Hubert Meyer
Encyclopedia
SS-Obersturmbannführer
(Lieutenant Colonel) Hubert Meyer (born 5 December 1913) was a German
Waffen-SS
officer who served with the 1.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and was one of the commanders of the 12.SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend
. After the war, he became active in the veteran's association HIAG
. He is the last living commander of any SS Division. In September 2011 he is the highest ranking SS officer known to be alive, next to Bernhard Frank
.
on 5 December 1913. He joined the SS in 1933 and attended the SS Junkerschule in Bad Tölz
, Bavaria
. In 1937 as SS-Untersturmführer
(Second Lieutenant), Meyer was given platoon command within the 10. Kompanie of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler.
(First Lieutenant) and saw action during the invasion of Poland, invasion of Holland and invasion of France
, winning the Iron Cross
second class in November 1939. Following the fall of France
Mayer became the commander of 10. Kompanie (which was later renamed as the 12. Kompanie) and in November 1940 was promoted to SS-Hauptsturmführer
(Captain). Later, during the campaign in the Balkans, SS-Hauptsturmführer
Meyer also won the Iron Cross
-first class.
, Meyer's 12 Kompanie participated in the LSSAH advance on Kiev
. During this time Meyer's men were engaged by a detachment of well concealed enemy snipers and Meyer was severely wounded. Following his return from the battlefield he was posted to the Leibstandarte's Artillerieregiment for pre General Staff training where he remained until early 1943. On 14 February 1943 SS-Hauptsturmführer
Meyer was given the command of III./SS-Pz.Gren.Rgt 1 and in this capacity participated in the Third Battle of Kharkov
. On March 9, he was again wounded; this time by shrapnel from a grenade while leading a counter-attack south of Kharkov.
Meyer attended the 10th General Staff Officer course and after graduating was assigned to the newly formed 12.SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend
(Hitler Youth). After the divisional commander SS-Brigadeführer
Kurt Meyer
was captured on 6 September 1944 by Belgian partisans in the town of Durnal, Hubert Meyer took temporary command of the division. He relinquished his command on 24 October 1944 to SS-Brigadeführer
(Major General) Fritz Kraemer
, but stayed with the division for the remainder of the war and surrendered to the Americans on 8 May 1945.
history of his division, entitled Kriegsgeschichte der 12. SS-Panzerdivision "Hitlerjugend", which was published in 1982 (ISBN 3-921242-51-7) and reprinted in 1996. The book was also translated into English and published in 1994 under the title The History of the 12.SS-Panzerdivision "Hitlerjugend" (ISBN 0-921991-18-5), and then reprinted in two volumes by Stackpole Books in 2005 as The 12th SS: The History of the Hitler Youth Panzer Division.
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) Hubert Meyer (born 5 December 1913) was a German
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...
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...
officer who served with the 1.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and was one of the commanders of the 12.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...
. After the war, he became active in the veteran's association HIAG
HIAG
Hilfsgemeinschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit der Angehörigen der ehemaligen Waffen-SS was an organization founded in 1951 by former members of the Waffen-SS....
. He is the last living commander of any SS Division. In September 2011 he is the highest ranking SS officer known to be alive, next to Bernhard Frank
Bernhard Frank
Obersturmbannführer Bernhard Frank was an SS Commander of the Obersalzberg complex who arrested Hermann Göring on April 25, 1945 by order of Adolf Hitler, who had been manipulated by Reichsleiter Bormann into believing Göring was attempting to usurp the Führer's authority...
.
Early Life – Pre-war SS service
Meyer was born in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
on 5 December 1913. He joined the SS in 1933 and attended the SS Junkerschule in Bad Tölz
Bad 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...
, 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...
. In 1937 as SS-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), Meyer was given platoon command within the 10. Kompanie of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler.
Early war campaigns
On 9 November 1938 Meyer was promoted to SS-ObersturmführerObersturmführer
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 saw action during the invasion of Poland, invasion of Holland and invasion of France
Invasion of France
The Invasion of France may refer to one of the following:* Invasion of France , a failed Austro-Italian invasion attempt against southern France supported by the British navy...
