Friedrich Blond

Friedrich Blond
Nickname(s)	Friedel
Born	29 April 1920 Braunau am Inn, Austria
Died	28 May 2009 (aged 89)
Allegiance	Nazi Germany (to 1945)  Austria
Service/branch	Waffen-SS Bundesheer
Years of service	1939–45 1957–83
Rank	Obersturmführer Oberst
Unit	Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross German Cross in Gold Iron Cross I class Iron Cross II class Close Combat Clasp in Bronze Wound Badge Infantry Assault Badge

Friedrich "Friedel" Blond (29 April 1920 – 28 May 2009) was an Obersturmführer (first lieutenant) in the Waffen-SS during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II.

Early life

Blond was born on 29 April 1920, in Braunau am Inn. His father was an Officer in the Austrian Army and the family moved to Vorarlberg where Friedrich grew up.
He volunteered for the SS-Standarte Deutschland after the Anschluss of Austria in 1938.

World War II

During World War II, Blond took part in the Polish Campaign, the Battle of France, Operation Marita the invasion of the Balkans and Operation Barbarossa the invasion of the Soviet Union.

He was selected to become an officer and was posted to the SS-Junkerschule at Posen-Treskau in the Summer of 1944. After Graduation he was promoted to Untersturmführer (second lieutenant) and given command of the 12th Company in the SS Training and Reserve Battalion Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, who were based in Hagen.

Berlin

Blond and his Battalion were moved to Berlin towards the end of the war, his company being reinforced with men from the Army and from the Luftwaffe Flak units. In April 1945, his company was attached to the 23 SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nederland. On 18 April, Blond was in command of 200 men who formed a defensive line slowly retreating towards the centre of Berlin. After several days of fighting, the company was reduced to thirty men.

On 28 April 1945, Blond was wounded for the fourth time in the war by bomb splinters and awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his bravery in the Battle of Berlin, but did not receive the decoration as there were none available to issue.^{[Note 1]}

Post war

Blond survived the war and became an officer in the Austrian Army and attained the rank of colonel.

Notes

1. No evidence of the award can be found in the German Federal Archives. According to Krätschmer the award was presented together with the Oak Leaves to Matthias Kleinheisterkamp. Presumably the announcement was made via radio transmission on 28 April 1945 from the Führer Headquarters in Berlin to the 9. Armee (9th Army) in the Halbe pocket. The radio transmissions received by the AOK 9 (Armeeoberkommando 9 — high command of the 9th Army) in April 1945 were not retained. All communication to the Führerbunker in Berlin was out of order as of 5 am on 28 April. The order commission of the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) processed the case in 1981 and decided: "Knight's Cross yes, 28 April 1945", Friedrich Blond was a member of the AKCR.^[1]

References

Citations

1. Scherzer 2007, p. 122.

Bibliography

• Berger, Florian; Habisohn, Christian (2003). Ritterkreuzträger im Österreichischen Bundesheer 1955–1985 [Knight's Cross Bearers of the Austrian Armed Forces 1955–1985] (in German). Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-2-0.
• 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.