Christian Tychsen

Christian Tychsen
Born	3 December 1910 Flensburg, Province of Schleswig-Holstein, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died	28 July 1944 (aged 33) Gavray, Normandy, Occupied France
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen SS
Years of service	1931–44
Rank	Obersturmbannführer
Unit	2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves German Cross in Gold Iron Cross 1st Class Iron Cross 2nd Class

Christian Tychsen (3 December 1910 — 28 July 1944) was an Obersturmbannführer in the Waffen-SS. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, awarded by Nazi Germany to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Career

Tychsen joined the SS in December 1931 and eventually served with the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich during Operation Barbarossa. In April 1943 he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

On June 9, 1944 Tychsen commanded the German troops who entered the village of Tulle and hanged 99 men in the streets in retaliation for a battle between the local German garrison and French resistance.

He was killed in Normandy by an air attack during operation Cobra, an American strike around St. Lo aimed to free the US Army from the Bocage área.

According to Richard Hargreaves in his book "Germans in Normandy" Tyschsen Said in his last hours: "I AM a veteran panzer commander. If the enemy succeeds in this breakthrough, then war in France for us is over"

Awards

Tychsen (second left) is presented with the Knight's Cross, April 1943.

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (30 May 1940)^[1]
  • 1st Class (18 July 1940)^[1]
• German Cross in Gold on 13 May 1942 as SS-Hauptsturmführer in SS-Kradschützen-Bataillon^[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 31 March 1943 as SS-Sturmbannführer and commander of the II./SS-Panzer-Regiment 2 "Das Reich"^{[3][Note 1]}
  • 353rd Oak Leaves on 10 December 1943 as SS-Sturmbannführer and commander of the II./SS-Panzer-Regiment 2 "Das Reich"^[4][5]

Notes

1. According to Scherzer as commander of the II./SS-Panzer-Regiment 2.^[4]

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1998, p. 394.
2. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 482.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 427.
4. Scherzer 2007, p. 752.
5. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 75.

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• 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 [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9.