Erich Pietzonka

Erich Pietzonka
Born	(1906-10-04)4 October 1906
Died	18 December 1989(1989-12-18) (aged 83)
Place of birth	Plümkenau district of Oppeln / Upper Silesia
Place of death	Bad Sassendorf
Allegiance	Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer (to 1935) Luftwaffe
Years of service	1924–1945
Rank	Oberst
Commands held	9./Fallschirmjäger-Regiments 1 II./Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 2 Fallschirmjäger-Regiments 7
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of Crete Battle for Brest
Awards	Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves

Erich Pietzonka (4 October 1906 – 18 December 1989), was a German Fallschirmjäger during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Awards

• Wehrmacht Long Service Award
  • 4th Class (2 October 1936)
  • 3rd Class (17 December 1936)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (28 May 1940)
  • 1st Class (28 May 1940)
• Wound Badge (1939) in Black (21 July 1941)
• Italian Bronze Medal of Military Valor (9 February 1942)
• German Cross in Gold on 4 August 1942 as Major in the II./Falschirmjäger-Regiment 2
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 5 September 1944 as Oberstleutnant and commander of Falschirmjäger-Regiment 7
  • 584th Oak Leaves on 16 September 1944 as Oberst and commander of Falschirmjäger-Regiment 7

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 (in German). Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
• Kurowski, Franz (1995). Knights of the Wehrmacht Knight's Cross Holders of the Fallschirmjäger. Schiffer Military. ISBN 0-88740-749-8.
• Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941–1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall (in German). ISBN 3-931533-45-X.
• Thomas, Franz and Wegmann, Günter (1986). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Teil II: Fallschirmjäger (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 3-7648-1461-6.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.