Martin Gürz
Encyclopedia
Martin Gürz was a Sturmbannführer
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...

. He was a recipient of 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...

.

Martin Gürz was born on the 15 January 1918, in Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....

.
During World War II, he volunteered to join the Waffen SS and by 1944 he was the commander of the 12th Company, 23rd SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment Norge, 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland, which was fighting on the Northern part of 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...

. In February 1944, he assumed command of the III.Battalion after its previous commander Hanns-Heinrich Lohmann
Hanns-Heinrich Lohmann
Hanns Heinrich Lohmann was a Obersturmbannführer , in the Waffen SS during World War II, who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves.-Early life:...

 had been wounded.

It was when in command of the Battalion during the fighting in the Battle for Narva Bridgehead in September 1944, that he was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross.

Further reading

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