Fritz Feßmann

Fritz Feßmann
File:Fritz Feßmann.jpg
Born	(1913-12-25)25 December 1913
Died	11 October 1944(1944-10-11) (aged 30)
Place of birth	Urbach
Place of death	near Tilsit
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1935–1944
Rank	Major of the Reserves
Commands held	Panzer-AufklAbt 5
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (posthumous)

Fritz Feßmann (25 December 1913 – 11 October 1944) was a German officer serving during World War II and recipient of the coveted Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Feßmann was killed in action on 11 October 1944. He had just debarked from his vehicle when a Soviet shell exploded before him, throwing him back into the vehicle and killing him instantly. He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords and promoted to Major of the Reserves.

Awards

• Wound Badge in Silver
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (28 May 1940)
  • 1st Class (16 July 1941)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
  • Knight's Cross on 27 October 1941 as Leutnant of the Reserves and platoon leader of the 1./Panzer-Aufklärungsabteilung 7
  • 170th Oak Leaves on 4 January 1943 as Oberleutnant of the Reserves and chief of the 1./Kradschützen-Bataillon 64
  • 103rd Swords on 23 October 1944 (posthumous) as Hauptmann of the Reserves and commander of the Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Berger, Florian (2000). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges. Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 3-9501307-0-5.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
• 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.
• Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 3-7648-2299-6.
• Frey, Gerhard; Herrmann, Hajo: Helden der Wehrmacht III - Unsterbliche deutsche Soldaten (in German). München, Germany: FZ-Verlag GmbH, 2007. ISBN 978-3-924309-82-4.

External links

• Fritz Feßmann @ Panzer-Archiv
• Fritz Feßmann @ Lexikon der Wehrmacht