Egon Christophersen
Encyclopedia
Egon Christophersen was a Unterscharführer
in the Waffen SS during World War II
. He was the first of three Dane
's to be recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany
during World War II
.
, Denmark
. He attended the local school in Strøby from the age of seven and worked on the experimental farm Little Køgegaard from the age of fourteen with his three brothers.
He was posted to Graz
to complete his basic training with the Training and Reserve Battalion, SS Regiment Der Führer.
After completing his training he was posted to the 11th Company, SS Regiment Norland, 5th SS Division Wiking in August 1941, and later moved to the 9th Company.
SS Wiking was by now engaged on the Eastern Front
and Christophersen was transferred to the 2nd Company, SS Regiment Norland and in May 1942 promoted to Sturmmann
.
He was wounded in the right and left thighs when fighting in the Caucasus
and evacuated to a military hospital in September 1942, and posted to the SS Regiment Westland Training and Reserve Battalion in Graz when he had recovered.
He remained in Graz until February 1943, when he returned to the front to the now SS Panzergrenadier Division Wiking and was awarded the Iron Cross
II class for his bravery in the Caucasus and in May promoted to Unterscharführer
.
In May 1943 he was also posted into the new SS Division 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland which was formed around the SS Regiment Norland the Division was based in Grafenwohr
until formed.
Egon Christophersen was now part of the 7th Company, 24th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment Danmark, which was mostly made up of soldiers from Denmark.
After they had completed formation training they were sent to Croatia
to counter Josip Broz Tito
'ss, Partisans. Egons brother Viggo who had also joined the Waffen SS was killed during this time.
The 11th SS Norland together with the 5th SS Wiking now formed the III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps
and moved to the front line in the former Baltic states
at Narva
.
beside the borough of Dolgaya Niva. They come under attack on the 20, 22, 25, 26 and 28 May and the 12 June from strong Russian forces.
It was for his actions on the 12 June that Chistophersen became the first Danish volunteer to receive the Knight's Cross on 11 July 1944 for his heroic deeds on 12 June 1944. On that day a strong Russian attack force overran outpost Sunshine held by members of the 7th Company on the far southeastern corner of the Narva Front, and began to besiege both the remnants of the 7th and the II.Battalion. Acting upon his own initiative, Unterscharführer Egon Christophersen assembled all of the survivors of the 7th Company that he could find in no man's land and led them in a counterattack to regain the old company positions. In the course of fierce hand-to-hand combat with a powerful enemy force, Egon Christophersen and his men were able to recapture Outpost Sunshine and stabilize the front. Egon Christophersen was immediately awarded the Iron Cross, I Class by the battalion commander Hauptsturmführer
Heinz Hämel
, and was nominated for the Knight's Cross which he soon received. Only three Danes received the Knight's Cross. The two other Danes were Obersturmführer
Soeren Kam and Obersturmführer Johannes Helmers both officers.
in Denmark. He worked at Ørum Hansen's Machinefactory in over thirty years. He died on the 15 January 1988.
Unterscharführer
Unterscharführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party used by the Schutzstaffel between 1934 and 1945. The SS rank was created after the Night of the Long Knives...
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 the first of three Dane
Dane
- General :* Someone from the Kingdom of Denmark, or of Danish descent** Dane, a Danish national, resident or citizen ** Dane, one of the Danish people** Dane, a member of the Danes...
's to be recipients 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...
.
Early life
Egon Christophersen was born on the 8 February 1919 in Strøby in StevnsStevns
Stevns is a municipality in Region Sjælland on the southeast coast of the island of Zealand in south Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 247 km², and has a total population of 21,892 . Its mayor is Paul Arne Sørensen, a member of the Venstre political party...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. He attended the local school in Strøby from the age of seven and worked on the experimental farm Little Køgegaard from the age of fourteen with his three brothers.
World War II
During World War II Christophersen joined the DNSAP and became a member of its Storm Section (SA) and he volunteered to join the Waffen SS on the 7 April 1941.He was posted to Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
to complete his basic training with the Training and Reserve Battalion, SS Regiment Der Führer.
