he was posted as a platoon commander in the 21 Panzergrenadier Regiment, 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg which was in the process of forming and shortly afterwards, in May given command of a platoon in the 3rd Battery, 10th SS Panzerjäger Battalion. He attended the Panzer school Sagan
Sagan
-Places:* German name of Żagań, Poland and the Silesian Duchy of Żagań* Sagan, Ethiopia* The Sagan River of Ethiopia* Şağan, Azerbaijan-People:* Carl Sagan, American astronomer, science writer, and advocate for rationalism and skepticism...
between January and February 1944 and returned to the division, to the 7th Company, 10th SS Panzer Regiment. He 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....
I class and the Panzer Badge
Panzer Badge
The Panzer Badge was a German medal awarded to armour troops during World War II. It was introduced during World War II in December 1939 .- History :The Tank Combat Badge, or Panzer Badge, first existed in the German Army during World War I, and was later...
in Silver in April 1944.
He was next in action on the Western Front
Western Front (World War II)
The Western Front of the European Theatre of World War II encompassed, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and West Germany. The Western Front was marked by two phases of large-scale ground combat operations...
where 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 August 1944 and the Panzer Badge "25" in October 1944. His Knight's Cross came in March 1945, awarded while in command of the 7th Company, 10th SS Panzer Regiment.
Promotions
- 01.10.1939 Enters Waffen-SS (SS number 455.613)
- 01.12.1940 SturmmannSturmmannSturmmann was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in the year 1921. The rank of Sturmmann was used by the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel ....
- 01.11.1941 RottenführerRottenführerRottenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in the year 1932. The rank of Rottenführer was used by several Nazi paramilitary groups, among them the Sturmabteilung , the Schutzstaffel and was senior to the paramilitary rank of Sturmmann.The insignia for Rottenführer...
- 20.04.1942 UnterscharführerUnterscharführerUnterscharführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party used by the Schutzstaffel between 1934 and 1945. The SS rank was created after the Night of the Long Knives...
- .........1943 Standartenoberjunker
- 10.03.1943 UntersturmführerUntersturmführerUntersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the German Schutzstaffel first created in July 1934. The rank can trace its origins to the older SA rank of Sturmführer which had existed since the founding of the SA in 1921...
- 21.06.1944 ObersturmführerObersturmführerObersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi party that was used by the SS and also as a rank of the SA. Translated as “Senior Assault Leader”, the rank of Obersturmführer was first created in 1932 as the result of an expansion of the Sturmabteilung and the need for an additional rank in...
Awards
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (28-03 1945)
- German Cross in Gold (19-08 1944)
- Iron Cross I class (20-04 1944)
- Iron Cross II class (09-10 1941)
- General Assault Badge (29-07 1941)
- Panzer Badge in Silver (16-04 1944)
- Panzer Badge in Silver "25" (16-10 1944)
- Wound Badge in Black (15-10 1941)