Wolfgang Jörchel
Encyclopedia
Wolfgang Roman Christian Theodor Jörchel (9 August 1907 – 12 May 1945) was a Standartenführer
(Colonel) in the Waffen SS during World War II
. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
, for extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany
during World War II
.
in Silesia
, his father was a Leutnant in the army who was killed in action near Tarnawka on the Eastern Front
in 1914. After he completed his secondary school education he went onto study the Russian language at the university of Breslau.
In May 1934, he became a sports leader in the Hitler Youth
and also joined the SA
remaining an active member until June 1935, when he left only to later join the SS-VT in October 1935, with the rank of Obersturmführer
(First Lieutenant). He was posted to the SS-Junkerschule at Bad Tölz
in 1937, as an machine gun
instructor and then joined the SS Standarte (Regiment) Deutschland and participated in the Anschluss
of Austria
and the occupation of the Sudetenland
in 1938.
II class. His Iron Cross I class was awarded for his actions during the Battle of France
.
In December 1940, he was given command of the II/Battalion, SS Germania. This was followed by command of the SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 23 Norge and the SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Regiment 48 General Seyffardt, 23rd SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nederland.
He was awarded his Knight's Cross when in command of the General Seyffardt in April 1944. For his actions during the Battle for Narva Bridgehead; After a feint attack towards Nordland's positions, the Russian commander directed his forces at the General Seyffardt regiment, holding the centre of the line. The regiment was forced from its positions, but a counterattack led by Jörchel retook the defensive works and averted a Soviet breakthrough.
His final command was the SS-Junkerschule in Prague
in May 1945, where he was captured by the liberated Czechs and killed on 12 May 1945,
Standartenführer
Standartenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in the so-called Nazi combat-organisations: SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK...
(Colonel) 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 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...
, for 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
Wolfgang Roman Christian Theodor Jörchel was born on 9 August 1907, in ZabrzeZabrze
Zabrze is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The west district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union is a metropolis with a population of around 2 million...
in Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
, his father was a Leutnant in the army who was killed in action near Tarnawka on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War I)
The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...
in 1914. After he completed his secondary school education he went onto study the Russian language at the university of Breslau.
In May 1934, he became a sports leader in the Hitler Youth
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
and also joined the SA
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
remaining an active member until June 1935, when he left only to later join the SS-VT in October 1935, with the rank of 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). He was posted to the SS-Junkerschule at Bad Tölz
Bad Tölz
Bad Tölz is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and administrative center of the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen.- History :Since the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the Ice Age, archaeology has shown continuous occupation of the site of Bad Tölz...
in 1937, as an machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
instructor and then joined the SS Standarte (Regiment) Deutschland and 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.
World War II
In World War II he was in the SS Standarte Germania during the Polish Campaign where 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....
II class. His Iron Cross I class was awarded for his actions during 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...
.
In December 1940, he was given command of the II/Battalion, SS Germania. This was followed by command of the SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 23 Norge and the SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Regiment 48 General Seyffardt, 23rd SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nederland.
He was awarded his Knight's Cross when in command of the General Seyffardt in April 1944. For his actions during the Battle for Narva Bridgehead; After a feint attack towards Nordland's positions, the Russian commander directed his forces at the General Seyffardt regiment, holding the centre of the line. The regiment was forced from its positions, but a counterattack led by Jörchel retook the defensive works and averted a Soviet breakthrough.
His final command was the SS-Junkerschule in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
in May 1945, where he was captured by the liberated Czechs and killed on 12 May 1945,