Erich Olboeter
Encyclopedia
Erich Olboeter was a Sturmbannführer
(Major) 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
.
near Berlin
. He joined the NSDAP aged sixteen in 1933 (party number 3 601 994). He later volunteered to join the SS-VT in September 1934. He was selected to become an officer and posted to the SS-Junkerschule in 1937, and upon graduation was promoted to Untersturmführer
(Second Lieutenant) in March 1938 and posted to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Regiment.
company under the command of Kurt Meyer
(Olboeter was a protege of Kurt Meyer and served under his direct command for most of the war). He was awarded his first combat decorations during the Battle of France
; the Infantry Assault Badge
and the Iron Cross
II class in 1940.
He was given command of the 15th Company, 1st SS Panzergrenader Regiment, LSSAH in 1941 at the start of Operation Barbarossa
the invasion of the Soviet Union
and was awarded the Iron Cross I class while in command.
In March 1943, he was awarded the Wound Badge
in Silver and the German Cross
in Gold in 1943 while in command of the 5th (Heavy) Company, 1st SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion.
He was then posted to the newly formed SS Division in July 1943, 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend initially in command of the 12th SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion but was moved to command the III.(Armoured) Battalion, 26th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment. He was awarded the Knight's Cross during the Battle of Normandy
in July 1944.
Olboeter did not survive the war but was killed in action near Hirson
, France
when he drove over a Land mine
planted by the French Resistance
and died soon after in hospital, on the 2 September 1944.
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
(Major) 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...
, 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
Erich Olboeter was born on the 26 July 1917, in EberswaldeEberswalde
Eberswalde is a major town and the administrative seat of the district Barnim in the German Federal State of Brandenburg, about 50 km northeast of Berlin. Population 42144 , geographical location . The town is often called Waldstadt , because of the large forests around it, including the...
near Berlin
Berlin
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...
. He joined the NSDAP aged sixteen in 1933 (party number 3 601 994). He later volunteered to join the SS-VT in September 1934. He was selected to become an officer and posted to the SS-Junkerschule in 1937, and upon graduation 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 March 1938 and posted to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Regiment.
World War II
During World War II, Olboeter was in the 13th PanzerjägerPanzerjäger
Panzerjäger was a branch of service of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War which were the anti-tank arm-of-service who operated anti-tank artillery, and made exclusive use of the tank destroyers which were also named Panzerjäger...
company under the command of 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...
(Olboeter was a protege of Kurt Meyer and served under his direct command for most of the war). He was awarded his first combat decorations during 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...
; 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...
and 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 1940.
He was given command of the 15th Company, 1st SS Panzergrenader Regiment, LSSAH in 1941 at the start of 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 while in command.
In March 1943, he was awarded the Wound Badge
Wound Badge
Wound 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 Silver and 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 in 1943 while in command of the 5th (Heavy) Company, 1st SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion.
He was then posted to the newly formed SS Division in July 1943, 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend initially in command of the 12th SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion but was moved to command the III.(Armoured) Battalion, 26th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment. He was awarded the Knight's Cross during 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 July 1944.
Olboeter did not survive the war but was killed in action near Hirson
Hirson
Hirson is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.It is a few miles south of the border with Belgium, and was in the past an important strategic position due to being near the intersection of several railway lines....
, 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...
when he drove over a Land mine
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
planted by the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
and died soon after in hospital, on the 2 September 1944.
Commands
- 15th (Heavy) Company, 1st SS Panzergrenadier Regiment LSSAH
- 13th Company, LSSAH
- 2nd (Motorcycle) Company, 1st SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion LSSAH
- 5th (Heavy) Company, 1st SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion
- 12th SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion, 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend
- III.(Armoured) Battalion, 26th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment, 12 SS
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