Hans Kroh
Encyclopedia
Hans Kroh was a German Fallschirmjäger
and general in the Bundeswehr
. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
on April 1, 1936. Kroh completed the parachutist-rifleman course and became a training director of the Stendal
Parachute School. After a period of staff work, on September 1, 1940 he assumed command of I Battalion, 2nd Parachute Regiment.
During the Battle of Crete
Kroh took command of Battle Group Sturm, whose objective was Rethymnon airfield, after Oberst
Alfred Sturm
was taken prisoner by the British Forces. Near Stavromenos and the oil refinery the paratroops held out against a vastly superior enemy force. Following the bitter ten-day struggle, which occupied a large portion of the British-Greek armed forces, the battle group was relieved by mountain infantry. Kroh received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
on August 21, 1941.
In Africa Kroh served as Ia of the Ramcke Parachute Brigade
. It was Kroh who initiated the brigade's escape through enemy territory following the German withdrawal from El Alamein
.
In Russia
on the Eastern front
Kroh and his regiment fought near Novo Andreyevka and Novgorodka. Near Butor
the regiment eliminated a Russian bridgehead on the Dniepr. Kroh also saw action at Kirovograd, where Russian attacks were repulsed.
Hans Kroh commanded the 2nd Parachute Division in the Battle for Brest
until he was captured in the St. Pierre district of the city on September 18, 1944.
Hans Kroh joined the Bundeswehr
on June 1, 1956 as Oberst
. On September 1, 1957 he was promoted to Brigadegeneral. One day later he took command of the 1st Luftlande-Division in Bruchsal
. On July 1, 1959 he was again promoted to Generalmajor. He retired on October 1, 1962. He died in Braunschweig
in 1967.
Fallschirmjäger
are German paratroopers. Together with the Gebirgsjäger they are perceived as the elite infantry units of the German Army....
and general in the Bundeswehr
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
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...
. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Biography
Hans Kroh entered the Brandenburg-Havel Police School as a police cadet on April 8, 1926. On October 1, 1935 he became commander of the 2nd Company, General Göring Regiment and transferred to the LuftwaffeLuftwaffe
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....
on April 1, 1936. Kroh completed the parachutist-rifleman course and became a training director of the Stendal
Stendal
Stendal is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the capital of Stendal District and unofficial capital of the Altmark. Its population in 2001 was 38,900. It is located some west of Berlin and around east of Hanover...
Parachute School. After a period of staff work, on September 1, 1940 he assumed command of I Battalion, 2nd Parachute Regiment.
During the Battle of Crete
Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete under the code-name Unternehmen Merkur...
Kroh took command of Battle Group Sturm, whose objective was Rethymnon airfield, after 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...
Alfred Sturm
Alfred Sturm
Alfred Sturm was a general of the Fallschirmjäger during World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his actions during the Battle of Crete.-Awards:* Iron Cross...
was taken prisoner by the British Forces. Near Stavromenos and the oil refinery the paratroops held out against a vastly superior enemy force. Following the bitter ten-day struggle, which occupied a large portion of the British-Greek armed forces, the battle group was relieved by mountain infantry. Kroh received 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...
on August 21, 1941.
In Africa Kroh served as Ia of the Ramcke Parachute Brigade
Ramcke Parachute Brigade
Fallschirmjäger-Brigade AfrikaFallschirmjäger-Brigade RamckeLuftwaffen-Jäger-Brigade 1The Fallschirmjäger-Brigade Ramcke was an elite German Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger Brigade which saw action in the Mediterranean Theatre during World War II.-History:Following the costly success of Operation...
. It was Kroh who initiated the brigade's escape through enemy territory following the German withdrawal from El Alamein
El Alamein
El Alamein is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. As of 2007, it has a local population of 7,397 inhabitants.- Climate :...
.
In Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
on 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...
Kroh and his regiment fought near Novo Andreyevka and Novgorodka. Near Butor
Butor
Butor is a commune in the Grigoriopol sub-district of Transnistria, Moldova. It is composed of two villages, Butor and India . It is currently under the administration of the breakaway government of the Transnistrian Moldovan Republic....
the regiment eliminated a Russian bridgehead on the Dniepr. Kroh also saw action at Kirovograd, where Russian attacks were repulsed.
Hans Kroh commanded the 2nd Parachute Division in the Battle for Brest
Battle for Brest
The Battle for Brest was one of the fiercest battles fought during Operation Cobra, the Allied breakout of Normandy which began on 27 July 1944, during the Battle of Normandy during World War II....
until he was captured in the St. Pierre district of the city on September 18, 1944.
Hans Kroh joined the Bundeswehr
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
on June 1, 1956 as 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...
. On September 1, 1957 he was promoted to Brigadegeneral. One day later he took command of the 1st Luftlande-Division in Bruchsal
Bruchsal
Bruchsal is a city at the western edge of the Kraichgau, approximately 20 km northeast of Karlsruhe in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany...
. On July 1, 1959 he was again promoted to Generalmajor. He retired on October 1, 1962. He died 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....
in 1967.
Awards
- Wound BadgeWound BadgeWound 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 Black - "Afrika" and "Kreta" CuffbandCuff titleA cuff title is a form of insignia placed on the sleeve, near the cuff of German military and paramilitary uniforms, most commonly seen in the Second World War but also seen postwar....
- Medaglia d'Argento al Valor MilitareSilver Medal of Military ValorThe Silver Medal of Military Valor is an Italian medal for gallantry.Italian medals for valor were first instituted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia on May 21, 1793, with a gold medal, and, below it, a silver medal...
(9 February 1942) - Luftwaffe Paratrooper Badge
- Ground Assault Badge of the Luftwaffe
- German CrossGerman CrossThe 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 (24 December 1942) - Iron CrossIron CrossThe 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 (22 May 1940)
- 1st Class (22 May 1940)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and SwordsKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe 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...
- Knight's Cross on 21 August 1941 as MajorMajor (Germany)Major is a rank of the German military which dates back to the Middle Ages.It equates to Major in the British and US Armies, and is rated OF-3 in NATO.During World War II, the SS equivalent was Sturmbannführer....
and commander I./Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 2 - 443rd Oak Leaves on 6 April 1944 as OberstleutnantOberstleutnantOberstleutnant is a German Army and Air Force rank equal to Lieutenant Colonel, above Major, and below Oberst.There are two paygrade associated to the rank of Oberstleutnant...
and commander of the Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 2 - 96th Schwerter on 12 September 1944 as OberstOberstOberst 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...
and leader of the 2. Fallschirmjäger-Division
- Knight's Cross on 21 August 1941 as Major
- Great Cross of MeritBundesverdienstkreuzThe Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
(12 September 1962)