Fritz Klingenberg

Fritz Klingenberg
Fritz Klingenberg
Born	17 December 1912 Rövershagen, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, German Empire
Died	23 March 1945 (aged 32) Herxheim, Palatinate, Nazi Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen-SS
Years of service	1935–1945
Rank	SS-Standartenführer
Unit	2nd SS Division Das Reich 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen
Commands held	17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Fritz Klingenberg (17 December 1912 – 23 March 1945) was a German Waffen-SS officer who served with the 2nd SS Division Das Reich and was a commander of the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen. He was best known for his role in the capture of the Yugoslavian capital, Belgrade for which he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Career

In April 1941, the Germany Army invaded Yugoslavia and then Greece. Klingenberg, a company commander in the Das Reich division, led his unit to the capital, Belgrade, where a small group in the vanguard accepted the surrender of the city on 13 April. A few days later Yugoslavia surrendered.^[1][2]

On 21 December 1944, Fritz Klingenberg was promoted to SS-Standartenführer and two weeks later (on 12 January 1945) was appointed to command the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen. The division was attached to XIII SS Corps, defending the area between Neustadt and Landau, southeast of Saarbrücken against the XV Corps of the Seventh United States Army. On 23 March 1945, Klingenberg was killed by a tank shell during a firefight on the western edge of Herxheim and is buried at the German War Cemetery in Andilly, France.^[3]

Fritz Klingenberg (far left) with Heinrich Himmler and other SS officers on tour of Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp, June 1941.

Decorations

• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 14 May 1941 as SS-Hauptsturmführer and chief of the 2./SS-Kradschützen-Bataillon 2 "Reich"^{[4][Note 1]}
• German Cross in Gold on 28 April 1944 as SS-Obersturmbannführer in the 2. SS-Panzer-Division "Das Reich"^[6]

Notes

1. According to Scherzer as chief of the 2./SS-Kradschützen-Bataillon of the SS-Division "Reich".^[5]

References

Citations

1. Flaherty 2004, pp. 162, 163.
2. Weale 2012, p. 297.
3. Günther 1991, p. 168.
4. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 260.
5. Scherzer 2007, p. 448.
6. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 234.

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). 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.
• Flaherty, T. H. (2004) [1988]. The Third Reich: The SS. Time-Life. ISBN 1-84447-073-3.
• Günther, Helmut (1991). Die Sturmflut und das Ende – Band 3, Mit dem Rücken zur Wand – Geschichte der 17.SS-Panzergrenadierdivision "Götz von Berlichingen". Schild Verlag. ISBN 3-88014-103-7.
• 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.
• Weale, Adrian (2012). Army of Evil: A History of the SS. New York: Caliber Printing. ISBN 978-0-451-23791-0.

Further reading

• Mattson, Gregory L. (2002). SS-Das Reich: The History of the Second SS Division, 1941–1945, Zenith Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-1255-1).