Wilhelm Beck
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm Beck was a Hauptsturmführer
(Captain) in the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
. He was born on the 22 December 1919 at Bitz
in Württemberg
Germany
. He enlisted in the SS and rose to the rank of Hauptsturmführer
being awarded the Iron Cross
1st and 2nd class and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
In 1940 Oberscharführer (Technical Sergeant) Beck served with Michael Wittmann
in the LSSAH Sturmgeschütz
Battery and by the time of Operation Barbarossa
he had been promoted to Unterstrumführer (Second Lieutenant) and given command of a platoon in the Sturmgeschütz (self-propelled artillery/StuG) battery.
During the advance to the Black Sea
at the port city of Kerson Beck engaged a Russian Gunboat
and a Submarine
In 1942 the LSSAH Sturmgeschütz (StuG) unit was brought up to battalion strength and Beck was given command of one of the Batteries, the Battalion commander being Max Wünsche
.
Beck was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
for his actions in the Third Battle of Kharkov
, by this time he had been transferred to the II/Battalion of the SS Panzer Regiment 1 LSSAH, Beck and his unit destroyed more than 100 Soviet artillery pieces and over 10 T-34 tanks in 3 weeks of fighting.
In 1943 Beck was promoted to Hauptsturmfurher and assigned to 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, as 2nd Company Commander, he was replaced by SS Ostuf Gaede when the Division was moved to France
in 1944 and Beck was appointed as the Liaison officer between the LSSAH and 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend
, he was killed in a carpet bombing attack by Allied forces near Caen
on the 10 June 1944.
Wilhelm Beck is buried at the German Cemetery at La Cambe
near Caen, France.
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) in the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
The Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler was Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard. Initially the size of a regiment, the LSSAH eventually grew into a divisional-sized unit...
. He was born on the 22 December 1919 at Bitz
Bitz
Bitz is a municipality in the Zollernalbkreis district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-Notable people:* Conrad Schick* Justin Jarvis...
in Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He enlisted in the SS and rose to the rank of 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...
being 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 and 2nd class and 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 1940 Oberscharführer (Technical Sergeant) Beck served with Michael Wittmann
Michael Wittmann
Michael Wittmann was a German Waffen-SS tank commander during the Second World War. Wittmann would rise to the rank of SS-Hauptsturmführer and was a Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross holder....
in the LSSAH Sturmgeschütz
Sturmgeschütz
Sturmgeschütz is a German word for "assault gun", usually abbreviated StuG. The vehicle was a leading weapon of the Sturmartillerie, a branch of the German artillery tasked with close fire support of infantry in infantry, panzer, and panzergrenadier units...
Battery and by the time 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...
he had been promoted to Unterstrumführer (Second Lieutenant) and given command of a platoon in the Sturmgeschütz (self-propelled artillery/StuG) battery.
During the advance to the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
at the port city of Kerson Beck engaged a Russian Gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
and a Submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
In 1942 the LSSAH Sturmgeschütz (StuG) unit was brought up to battalion strength and Beck was given command of one of the Batteries, the Battalion commander being Max Wünsche
Max Wünsche
Max Wünsche was a Obersturmbannführer in the Waffen-SS during World War II who was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.-Early life:Max Wünsche was born on 20 April 1914 in Kittlitz...
.
Beck 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...
for his actions in the Third Battle of Kharkov
Third Battle of Kharkov
The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of offensive operations on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov , between 19 February and 15 March 1943...
, by this time he had been transferred to the II/Battalion of the SS Panzer Regiment 1 LSSAH, Beck and his unit destroyed more than 100 Soviet artillery pieces and over 10 T-34 tanks in 3 weeks of fighting.
In 1943 Beck was promoted to Hauptsturmfurher and assigned to 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, as 2nd Company Commander, he was replaced by SS Ostuf Gaede when the Division was moved to 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...
in 1944 and Beck was appointed as the Liaison officer between the LSSAH and 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend
12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend
The 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend was a German Waffen SS armoured division during World War II. The Hitlerjugend was unique because the majority of its junior enlisted men were drawn from members of the Hitler Youth, while the senior NCOs and officers were generally veterans of the Eastern...
, he was killed in a carpet bombing attack by Allied forces near Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
on the 10 June 1944.
Wilhelm Beck is buried at the German Cemetery at La Cambe
La Cambe
La Cambe is a military war grave cemetery, located close to Bayeux, France. Presently containing in excess of 21,000 German military personnel of World War II, it is maintained and managed by the German War Graves Commission.-History:...
near Caen, France.
See also
- Waffen SS
- 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf HitlerThe Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler was Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard. Initially the size of a regiment, the LSSAH eventually grew into a divisional-sized unit...
- List of Knight's Cross holders 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
External links
- http://www.ritterkreuztraeger-1939-45.de/Waffen-SS/B/Beck-Wilhelm.htm