Eugene Vaulot
Encyclopedia
Eugène Vaulot was a Frenchman with the rank of Unterscharführer
in the Waffen SS during World War II
, who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
.
Eugene Vaulot was born in Paris in 1923. He trained to be an electrician, then volunteered to join the Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism
(L.V.F.), taking part in the fighting at Lake Djukovo on the outskirts of Moscow
in the winter of 1941/42.
He was then involved in anti-partisan
duties on the central Eastern Front
, before being partially disabled from wounds which forced him to leave the L.V.F. in 1943 with the rank of Obergefreiter
.
Not content with civilian
life in 1944 he again volunteered for service, this time with the German Navy and was made a squad leader with 3rd Platoon, 4th Company, 28th Schiffstammabteilung, which would be incorporated virtually intact into the 33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French)
in the autumn of 1944.
During the subsequent battles for Elsenau, Pomerania
and Kolberg he was awarded the Iron Cross
1st class for his fearless and dynamic conduct.
Vaulot proved to be an expert at close combat and was a skilled practitioner of anti-tank warfare with hand-held weapons and was held in high esteem by his commanding officers.
During the Battle of Berlin
, after Vaulot destroyed two tanks in the Neukoelln sector, he jested to his comrades that he had done so "just to get in shape for the battles yet to come."
In the following battles he personally destroyed another six tanks that had been advancing on the Reich Chancellery
and the Führerbunker
. This deed brought him the nomination of the Knight’s Cross
by SS-Brigadeführer Wilhelm Mohnke
which was personally bestowed upon him on 29 April 1945 by SS-Brigadeführer, Gustav Krukenberg
.
Eugene Vaulot was killed in action by a Red Army
sniper
on 2 May 1945, just two days after being awarded the Knight's Cross, and less than a week before the German surrender.
Unterscharführer
Unterscharführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party used by the Schutzstaffel between 1934 and 1945. The SS rank was created after the Night of the Long Knives...
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...
.
Eugene Vaulot was born in Paris in 1923. He trained to be an electrician, then volunteered to join the Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism
Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism
The Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism was a collaborationist French militia founded on July 8, 1941. It gathered various collaborationist parties, including Marcel Bucard's Mouvement Franciste, Marcel Déat's National Popular Rally, Jacques Doriot's French Popular Party, Eugène...
(L.V.F.), taking part in the fighting at Lake Djukovo on the outskirts of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in the winter of 1941/42.
He was then involved in anti-partisan
Partisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
duties on the central 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...
, before being partially disabled from wounds which forced him to leave the L.V.F. in 1943 with the rank of Obergefreiter
Obergefreiter
Obergefreiter is a rank of the German and Swiss militaries which dates from the 19th century.The rank was only used in the German army's heavy artillery branch before 1919 and commonly established with the founding of the Reichswehr...
.
Not content with civilian
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
life in 1944 he again volunteered for service, this time with the German Navy and was made a squad leader with 3rd Platoon, 4th Company, 28th Schiffstammabteilung, which would be incorporated virtually intact into the 33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French)
33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French)
The 33. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS Charlemagne and Charlemagne Regiment are collective names used for units of French volunteers in the Wehrmacht and later Waffen-SS during World War II...
in the autumn of 1944.
During the subsequent battles for Elsenau, Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
and Kolberg he was awarded 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....
1st class for his fearless and dynamic conduct.
Vaulot proved to be an expert at close combat and was a skilled practitioner of anti-tank warfare with hand-held weapons and was held in high esteem by his commanding officers.
During the Battle of Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
, after Vaulot destroyed two tanks in the Neukoelln sector, he jested to his comrades that he had done so "just to get in shape for the battles yet to come."
In the following battles he personally destroyed another six tanks that had been advancing on the Reich Chancellery
Reich Chancellery
The Reich Chancellery was the traditional name of the office of the Chancellor of Germany in the period of the German Reich from 1871 to 1945...
and the Führerbunker
Führerbunker
The Führerbunker was located beneath Hitler's New Reich Chancellery in Berlin, Germany. It was part of a subterranean bunker complex which was constructed in two major phases, one part in 1936 and the other in 1943...
. This deed brought him the nomination of the Knight’s 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...
by SS-Brigadeführer Wilhelm Mohnke
Wilhelm Mohnke
SS-Brigadeführer Wilhelm Mohnke was one of the original 120 members of the SS-Staff Guard "Berlin" formed in March 1933. From those ranks, Mohnke rose to become one of Adolf Hitler's last remaining generals.Mohnke saw action with the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler in France, Poland...
which was personally bestowed upon him on 29 April 1945 by SS-Brigadeführer, Gustav Krukenberg
Gustav Krukenberg
Dr Gustav Krukenberg was Brigadeführer of the Charlemagne Division of the Waffen-SS and further commander of its remains and the SS Division Nordland during the Battle of Berlin in April 1945....
.
Eugene Vaulot was killed in action by a Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
on 2 May 1945, just two days after being awarded the Knight's Cross, and less than a week before the German surrender.