Josef Lainer
Encyclopedia
Josef Lainer was a Hauptscharführer
(Master Sergeant) in the Waffen-SS
during World War II
who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
, to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II. He was also awarded the very rare Close Combat Clasp
in Gold one of only 631 awards and he twice escaped from captivity when being held as a prisoner of war
.
in Austria
, in his early years he was a Baker
s
apprentice until after his eighteenth birthday when he volunteered to join the SS-VT, taking part in the occupation of the Sudetenland
in 1938.
Division and participated in the invasion of Holland and the Battle of France
as a Rottenführer
(Senior Corporal) in command of a machine gun group.
(Sergeant) and took part in the invasion of Russia
(Operation Barbarossa
) in June 1941, where he received his first wound on the 8 July being hit by shell splinters. He also received his first medal the Iron Cross
2nd class.
Lainer returned to the front within hours and was involved in 15 battles in 17 days which included the battles at Smolensk
, Kiev
, Gomel and the outskirts of Moscow
.
In the Autumn battle outside of Moscow, Lainer was again wounded three times in two hours, twice shot in the arm which was also fractured, which resulted in Lainer being admitted to hospital and it was the skill of the surgeons that prevented the amputation of the arm.
These injuries gained Lainer the Wound Badge
in Silver and the Infantry Assault Badge
. After his release from hospital Lainer was assigned to a training company in Germany, returning to the Das Reich
which was still in Russia, in the spring of 1943.
Lainer was awarded the Iron Cross 1st class in the defensive battles at Kiev
and days later was again shot in the arm refusing to leave the front Lainer was promoted to Oberscharführer
(Technical Sergeant) and given command of a platoon in the 2nd Company, a position normally held by an officer.
and the action the resulted in the award of the Knight's Cross.
Located in the village of Korotich, Lainer's unit came under attack by the Russians. His unit had taken over an abandoned Russian tank which they used to counter attack the Russian positions. During the assault Lainer was again wounded by shrapnel from a Russian Hand Grenade, but they did manage to stop the Russian attack.
That night they were attacked by a company of Russians, but managed to hold them off. The Russians attacked again and again, for five days. On the sixth day the Russians put in an attack in strength, using tanks. Lainer had deployed his men in the minefield in front of the German line to fight off this attack.
During these battles Lainer was twice slightly wounded, for which he received the Wound Badge
in Gold.
For these actions Lainer was awarded the Knight's Cross in October 1943, and was congratulated by Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein
, the commander of the Army Group.
He was also awarded the Close Combat Clasp
in Gold for having spent 54 days in combat, he was the seventh person to receive the Gold award and only the third NCO.
(Master Sergeant) in January 1944 and moved with the Das Reich Division to France, where he would lead his men against the British and American forces in Normandy
.
In August 1944 in the battles around Avranches
, Lainer was captured by the Americans, but escaped three days later through a gap in the barbed wire fence surrounding the prisoner of war camp.
After two days spent evading the Allied forces he reached the front line, but was discovered trying to cross into German territory and again went into captivity.
Josef Lainer died on 4 September 2002.
Hauptscharführer
Hauptscharführer was a Nazi paramilitary rank which was used by the Schutzstaffel between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank was the highest enlisted rank of the SS, with the exception of the special Waffen-SS rank of Sturmscharführer....
(Master Sergeant) in the Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
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...
, to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II. He was also awarded the very rare 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 Gold one of only 631 awards and he twice escaped from captivity when being held as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
.
Early years
Josef Lainer, was born on the March 1920 at BrixenBrixen
Brixen is the name of two cities in the Alps:*Brixen, South Tyrol, Italy*Brixen im Thale, Tyrol, AustriaBrixen may also refer to:*Bishopric of Brixen, the former north-Italian state....
in 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...
, in his early years he was a Baker
Baker
A baker is someone who bakes and sells bread, Cakes and similar foods may also be produced, as the traditional boundaries between what is produced by a baker as opposed to a pastry chef have blurred in recent decades...
s
apprentice until after his eighteenth birthday when he volunteered to join the SS-VT, taking part in 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.
World War II
Lainer was not involved in the Polish Campaign but by 1940 he was part of the 2nd Company, SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment Der Führer, Das ReichDas Reich
Das Reich is the name of:* a German SS-division, see 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich* a national socialist newspaper, see Das Reich * the main work of German right-wing intellectual Friedrich Hielscher...
Division and participated in the invasion of Holland and the 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...
as a Rottenführer
Rottenführer
Rottenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in the year 1932. The rank of Rottenführer was used by several Nazi paramilitary groups, among them the Sturmabteilung , the Schutzstaffel and was senior to the paramilitary rank of Sturmmann.The insignia for Rottenführer...
(Senior Corporal) in command of a machine gun group.
Russia
At the beginning of 1941 Lainer had been promoted to UnterscharführerUnterscharführer
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...