, winning 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....
second class in November 1939. Following the fall of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Mayer became the commander of 10. Kompanie (which was later renamed as the 12. Kompanie) and in November 1940 was promoted to SS-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). Later, during the campaign in the Balkans, SS-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...
Meyer also won 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....
-first class.
Operations in Russia
In the opening weeks of Operation BarbarossaOperation 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...
, Meyer's 12 Kompanie participated in the LSSAH advance on Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. During this time Meyer's men were engaged by a detachment of well concealed enemy snipers and Meyer was severely wounded. Following his return from the battlefield he was posted to the Leibstandarte's Artillerieregiment for pre General Staff training where he remained until early 1943. On 14 February 1943 SS-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...
Meyer was given the command of III./SS-Pz.Gren.Rgt 1 and in this capacity participated in the Third Battle of Kharkov
Third Battle of Kharkov
The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of offensive operations on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov , between 19 February and 15 March 1943...
. On March 9, he was again wounded; this time by shrapnel from a grenade while leading a counter-attack south of Kharkov.
12.SS-Hitlerjugend
From June through September 1943, SS-SturmbannführerSturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
Meyer attended the 10th General Staff Officer course and after graduating was assigned to the newly formed 12.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...
(Hitler Youth). After the divisional commander SS-Brigadeführer
Brigadeführer
SS-Brigadeführer was an SS rank that was used in Nazi Germany between the years of 1932 and 1945. Brigadeführer was also an SA rank....
Kurt Meyer
Kurt Meyer (Panzermeyer)
Kurt Meyer, nicknamed "Panzermeyer", served as an officer in the Waffen-SS during the Second World War. He saw action in many major battles, including the Invasion of France, Operation Barbarossa, and the Battle of Normandy.Meyer was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and...
was captured on 6 September 1944 by Belgian partisans in the town of Durnal, Hubert Meyer took temporary command of the division. He relinquished his command on 24 October 1944 to SS-Brigadeführer
Brigadeführer
SS-Brigadeführer was an SS rank that was used in Nazi Germany between the years of 1932 and 1945. Brigadeführer was also an SA rank....
(Major General) Fritz Kraemer
Fritz Kraemer
SS-Brigadeführer Fritz Kraemer was a German Waffen-SS and Heer officer, and a commander of the I. SS-Panzer Corps Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and the 12.SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend. He was also a winner of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.-Early life - Pre-war service:Kraemer was born in...
, but stayed with the division for the remainder of the war and surrendered to the Americans on 8 May 1945.
Post war
Meyer survived the war and became the official historian of the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend. He is also the author of two books on the division. The multi-volume German languageGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
history of his division, entitled Kriegsgeschichte der 12. SS-Panzerdivision "Hitlerjugend", which was published in 1982 (ISBN 3-921242-51-7) and reprinted in 1996. The book was also translated into English and published in 1994 under the title The History of the 12.SS-Panzerdivision "Hitlerjugend" (ISBN 0-921991-18-5), and then reprinted in two volumes by Stackpole Books in 2005 as The 12th SS: The History of the Hitler Youth Panzer Division.
Dates of rank
- SS-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...
: 9 November 1938 - SS-HauptsturmführerHauptsturmführerHauptsturmführer 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...
: 9 November 1940 - SS-SturmbannführerSturmbannführerSturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
: 20 April 1943 - SS-ObersturmbannführerObersturmbannführerObersturmbannführer 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...
: 9 November 1944
Notable decorations
- 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 (6 May 1943) - Eastern Front MedalEastern Front MedalThe Eastern Front Medal, , more commonly known as the Ostmedaille was instituted on May 26, 1942 to mark service on the German Eastern Front during the period November 15, 1941 to April 15, 1942...
(1942) - Infantry Assault BadgeInfantry Assault BadgeThe 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...
in Bronze (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....
Second (1939) and First (1941) Classes - 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 (1941)