Hans Waldmüller
Encyclopedia
Hans Waldmüller was a Obersturmbannführer
(Lieutenant Colonel) in the Waffen-SS
during World War II
, who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
.
Germany
. He volunteered to join the SS in 1934, and then transferred to the Sicherheitsdienst
(SD) in May 1937. He was selected to become an officer and commissioned on 20 April 1937, and further promoted to Obersturmführer
(First Lieutenant) in September 1938.
(Captain) and then transferred to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Regiment in the Summer of 1940 for the Battle of France
and Operation Marita the invasion of the Balkans
, where he was awarded his first combat decoration, the Iron Cross
II class.
He was awarded his Iron Cross I class during Operation Barbarossa
, the invasion of the Soviet Union
in August 1941 and by December he had qualified for the Infantry Assault Badge
for having taken part in three or more motorized infantry assaults.
In 1943, the decision was made to form a new SS Division from members of the Hitler Youth
and the LSSAH would supply all of the Regimental, Battalion and most of the Company commanders. In time this new division would become the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend
Waldmüller was one of the officers selected for transfer and became the commander of the I. Battalion, 25th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment and promoted to Sturmbannführer
(Major). Waldmüller was awarded the Knights Cross on 27 August 1944, for his bravery in the Battle of Normandy
fighting at Cambes
near Caen
.
He was killed near Basse-Bodeux by members of the Belgian resistance
on 8 September 1944 while driving between Werbomont
and Stavelot
, his body had been badly mutilated and stuffed into a drainage pipe.
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
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
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...
.
Early life
Hans Waldmüller was born on the 13 September 1912, in BambergBamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He volunteered to join the SS in 1934, and then transferred to the Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
(SD) in May 1937. He was selected to become an officer and commissioned on 20 April 1937, and further 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) in September 1938.
World War II
During World War II he was promoted in April 1940, to HauptsturmführerHauptsturmführer
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) and then transferred to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Regiment in the Summer of 1940 for 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...
and Operation Marita the invasion of the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, where he was awarded his first combat decoration, 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.
He was awarded his Iron Cross I class 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....
in August 1941 and by December he had qualified for the Infantry Assault Badge
Infantry Assault Badge
The Infantry Assault Badge was a German war badge awarded to Waffen SS and Wehrmacht Heer soldiers during WWII. This decoration was instituted on December 20th 1939 by the Oberstbefehlshaber des Heeres, Generalfeldmarschall von Brauchitsch...
for having taken part in three or more motorized infantry assaults.
In 1943, the decision was made to form a new SS Division from members of the Hitler Youth
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
and the LSSAH would supply all of the Regimental, Battalion and most of the Company commanders. In time this new division would become the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend
12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend
The 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend was a German Waffen SS armoured division during World War II. The Hitlerjugend was unique because the majority of its junior enlisted men were drawn from members of the Hitler Youth, while the senior NCOs and officers were generally veterans of the Eastern...
Waldmüller was one of the officers selected for transfer and became the commander of the I. Battalion, 25th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment and promoted to Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
(Major). Waldmüller was awarded the Knights Cross on 27 August 1944, for his bravery in the Battle of Normandy
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
fighting at Cambes
Cambes-en-Plaine
Cambes-en-Plaine is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
near Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
.
He was killed near Basse-Bodeux by members of the Belgian resistance
Resistance movement
A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to opposing an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign state. It may seek to achieve its objects through either the use of nonviolent resistance or the use of armed force...
on 8 September 1944 while driving between Werbomont
Ferrières, Belgium
Ferrières is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. On January 1, 2006 Ferrières had a total population of 4,449. The total area is 56.90 km² with a population density of 78 inhabitants per km²....
and Stavelot
Stavelot
Stavelot is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. On January 1, 2006, Stavelot had a total population of 6,671. The total area is 85.07 km² which gives a population density of 78 inhabitants per km².-History:...
, his body had been badly mutilated and stuffed into a drainage pipe.
Further reading
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Mitcham, Jr.Samuel, Retreat to the Reich, Stackpole books 2007. ISBN 0-8117-3384-X
- Henschler Henri & Fay Will, Armor Battles of the Waffen-SS, 1943-45 Stackpole Books, 2003. ISBN 0-8117-2905-2
- Mitcham Samuel, The German Defeat in the East, 1944-45,Stackpole Books, 2007. ISBN 0-8117-3371-8
- Meyer Hubert, The 12th SS: The History of the Hitler Youth Panzer Division, Stackpole Books, 2005.ISBN 0-8117-3198-7
- Reynolds, Michael (1997). Steel Inferno: I SS Panzer Corps in Normandy. Spellmount. ISBN 1-873376-90-1