(Sergeant) and took part in the invasion of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(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...
) in June 1941, where he received his first wound on the 8 July being hit by shell splinters. He also received his first medal 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.
Lainer returned to the front within hours and was involved in 15 battles in 17 days which included the battles at Smolensk
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
, Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Gomel and the outskirts of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
In the Autumn battle outside of Moscow, Lainer was again wounded three times in two hours, twice shot in the arm which was also fractured, which resulted in Lainer being admitted to hospital and it was the skill of the surgeons that prevented the amputation of the arm.
These injuries gained Lainer the Wound Badge
Wound Badge
Wound Badge was a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied...
in Silver and 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...
. After his release from hospital Lainer was assigned to a training company in Germany, returning to the Das Reich
Das Reich
Das Reich is the name of:* a German SS-division, see 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich* a national socialist newspaper, see Das Reich * the main work of German right-wing intellectual Friedrich Hielscher...
which was still in Russia, in the spring of 1943.
Lainer was awarded the Iron Cross 1st class in the defensive battles at Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
and days later was again shot in the arm refusing to leave the front Lainer was promoted to Oberscharführer
Oberscharführer
Oberscharführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that existed between the years of 1932 and 1945. Translated as “Senior Squad Leader”, Oberscharführer was first used as a rank of the Sturmabteilung and was created due to an expansion of the enlisted positions required by growing SA membership...
(Technical Sergeant) and given command of a platoon in the 2nd Company, a position normally held by an officer.
Knight's Cross award
In August 1943 Lainer was involved in the Battle of KharkovBattle of Kharkov
Battle of Kharkov may refer to:* First Battle of Kharkov, a 1941 battle in which German troops captured the city* Second Battle of Kharkov, a 1942 battle in which Soviet forces attempted to retake the city...
and the action the resulted in the award of the Knight's Cross.
Located in the village of Korotich, Lainer's unit came under attack by the Russians. His unit had taken over an abandoned Russian tank which they used to counter attack the Russian positions. During the assault Lainer was again wounded by shrapnel from a Russian Hand Grenade, but they did manage to stop the Russian attack.
That night they were attacked by a company of Russians, but managed to hold them off. The Russians attacked again and again, for five days. On the sixth day the Russians put in an attack in strength, using tanks. Lainer had deployed his men in the minefield in front of the German line to fight off this attack.
During these battles Lainer was twice slightly wounded, for which he received the Wound Badge
Wound Badge
Wound Badge was a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied...
in Gold.
For these actions Lainer was awarded the Knight's Cross in October 1943, and was congratulated by Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein
Erich von Manstein
Erich von Manstein was a field marshal in World War II. He became one of the most prominent commanders of Germany's World War II armed forces...
, the commander of the Army Group.
He was also 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 Gold for having spent 54 days in combat, he was the seventh person to receive the Gold award and only the third NCO.
Normandy
Lainer was now promoted to HauptscharführerHauptscharführer
Hauptscharführer was a Nazi paramilitary rank which was used by the Schutzstaffel between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank was the highest enlisted rank of the SS, with the exception of the special Waffen-SS rank of Sturmscharführer....
(Master Sergeant) in January 1944 and moved with the Das Reich Division to France, where he would lead his men against the British and American forces in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
.
In August 1944 in the battles around Avranches
Avranches
Avranches is a commune in the Manche department in the Basse-Normandie region in north-western France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. The inhabitants are called Avranchinais.-History:...
, Lainer was captured by the Americans, but escaped three days later through a gap in the barbed wire fence surrounding the prisoner of war camp.
After two days spent evading the Allied forces he reached the front line, but was discovered trying to cross into German territory and again went into captivity.
Post war
In 1946 Lainer was released by the Americans, but was re-arrested by the French and made to carry out dangerous de-mining operations. At the end of 1946 he escaped again and returned to his hometown in Austria.Josef Lainer died on 4 September 2002.
Awards
- Iron CrossIron CrossThe 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....
(1939)- 2nd Class (28 July 1941)
- 1st Class (14 February 1943)
- Infantry Assault BadgeInfantry Assault BadgeThe 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 Bronze (15 June 1942) - Wound BadgeWound BadgeWound Badge was a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied...
(1939)- in Silver (15 October 1942)
- in Gold (15 September 1943)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron CrossKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe 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...
on 8 October 1943 as SS-OberscharführerOberscharführerOberscharführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that existed between the years of 1932 and 1945. Translated as “Senior Squad Leader”, Oberscharführer was first used as a rank of the Sturmabteilung and was created due to an expansion of the enlisted positions required by growing SA membership...
and platoon leader in the 3./SS-Panzergreandier-Regiment 4 "Der Führer" - Close Combat ClaspClose Combat ClaspThe 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 Gold (15 October 1943)