Fritz Biegi
Encyclopedia
Fritz Biegi was a Standartenoberjunker 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.
in Hesse-Nassau. After he finished school he joined the Reich Labour Service until March 1938. He then volunteered to join the SS-VT in April 1938 and was posted to the 7th Company, SS Standarte Germania.
and was promoted to Unterscharführer
in July 1941.
He also took part in Operation Barbarossa
the invasion of the Soviet Union
and was awarded the Iron Cross
2nd class in July 1941, the Infantry Assault Badge
in February 1942, the Iron Cross 1st class in October 1942.
In April 1943 he was awarded the Close Combat Clasp
in Bronze which was awarded for 15 days of hand to hand fighting at close quarters.
In October 1943 when the Division was restructured he was now in the 5th Company, 9th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment Germania.
Intelligence had suggested to expect the Soviet attack on the night of the 2 February,
the attack came at 20:00 hours during a severe storm which succeeded in breaking the German line on the right.
Biegi seeing that the front was liable to collapse collected a machine gun from a dead Grenadier and engaged the advancing Soviet forces at a distance of 20 meters, firing the machine gun from the hip. He advanced alone along the captured front line throwing hand grenades which destroyed three Soviet machine guns and cleared the line.
In the following twelve hours Biegi and his platoon defended the line from Soviet attacks against their front and rear successfully. The next morning when the German reserves managed to link up with them they found more than 100 Soviet dead and 3 guns destroyed, 10 machine guns and 6 grenade launchers captured and forty prisoners of war.
In March 1945 he was promoted to Standartenoberjunker and posted to the staff of the 18th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division "Horst Wessel", but was killed in action shortly afterwards on the 16 March 1945.
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
Fritz Biegi was born on 8 January 1918, in BechtheimBechtheim
Bechtheim is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
in Hesse-Nassau. After he finished school he joined the Reich Labour Service until March 1938. He then volunteered to join the SS-VT in April 1938 and was posted to the 7th Company, SS Standarte Germania.
World War II
In 1939 Biegi took part in the Polish Campaign and the Battle of FranceBattle 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...
and was 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 July 1941.
He also took part in 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...
the invasion of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
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....
2nd class in July 1941, the Infantry Assault Badge
Infantry Assault Badge
The Infantry Assault Badge was a German war badge awarded to Waffen SS and Wehrmacht Heer soldiers during WWII. This decoration was instituted on December 20th 1939 by the Oberstbefehlshaber des Heeres, Generalfeldmarschall von Brauchitsch...
in February 1942, the Iron Cross 1st class in October 1942.
In April 1943 he was awarded the Close Combat Clasp
Close Combat Clasp
The Close Combat Clasp is a German military award instituted on 25 November 1942 for achievement in hand to hand fighting in close quarters. The Close Combat Clasp was worn above the upper left uniform pocket...
in Bronze which was awarded for 15 days of hand to hand fighting at close quarters.
In October 1943 when the Division was restructured he was now in the 5th Company, 9th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment Germania.
Knight's Cross
Biegi was awarded the Knight's Cross for his actions in February 1944, Germania were given the task of defending the town of Orlewez to the west of Smela.Intelligence had suggested to expect the Soviet attack on the night of the 2 February,
the attack came at 20:00 hours during a severe storm which succeeded in breaking the German line on the right.
Biegi seeing that the front was liable to collapse collected a machine gun from a dead Grenadier and engaged the advancing Soviet forces at a distance of 20 meters, firing the machine gun from the hip. He advanced alone along the captured front line throwing hand grenades which destroyed three Soviet machine guns and cleared the line.
In the following twelve hours Biegi and his platoon defended the line from Soviet attacks against their front and rear successfully. The next morning when the German reserves managed to link up with them they found more than 100 Soviet dead and 3 guns destroyed, 10 machine guns and 6 grenade launchers captured and forty prisoners of war.
In March 1945 he was promoted to Standartenoberjunker and posted to the staff of the 18th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division "Horst Wessel", but was killed in action shortly afterwards on the 16 March 1945.
Further reading
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Hamilton Charles Leaders and Personalities of the Third Reich, R James Bender Pub 1997, ISBN 0912138270
- Kurowski Franz Panzer Aces II Stackpole Books, 2004, ISBN 0811731758
- Mitcham, Jr.Samuel, Retreat to the Reich, Stackpole books 2007. ISBN 081173384X
- Henschler Henri & Fay Will, Armor Battles of the Waffen-SS, 1943-45 Stackpole Books, 2003. ISBN 0811729052
- Mitcham Samuel, The German Defeat in the East, 1944-45,Stackpole Books, 2007. ISBN 0811733718