Erwin Reichel
Encyclopedia
Erwin H. Reichel was a Sturmbannführer
(Major) 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.
, Austria
his father was a university professor.
In 1929 he joined the Freikorps
Oberland
(German for Highlands, Thuringia). After serving in the Austrian Army for a few months, he volunteered to join the SS-VT in 1934, one of the early members (SS number 58.074) and the NSDAP (Party number 5.020.865).
As a member of the SS-VT he participated in the Anschluss
of Austria
and the occupation of the Sudetenland
in 1938, and the annexation of Bohemia
and Moravia
in March 1939.
2nd class during the Polish Campaign in October 1939 and the Iron Cross 1st class Battle of France
in May 1940.
Reichel was awarded the Knights Cross for his actions during the Third Battle of Kharkov
in February 1943. In command of the 10th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment Westland
(5th SS Panzer Division Wiking
), after tough fighting he pinned down a Soviet tank battalion and destroyed or pinned down the stronger force.
He was injured and died in a field hospital on 28 February 1943.
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
(Major) 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 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.
Early life
Erwin Reichel was born on the 11 March 1911 in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, 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...
his father was a university professor.
In 1929 he joined the Freikorps
Freikorps
Freikorps are German volunteer military or paramilitary units. The term was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards. Between World War I and World War II the term was also used for the paramilitary organizations that arose during...
Oberland
Oberland
Oberland may refer to: Germany*Oberland am Rennsteig, Sonneberg, Thuringia, Germany*Vogtländisches Oberland, Greiz, Thuringia, Germany*In East Prussia, the Elbląg Canal was named Oberländischer KanalSwitzerland...
(German for Highlands, Thuringia). After serving in the Austrian Army for a few months, he volunteered to join the SS-VT in 1934, one of the early members (SS number 58.074) and the NSDAP (Party number 5.020.865).
As a member of the SS-VT he participated in the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
of 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...
and the occupation of the Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
in 1938, and the annexation of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
in March 1939.
World War II
In World War II he was awarded the Iron CrossIron 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....
2nd class during the Polish Campaign in October 1939 and the Iron Cross 1st class 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...
in May 1940.
Reichel was awarded the Knights Cross for his actions during 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...
in February 1943. In command of the 10th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment Westland
Westland (Nazi propaganda)
This article is about the Nazi propaganda term used for the Netherlands. For other uses, see Westland .Westland is the name which the government of Nazi Germany intended to replace that of the Netherlands with during its 1940-1945 occupation of that country...
(5th SS Panzer Division Wiking
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...
), after tough fighting he pinned down a Soviet tank battalion and destroyed or pinned down the stronger force.
He was injured and died in a field hospital on 28 February 1943.