Andrejs Freimanis was a Obersturmführer

Obersturmführer

Obersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi party that was used by the SS and also as a rank of the SA. Translated as “Senior Assault Leader”, the rank of Obersturmführer was first created in 1932 as the result of an expansion of the Sturmabteilung and the need for an additional rank in...

 (First Lieutenant) 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...

, which was awarded to recognize great 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

During World War II, he volunteered for the Waffen SS after 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 served with the 13th Company, 44th Waffen Grenadier Regiment of SS, 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian).

He was awarded the Knight's 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....

 in May 1945, while in command of the 13th Company, when the Division formed the right wing of the VI SS Army Corps

VI SS Army Corps

VI SS Army Corps or VI. SS-Freiwilligen-Armeekorps was a unit of the Waffen SS during World War II. It was formed in October 1943, to command the Latvian Waffen SS divisions. It fought in the northern sector of the Eastern Front as part of the 18th Army...

 during the fighting in the Courland pocket

Courland Pocket

The Courland Pocket referred to the Red Army's blockade or encirclement of Axis forces on the Courland peninsula during the closing months of World War II...

.

Post war

Andrejs Freimanis survived the war and ensuing Soviet captivity and died in his hometown of Grobiņa on 10 September 1994.
The Latvian Navy Band and an honor company from the Latvian Land Forces

Latvian Land Forces

Land Forces ) form the regular contingent of the National Armed Forces and provide for the defense of all national territories. The development of the Land Forces is directed towards improving their combat andprofessional capabilities.- Mission :...

 were at the funeral.

Further reading