Vinzenz Kaiser
Encyclopedia
Vinzenz Kaiser was an Obersturmbannführer
(Lieutenant Colonel) in the Waffen SS during World War II
who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
. It was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.
near Judenburg
.
After Kaiser finished his education, he was employed in a hardware store. He was also active in the efforts to bring Austria
into the greater German Reich, forming a SA
(Storm Troop) unit in 1927 and four years later being made the commander with the rank of Sturmführer
(Second Lieutenant) of Schutzstaffel
(SS).
After the attempted coup in Austria failed (July 1934) he fled the country to Bavaria
, where he joined the Austrian Legion and later joined the SS-Verfügungstruppe
, he attended the SS-Junkerschule and was given the rank of Untersturmführer
(Second Lieutenant). He was initially posted to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler in Berlin
.
He took part in the Anschluss
of Austria, in 1938 as a company commander in the SS-Standarte Der Führer.
Division, which participated in Polish Campaign, the Battle of France
, the invasion of the Balkans
(Operation Marita), and the invasion of Russia
(Operation Barbarossa
).
It was during the campaigns in Russia that Kaiser started to make a name for himself at the Jelnja Bend in Kiev
, and in the Borodino
, Mozhaisk position in front of Moscow
.
He was in command of an independent Kampfgruppe
during the defensive battles at Waluki, which held the Russians at bay until the rest of the Das Reich Division could gather its units to counterattack.
It was soon after this that he received command of the SdKfz 4
(Armoured) III. Battalion of the Der Führer Regiment, which he led in the counterattacks on the Donetz and Dnjepr sectors, capturing the vital areas of Losowaja, Novo Nowolago and in the conquest of Kharkov.
It was noted that during these attacks Kaiser destroyed 4 Russian tanks by hand, being the only regimental commader in the Waffen SS to do so at this time and was awarded 4 Tank Destruction Badge
s.
For these achievements he was promoted to Hauptsturmführer
(Captain) and awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
in April 1943.
In 1944 Kaiser was promoted to Obersturmbannführer
(Lieutenant Colonel) and posted to the SS Panzergrenadier-Lehr Regiment (Panzer-Lehr-Division), training regiment, which in March 1944 was sent to join the 16th SS Panzer Grenadier Division RFSS which was then used in the occupation of Hungary
.
In May 1944, Kaiser and his regiment was relocated to the Ligurian
coast in Italy
, in an attempt to counter the expected Allied landings at Piombino
, Cecina
and Livorno
.
In June 1944 Kaiser was transferred to the 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen, for the battles in Normandy
and the retreat across the Rhine and back to Nuremberg
. Kaiser died on the night of April 19–20, 1945 when he was beaten and shot in American captivity.
Kaiser was recommended for the award of the Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross before his death but this was not officially confirmed by the Oberkommando des Heeres
(OKH).
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 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...
. It was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.
Early Iife
Vinzenz Kaiser was born on the 28 February 1904 in WaltersdorfWaltersdorf
- In Austria :* Bad Waltersdorf, in the Hartberg district, Styria* Waltersdorf an der March, a part of Drösing, in the Gänserndorf]] district, Lower Austria* Judenburg, in Styria* Neukirchen an der Vöckla, in the Vöcklabruck district, Upper Austria...
near Judenburg
Judenburg
- People :* Renate Götschl* Egon Haar * Herbert Hufnagl, journalist * Gernot Jurtin* Christian Muthspiel, jazz musician, painter* Kurt Muthspiel, composer * Wolfgang Muthspiel* Christian Pfannberger* Walter Pfrimer* Georg Pichler...
.
After Kaiser finished his education, he was employed in a hardware store. He was also active in the efforts to bring Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
into the greater German Reich, forming a SA
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
(Storm Troop) unit in 1927 and four years later being made the commander with the rank of Sturmführer
Sturmführer
Sturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party which began as a title used by the Sturmabteilung in 1925 and became an actual SA rank in 1928...
(Second Lieutenant) of Schutzstaffel
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
(SS).