After completing his training he was posted to the 11th Company, SS Regiment Norland, 5th SS Division Wiking in August 1941, and later moved to the 9th Company.
SS Wiking was by now engaged on 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...
and Christophersen was transferred to the 2nd Company, SS Regiment Norland and in May 1942 promoted to Sturmmann
Sturmmann
Sturmmann was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in the year 1921. The rank of Sturmmann was used by the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel ....
.
He was wounded in the right and left thighs when fighting in the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
and evacuated to a military hospital in September 1942, and posted to the SS Regiment Westland Training and Reserve Battalion in Graz when he had recovered.
He remained in Graz until February 1943, when he returned to the front to the now SS Panzergrenadier Division Wiking and 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....
II class for his bravery in the Caucasus and in May promoted to Unterscharführer
Unterscharführer
Unterscharführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party used by the Schutzstaffel between 1934 and 1945. The SS rank was created after the Night of the Long Knives...
.
In May 1943 he was also posted into the new SS Division 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland which was formed around the SS Regiment Norland the Division was based in Grafenwohr
Grafenwöhr
Grafenwöhr is a town in the district Neustadt , in the region of the Upper Palatinate in eastern Bavaria, Germany. It is widely known for the United States Army military installation and training area, called Grafenwöhr Training Area, located directly south and west of the town.- Early History:The...
until formed.
Egon Christophersen was now part of the 7th Company, 24th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment Danmark, which was mostly made up of soldiers from Denmark.
After they had completed formation training they were sent to Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
to counter Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
'ss, Partisans. Egons brother Viggo who had also joined the Waffen SS was killed during this time.
The 11th SS Norland together with the 5th SS Wiking now formed the III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps
III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps
The III SS Panzer Corps was a German Waffen-SS armoured corps which saw action on the Eastern Front during World War II. The The III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps (III. (germanische) SS-Panzerkorps) was a German Waffen-SS armoured corps which saw action on the Eastern Front during World War II. The...
and moved to the front line in the former Baltic states
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
at Narva
Narva
Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus.-Early history:...
.
Narva
Christophersen and the 7th Company were dug in south of Narva and east of the KreenholmKreenholm
-See also:List of islands of Estonia...
beside the borough of Dolgaya Niva. They come under attack on the 20, 22, 25, 26 and 28 May and the 12 June from strong Russian forces.
It was for his actions on the 12 June that Chistophersen became the first Danish volunteer to receive the Knight's Cross on 11 July 1944 for his heroic deeds on 12 June 1944. On that day a strong Russian attack force overran outpost Sunshine held by members of the 7th Company on the far southeastern corner of the Narva Front, and began to besiege both the remnants of the 7th and the II.Battalion. Acting upon his own initiative, Unterscharführer Egon Christophersen assembled all of the survivors of the 7th Company that he could find in no man's land and led them in a counterattack to regain the old company positions. In the course of fierce hand-to-hand combat with a powerful enemy force, Egon Christophersen and his men were able to recapture Outpost Sunshine and stabilize the front. Egon Christophersen was immediately awarded the Iron Cross, I Class by the battalion commander 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...
Heinz Hämel
Heinz Hämel
Heinz Hämel was a Sturmbannführer in the Waffen SS during World War II. Who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.-Early life:Heinz Hämel was born on the 25...
, and was nominated for the Knight's Cross which he soon received. Only three Danes received the Knight's Cross. The two other Danes were 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...
Soeren Kam and Obersturmführer Johannes Helmers both officers.
Post war
Egon Christophersen survived the war and returned to live in KøgeKøge
Køge Municipality is a municipality in Region Sjælland on the east coast of the island of Zealand approx. 40 km. southwest of Copenhagen. The municipality covers an area of 255 km² , and has a total population of 56,637...
in Denmark. He worked at Ørum Hansen's Machinefactory in over thirty years. He died on the 15 January 1988.
See also
- Battle of Narva (1944)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....
- Battle for Narva Bridgehead
- Battle of Tannenberg Line