Franz Schreiber
Encyclopedia
Franz Schreiber was a Standartenführer
(Colonel) in the Waffen SS during World War II
. He 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.
Franz Schreiber was born in Dresden on the 8 May 1904.
He volunteered to join the SS-VT and served in the early campaigns in the west being awarded the Iron Cross
2nd class during the Battle of France
in May 1940 followed in August 1940 by the Iron Cross 1st class.
Schreiber was given command of the I. Battalion, 6th SS Infantry Regiment and was awarded the German Cross
in Gold in January 1942 during Operation Barbarossa
the Invasion of the Soviet Union
.
Schreiber took over command of the 12th SS Gebirgs Regiment Michael Gaissmair in May 1942, being awarded the Knight's Cross in December 1944 while in command of the Regiment.
In January 1945, he commanded the last German offensive in the west Operation Nordwind
. When Kampfgruppe
(Battle Group) Schreiber, which consisted of elements of the 12th SS Gebirgsjäger Regiment attached to the 361st Volksgrenadier Division, infiltrated through the US VI Corps line and seized Wingen-sur-Moder
in anticipation of armored reinforcement from Army Group G
. But due to the failure of the XIII SS Army Corps
to break through the US XV Corps units, Army Group G diverted its panzers elsewhere. The Kampfgruppe at Wingen-sur-Moder then found themselves encircled and had to fight their way out.
In March 1945, he took over command of the 6th SS Gebirgs Division Nord until surrendering in Bavaria
to the Americans in May 1945.
Franz Schreiber died in Hamburg
on the 26 February 1976.
Standartenführer
Standartenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in the so-called Nazi combat-organisations: SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK...
(Colonel) 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 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.
Franz Schreiber was born in Dresden on the 8 May 1904.
He volunteered to join the SS-VT and served in the early campaigns in the west being 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 during the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
in May 1940 followed in August 1940 by the Iron Cross 1st class.
Schreiber was given command of the I. Battalion, 6th SS Infantry Regiment and 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 January 1942 during 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....
.
Schreiber took over command of the 12th SS Gebirgs Regiment Michael Gaissmair in May 1942, being awarded the Knight's Cross in December 1944 while in command of the Regiment.
In January 1945, he commanded the last German offensive in the west Operation Nordwind
Operation Nordwind
Operation North Wind was the last major German offensive of World War II on the Western Front. It began on 1 January 1945 in Alsace and Lorraine in northeastern France, and it ended on 25 January.-Objectives:...
. When Kampfgruppe
Kampfgruppe
In military history and military slang, the German term Kampfgruppe can refer to a combat formation of any kind, but most usually to that employed by the German Wehrmacht and its allies during World War II and, to a lesser extent, in World War I...
(Battle Group) Schreiber, which consisted of elements of the 12th SS Gebirgsjäger Regiment attached to the 361st Volksgrenadier Division, infiltrated through the US VI Corps line and seized Wingen-sur-Moder
Wingen-sur-Moder
Wingen-sur-Moder is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.-References:*...
in anticipation of armored reinforcement from Army Group G
Army Group G
The German Army Group G fought on the Western Front of World War II and was a component of OB West.When the Allied invasion of Southern France took place, Army Group G had eleven divisions with which to hold France south of the Loire...
. But due to the failure of the XIII SS Army Corps
XIII SS Army Corps
XIII SS Army Corps was formed August 1944 at Breslau. It was moved to France and the Western Front, where it remained until the end of the war, by which time it had retreated to the Alps...
to break through the US XV Corps units, Army Group G diverted its panzers elsewhere. The Kampfgruppe at Wingen-sur-Moder then found themselves encircled and had to fight their way out.
In March 1945, he took over command of the 6th SS Gebirgs Division Nord until surrendering in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
to the Americans in May 1945.
Franz Schreiber died in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
on the 26 February 1976.