After the attempted coup in Austria failed (July 1934) he fled the country to Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, where he joined the Austrian Legion and later joined the SS-Verfügungstruppe
SS-Verfügungstruppe
The SS-Verfügungstruppe was formed in 1934 as combat troops for the NSDAP. By 1940 these military SS units had become the nucleus of the Waffen-SS....
, he attended the SS-Junkerschule and was given the rank of 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). He was initially posted to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler in 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 took part in the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
of Austria, in 1938 as a company commander in the SS-Standarte Der Führer.
World War II
The SS-Standartes were later converted into infantry regiments, Der Führer became part of the new Das ReichDas Reich
Das Reich is the name of:* a German SS-division, see 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich* a national socialist newspaper, see Das Reich * the main work of German right-wing intellectual Friedrich Hielscher...
Division, which participated in Polish Campaign, 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 invasion of the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
(Operation Marita), and the invasion of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(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...
).
It was during the campaigns in Russia that Kaiser started to make a name for himself at the Jelnja Bend in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, and in the Borodino
Borodino
Borodino is a rural locality in Mozhaysky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located west of Mozhaysk.The village is famous as the location of the Battle of Borodino, which occurred in what is now known as the "Borodino Battlefield" . The State Borodino War and History Museum and Reserve is...
, Mozhaisk position in front 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...
.
He was in command of an independent 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...
during the defensive battles at Waluki, which held the Russians at bay until the rest of the Das Reich Division could gather its units to counterattack.
It was soon after this that he received command of the SdKfz 4
SdKfz 4
The SdKfz 4 Gleisketten-Lastkraftwagen , nicknamed Maultier was a family of half-tracks developed during World War II by Germany.-Development:...
(Armoured) III. Battalion of the Der Führer Regiment, which he led in the counterattacks on the Donetz and Dnjepr sectors, capturing the vital areas of Losowaja, Novo Nowolago and in the conquest of Kharkov.
It was noted that during these attacks Kaiser destroyed 4 Russian tanks by hand, being the only regimental commader in the Waffen SS to do so at this time and was awarded 4 Tank Destruction Badge
Tank Destruction Badge
The Tank Destruction Badge was an award given to individuals of the Wehrmacht who destroyed an enemy tank single-handedly by an hand-held weapon. Anti-tank units were not eligible for this award...
s.
For these achievements 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 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...
in April 1943.
In 1944 Kaiser 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) and posted to the SS Panzergrenadier-Lehr Regiment (Panzer-Lehr-Division), training regiment, which in March 1944 was sent to join the 16th SS Panzer Grenadier Division RFSS which was then used in the occupation of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
.
In May 1944, Kaiser and his regiment was relocated to the Ligurian
Ligurian
Ligurian may mean:* Ligurian, pertaining to modern Liguria* Ligurian, pertaining to the ancient Ligures* Ligurian , a modern language spoken in parts of Italy, France, Monaco and Argentina...
coast in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, in an attempt to counter the expected Allied landings at Piombino
Piombino
Piombino is an Italian town and comune of circa 35,000 inhabitants in the province of Livorno . It lies on the border between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, in front of Elba Island and at the northern side of Maremma.-Overview:...
, Cecina
Cecina
Cecina may refer to:*Cecina, Tuscany, a town in the Italian Province of Livorno*Cecina , a river in Italy*Cecina , a Spanish and Mexican culinary specialty made of beef*Farinata, a Tuscan culinary specialty made of chickpea flour...
and Livorno
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
.
In June 1944 Kaiser was transferred to the 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen, for the battles in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
and the retreat across the Rhine and back to Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
. Kaiser died on the night of April 19–20, 1945 when he was beaten and shot in American captivity.
Kaiser was recommended for the award of the Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross before his death but this was not officially confirmed by the Oberkommando des Heeres
Oberkommando des Heeres
The Oberkommando des Heeres was Nazi Germany's High Command of the Army from 1936 to 1945. The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht commanded OKH only in theory...
(OKH).