Fritz Darges
Encyclopedia
Fritz Darges was an Obersturmbannführer
(Lieutenant Colonel) in the Waffen SS during World War II
who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
. He was born in Dülseberg near Salzwedel
.
. After graduation in April 1935 he was promoted to Untersturmführer
(Second Lieutenant). In 1936 he was named Adjutant
to Reichsleiter
Martin Bormann
. In May 1937 he joined the NSDAP, and in September of that same year he was promoted to Obersturmführer
(First Lieutenant)
and was awarded the Iron Cross
2nd class in July 1940 and promoted to Hauptsturmführer
(Captain).
Darges was then posted to the newly formed SS Division Wiking, took part in Operation Barbarossa
and was awarded the Iron Cross 1st class in August 1942. In March 1943 he became Adjutant to Adolf Hitler
and was promoted to Obersturmbannführer
(Lieutenant Colonel) in January 1944. He remained in this position until mid-year.
, a fly began buzzing around the room, allegedly landing on Hitler's shoulder and on the surface of a map several times. Irritated, Hitler ordered Darges to dispatch the nuisance. Darges suggested that, as it was an airborne pest, the job should go to the Luftwaffe
adjutant, Nicolaus von Below. Enraged, Hitler dismissed Darges on the spot and had him banished to the Eastern Front
. Another version of this story claims Darges was merely snickering as Hitler looked up from the map.
as the commander of the 5th SS Panzer Regiment. It was in command of this unit that Darges was awarded the Knight's Cross
for his actions on the night of 4 January 1945. The division was advancing towards Bicske
when it was stopped by the 41st Guards Rifle Division of the 4th Guards Army
. Darges initially probed the Soviet line with a mixed Panzer and Panzer Grenadier Kampfgruppe
and succeeded in breaking through the line at dawn. Subsequently he ambushed and destroyed a Soviet task force, knocking out four 122mm guns, four 76mm anti-tank guns, twelve trucks and a number of supply vehicles. He then attacked Regis Castle, forcing the garrison to retreat. Darges then found himself surrounded by Soviet reinforcements and was forced to repel several attacks. Three days later when they were relieved by another Kampfgruppe
from SS Wiking, they left behind more than thirty destroyed Soviet tanks.
Shortly before his death, Darges stated that he found Hitler to be a "genius" and that "I served him and would do it all again now."
Darges authored a manuscript recounting his experiences as a member of Hitler's inner circle, with instructions that it be published after his death. It is hoped that these memoirs will shed light on Hitler's personal involvement in the Holocaust
and other topics.
Obersturmbannführer
Obersturmbannführer was a paramilitary Nazi Party rank used by both the SA and the SS. It was created in May 1933 to fill the need for an additional field grade officer rank above Sturmbannführer as the SA expanded. It became an SS rank at the same time...
(Lieutenant 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...
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...
. He was born in Dülseberg near Salzwedel
Salzwedel
Salzwedel of Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, and has a population of approximately 21,500. Salzwedel is located on the German Framework Road.-Geography:...
.
Early life
After attending school, Darges volunteered to join the SS in April 1933 By 1934 he had been selected to become an officer and attended the SS-Junkerschule at Bad TölzBad Tölz
Bad Tölz is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and administrative center of the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen.- History :Since the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the Ice Age, archaeology has shown continuous occupation of the site of Bad Tölz...
. After graduation in April 1935 he was promoted to Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer 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...
(Second Lieutenant). In 1936 he was named Adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
to Reichsleiter
Reichsleiter
Reichsleiter , was the second highest political rank of the NSDAP next only to the office of Führer. Reichsleiter also served as a paramilitary rank, for the Nazi Party and was the highest position attainable in any Nazi-Organisation.The Reichsleiter reported directly to Adolf Hitler, in whose...
Martin Bormann
Martin Bormann
Martin Ludwig Bormann was a prominent Nazi official. He became head of the Party Chancellery and private secretary to Adolf Hitler...
