Bernhard Krause
Encyclopedia
Bernhard Krause was a Obersturmbannführer
(Lieutenant Colonel) in the Waffen-SS
during World War II
. Who 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
.
, Germany
. After completing his schooling he volunteered to join the SS-VT in January 1934, and posted to the SS Standarte Deutschland. In 1935 he was selected to become an officer and sent to the SS-Junkerschule at Bad Tölz
. Upon graduation he was promoted to Untersturmführer
(Second Lieutenant) in April and further promoted to Obersturmführer
(First Lieutenant) in April 1936. He was given command of the 5th Company, Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and promoted to Hauptsturmführer
(Captain) in January 1939.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/Munin1234/witt_mit_hund.jpg
. He was awarded his first combat decoration, the Iron Cross
II class, in April 1941, during Operation Marita the invasion of the Balkans
. He next took part in Operation Barbarossa
the invasion of the Soviet Union
and was awarded the Iron Cross I class in August followed by the Eastern Front Medal
for service on the Eastern Front
during the first Russian winter of the war in 1942.
Krause was given command of the I. Battalion, 1st SS Panzergrenadier Regiment LSSAH in 1943 and then the 1st SS Flak Battalion, LSSAH, and fought in the Battle of Kharkov
in command of the Flak Battalion where the battalions attacks were of crucial importance.
Krause was then transferred to the newly formed SS division 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend in July 1943, and given command of the I. Battalion, 26th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment.
This new Division's first combat was in the Battle of Normandy
in June 1944, and the defence of Caen
the Battalion held their position for 17 days, particularly on the 24 June in the area of Saint Manvieu
being attacked on both flanks they were able to hold out until withdrawn to new positions. For his bravery and leadership during this time he was awarded the German Cross
in Gold.
to Falaise
road. The Allies had broken through the lines in the area of the 89th Infantry Division on the 13 August. Krause had command of a Kampfgruppe
and was positioned on both sides of the road to Soulangy with orders to prevent a breakthrough to Falaise.
On the 14 August they held out against repeated attacks and were ordered to withdraw to a new position just outside Falaise on the 16 August and secure the road junction one kilometer north of the town. They held this new position against strong attacks from the north, west and southwest, destroying seven tanks and numerous infantry carriers. Suffering heavy losses, the battalion was relocated into Falaise beside the cathedral and the barracks. When they were ordered to pull out, the Battalion consisted of the strength of a weak Company
.
Krause was then given command of the 26th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment, 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend. He did not survive the war, but was killed in action on 19 February 1945.
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...
, 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
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...
.
Early life
Bernhard Krause was born on the 11 May 1910, in WeimarWeimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
, 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...
. After completing his schooling he volunteered to join the SS-VT in January 1934, and posted to the SS Standarte Deutschland. In 1935 he was selected to become an officer and sent to the SS-Junkerschule at 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...
. Upon graduation 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 April 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 April 1936. He was given command of the 5th Company, Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler 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) in January 1939.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/Munin1234/witt_mit_hund.jpg
World War II
Krause took part in the early campaigns of the war the Polish Campaign and 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...
. 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, in April 1941, during Operation Marita the invasion of the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. He next 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...
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....
and was awarded the Iron Cross I class in August followed by the Eastern Front Medal
Eastern Front Medal
The 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...
for service 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...
during the first Russian winter of the war in 1942.
Krause was given command of the I. Battalion, 1st SS Panzergrenadier Regiment LSSAH in 1943 and then the 1st SS Flak Battalion, LSSAH, and fought in the Battle of Kharkov
Battle of Kharkov
Battle of Kharkov may refer to:* First Battle of Kharkov, a 1941 battle in which German troops captured the city* Second Battle of Kharkov, a 1942 battle in which Soviet forces attempted to retake the city...
in command of the Flak Battalion where the battalions attacks were of crucial importance.
Krause was then transferred to the newly formed SS division 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend in July 1943, and given command of the I. Battalion, 26th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment.
This new Division's first combat was 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...
in June 1944, and the defence of 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....
the Battalion held their position for 17 days, particularly on the 24 June in the area of Saint Manvieu
Saint-Manvieu-Norrey
Saint-Manvieu-Norrey is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-History:The commune was formed in 1972, with the merger of the two former communes of Norrey-en-Bessin and Saint-Manvieu.-Demographics:...
being attacked on both flanks they were able to hold out until withdrawn to new positions. For his bravery and leadership during this time he 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.
Knight's Cross
Krause was awarded the Knight's Cross for his actions in August 1944, in the sector along the CaenCaen
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....
to Falaise
Falaise, Calvados
Falaise is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-History:The town was the birthplace of William I the Conqueror, first of the Norman Kings of England. The Château de Falaise , which overlooks the town from a high crag, was formerly the seat of...
road. The Allies had broken through the lines in the area of the 89th Infantry Division on the 13 August. Krause had command of a 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 was positioned on both sides of the road to Soulangy with orders to prevent a breakthrough to Falaise.
On the 14 August they held out against repeated attacks and were ordered to withdraw to a new position just outside Falaise on the 16 August and secure the road junction one kilometer north of the town. They held this new position against strong attacks from the north, west and southwest, destroying seven tanks and numerous infantry carriers. Suffering heavy losses, the battalion was relocated into Falaise beside the cathedral and the barracks. When they were ordered to pull out, the Battalion consisted of the strength of a weak Company
Company
A company is a form of business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital. This group has a common purpose or focus and an aim of gaining profits. This collection, group or association of persons can be...
.
Krause was then given command of the 26th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment, 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend. He did not survive the war, but was killed in action on 19 February 1945.
Commands
- 5th Company, Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
- I. Battalion, 1st SS Panzergrenadier Regiment LSSAH (1943)
- 1st SS Flak Battalion, LSSAH (1943)
- I. Battalion, 26th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment Hitlerjugend (July 1943 - August 1944)
- 26th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment (August 1944 February 1945)
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 081173384X
- Henschler Henri & Fay Will, Armor Battles of the Waffen-SS, 1943-45 Stackpole Books, 2003. ISBN 0811729052
- Mitcham Samuel, The German Defeat in the East, 1944-45,Stackpole Books, 2007. ISBN 0811733718
- Meyer Hubert, The 12th SS: The History of the Hitler Youth Panzer Division, Stackpole Books, 2005. ISBN 0811731987
- Reynolds, Michael (1997). Steel Inferno: I SS Panzer Corps in Normandy. Spellmount. ISBN 1873376901