Paul Albert Kausch
Encyclopedia
Paul Albert Kausch was a Obersturmbannführer
(Lieutenant Colonel) in the Waffen SS during World War II
who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
.
Kausch was one of the original members of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler which he joined in 1933, in 1935 he was selected for officer training and sent to the SS-Junkerschule at Braunschweig
being promoted to Untersturmführer
(Second Lieutenant) upon graduation, 20 April 1936.
He spent the next three years as a platoon and company commander in the Totenkopf
Regiment as well as being a company commander in the army's 11th Infantry Regiment.
On 20 April 1939, he was promoted to Hauptsturmführer
(Captain) and in November 1939, given command of the 5th Battery, SS Totenkopf Artillery Regiment.
During the Battle of France
Kausch was awarded the Iron Cross
1st class and in November 1940 he was transferred to the Wiking Division
as the Divisional Adjutant.
From August 1941 until January 1942, Kausch was the commander of the 1st Battalion, SS Artillery Regiment Wiking, being promoted to Sturmbannführer
(Major) in April 1942.
In February 1943, he was tasked with raising the 11th SS Panzer Battalion Nordland, which was ordered to the Oranienbaumer, Kessel sector during the withdrawal to the Narva
. Between Hungerburg
and Riga
, countless Russian attacks were repelled and Kausch was promoted to Obersturmbannführer
(Lieutenant Colonel).
In July 1944, Kausch was assigned a sector of a swamp along the Lipsustrasse, to defend. With only a small number of men, he held the sector throughout the night, defeating a Russian attack that had broken through the lines and advanced on his own command post. Armed with hand grenades and an StG44 assault rifle, he fought them off and then called down artillery fire on his own position.
For this action, Obersturmbannführer
Kausch was decorated with the Knight's Cross on 23 August 1944.
In April 1945, Kausch participated in the final large-scale counterattacks eastward from Strausberg
that at first had considerable success, but was then forced into a fighting withdrawal to Berlin
, Kausch and his men participated in the last battles of Berlin, and Kausch was awarded oakleaves to the Knight's Cross on 23 April 1945.
On 28 April 1945, Kausch was severely wounded for the third time and on 1 May 1945, he was captured by the Russians,
he remained a prisoner until 16 January 1956, and died in October 2001.
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 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
Knight's Cross refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield....
.
Kausch was one of the original members of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler which he joined in 1933, in 1935 he was selected for officer training and sent to the SS-Junkerschule at Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
being 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) upon graduation, 20 April 1936.
He spent the next three years as a platoon and company commander in the Totenkopf
Totenkopf
The Totenkopf is the German word for the death's head and an old symbol for death or the dead. It consists usually of the skull and the mandible of the human skeleton...
Regiment as well as being a company commander in the army's 11th Infantry Regiment.
On 20 April 1939, he was 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) and in November 1939, given command of the 5th Battery, SS Totenkopf Artillery Regiment.
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...
Kausch 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 and in November 1940 he was transferred to the Wiking Division
5th SS Panzer Division Wiking
The 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking was one of the elite Panzer divisions of the thirty eight Waffen SS divisions. It was recruited from foreign volunteers, from Scandinavia, Finland, Estonia, The Netherlands, and Belgium under the command of German officers...
as the Divisional Adjutant.
From August 1941 until January 1942, Kausch was the commander of the 1st Battalion, SS Artillery Regiment Wiking, being promoted to Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
(Major) in April 1942.
In February 1943, he was tasked with raising the 11th SS Panzer Battalion Nordland, which was ordered to the Oranienbaumer, Kessel sector during the withdrawal to the Narva
Battle of Narva (1944)
The Battle of Narva was a military campaign between the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front fought for possession of the strategically important Narva Isthmus on 2 February – 10 August 1944 during World War II....
. Between Hungerburg
Hungerburg
Hungerburg is a district of Innsbruck, Austria. It has a population of 647 ....
and Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, countless Russian attacks were repelled and Kausch was promoted to Obersturmbannführer
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 July 1944, Kausch was assigned a sector of a swamp along the Lipsustrasse, to defend. With only a small number of men, he held the sector throughout the night, defeating a Russian attack that had broken through the lines and advanced on his own command post. Armed with hand grenades and an StG44 assault rifle, he fought them off and then called down artillery fire on his own position.
For this action, Obersturmbannführer
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...
Kausch was decorated with the Knight's Cross on 23 August 1944.
In April 1945, Kausch participated in the final large-scale counterattacks eastward from Strausberg
Strausberg
Strausberg is a city in Brandenburg, Germany, located 30 km east of Berlin. With a population of 26,206 in 2010 it is the largest town in the district of Märkisch-Oderland.-History:...
that at first had considerable success, but was then forced into a fighting withdrawal to 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...
, Kausch and his men participated in the last battles of Berlin, and Kausch was awarded oakleaves to the Knight's Cross on 23 April 1945.
On 28 April 1945, Kausch was severely wounded for the third time and on 1 May 1945, he was captured by the Russians,
he remained a prisoner until 16 January 1956, and died in October 2001.