. In May 1937 he joined the NSDAP, and in September of that same year he was promoted to Obersturmführer
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)
World War II
In October 1939 he returned to the Waffen SS as a company commander in the Deutschland and Der Führer Regiments in the SS-VT. He fought in the Battle of FranceBattle 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...
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 July 1940 and promoted to Hauptsturmführer
Hauptsturmführer
Hauptsturmführer was a Nazi rank of the SS which was used between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank of Hauptsturmführer was a mid-grade company level officer and was the equivalent of a Captain in the German Army and also the equivalent of captain in foreign armies...
(Captain).
Darges was then posted to the newly formed SS Division Wiking, 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...
and was awarded the Iron Cross 1st class in August 1942. In March 1943 he became Adjutant to Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and was promoted to Obersturmbannführer
Obersturmbannführer
Obersturmbannführer was a paramilitary Nazi Party rank used by both the SA and the SS. It was created in May 1933 to fill the need for an additional field grade officer rank above Sturmbannführer as the SA expanded. It became an SS rank at the same time...
(Lieutenant Colonel) in January 1944. He remained in this position until mid-year.
Dismissal
On 18 July 1944, during a strategy conference in the WolfsschanzeWolfsschanze
Wolf's Lair is the standard English name for Wolfsschanze, Adolf Hitler's first World War II Eastern Front military headquarters, one of several Führerhauptquartier or FHQs located in various parts of Europe...
, a fly began buzzing around the room, allegedly landing on Hitler's shoulder and on the surface of a map several times. Irritated, Hitler ordered Darges to dispatch the nuisance. Darges suggested that, as it was an airborne pest, the job should go to the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
adjutant, Nicolaus von Below. Enraged, Hitler dismissed Darges on the spot and had him banished to the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
. Another version of this story claims Darges was merely snickering as Hitler looked up from the map.
Service in the Eastern Front
In August 1944 Darges returned to the SS Wiking to replace Johannes MühlenkampJohannes Mühlenkamp
Johannes-Rudolf Mühlenkamp was a Standartenführer in the Waffen-SS during the World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves on September 21, 1944.-Early life:...
as the commander of the 5th SS Panzer Regiment. It was in command of this unit that Darges was awarded the Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield....
for his actions on the night of 4 January 1945. The division was advancing towards Bicske
Bicske
Bicske is a town in Fejér county, Hungary.-History:According to a document dating from 1306, Botond’s sons János and Péter were granted the permission to levy toll in the locality of Bicske as well. Bicske was written Bykche, Biccke, Bykcze, Biczke, Bitske ...
when it was stopped by the 41st Guards Rifle Division of the 4th Guards Army
4th Guards Army (Soviet Union)
The Fourth Guards Army was an elite army headquarters of the Soviet Union during World War II and the postwar era.Formed on the basis of the 24th Army on April 16, 1943, the Fourth Guards Army fought in decisive actions such as the Battle of Kursk, the Iassy-Kishinev Offensive, the struggle for...
. Darges initially probed the Soviet line with a mixed Panzer and Panzer Grenadier 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...
and succeeded in breaking through the line at dawn. Subsequently he ambushed and destroyed a Soviet task force, knocking out four 122mm guns, four 76mm anti-tank guns, twelve trucks and a number of supply vehicles. He then attacked Regis Castle, forcing the garrison to retreat. Darges then found himself surrounded by Soviet reinforcements and was forced to repel several attacks. Three days later when they were relieved by another 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...
from SS Wiking, they left behind more than thirty destroyed Soviet tanks.
Post war
Darges survived the war, but not much is known about his activities after Germany's surrender. He was known to have a career as a car salesman after the war. He appeared in the 2000 documentary Hitlers Krieg im Osten, credited as himself.Shortly before his death, Darges stated that he found Hitler to be a "genius" and that "I served him and would do it all again now."
Darges authored a manuscript recounting his experiences as a member of Hitler's inner circle, with instructions that it be published after his death. It is hoped that these memoirs will shed light on Hitler's personal involvement in the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
and other topics.