Franz-Josef Dreike

Franz Josef Dreike
Born	27 October 1910 Dortmund, Germany
Died	24 July 1988 (aged 77) Düsseldorf, Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen-SS
Years of service	1937–45
Rank	Hauptsturmführer
Unit	2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Iron Cross 1st Class Iron Cross 2nd Class

Franz Josef Dreike (27 October 1910 — 24 July 1988) was a Hauptsturmführer (Captain), in the Waffen-SS during World War II who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. This was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.

Franz Josef Dreike was born on the 27 October 1910 in Dortmund, Germany. He volunteered to join the SS and was selected to be an officer, he was in command of the 2nd Company, 2nd SS Flak Battalion, Das Reich Division when he was awarded the Knight's Cross on the 6 May 1945, by Sepp Dietrich, commander of the VI Panzer Army.^{[1][Note 1]}

Notes

1. No evidence of the award can be found in the German Federal Archives. The award was unlawfully presented by SS-Oberstgruppenführer Sepp Dietrich. The date is taken from the announcement made by the 6. SS-Panzerarmee. Franz Josef Dreike was a member of the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR).^[2]

References

Citations

1. "frontkjemper".
2. Scherzer 2007, p. 127.

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.
• 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.