Fritz Kraemer

Fritz Kraemer
Born	12 December 1900 Stettin, Province of Pomerania, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire now Szczecin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland
Died	23 June 1959 (aged 58) Hamburg, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer (1918–44) Waffen SS (1944–45)
Years of service	1918–45
Rank	SS-Brigadeführer
Commands held	I. SS-Panzer Corps Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend
Battles/wars	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Uman Battle of Kiev (1941) Battle of the Caucasus Operation Overlord Battle of the Bulge Operation Spring Awakening
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

SS-Brigadeführer Fritz Kraemer (12 December 1900 – 23 June 1959) was a German Waffen-SS and Heer officer, and a commander of the I SS Panzer Corps and the SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Early life - Pre-war service

Kraemer was born in Stettin. He joined the Wehrmacht in 1918 and later attended the Berlin War Academy. In 1936 he was appointed the commander of 5.Kompanie/Infanterieregiment 55 and by 1939 was reassigned to the 13th Infantry Division.

Early war campaigns

Kraemer distinguished himself during the invasion of Poland and the campaign in the west. He won the Iron Cross second class and the Iron Cross first class on 6 October 1939 and 26 May 1940 respectively. On 11 October 1940 he was promoted to Ia (chief assistant, operations) of the 13th Infantry Division which was the same day reorganized into the 13th Panzer Division.

War in the Soviet Union

During the operations in the Soviet Union with the 13th Panzer Division, Kraemer was awarded both the German Cross in Gold and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in 1942. Although he was a Heer officer, in January 1943, Josef "Sepp" Dietrich selected Kraemer as the senior administrative officer (Ia) of the I.SS-Panzer Korps with the rank of SS-Oberführer. Kraemer was admitted into the SS on 1 August 1944. He was given the rank of SS-Brigadeführer.

Western Front and postwar

During the battles in Normandy, Krämer acted as Dietrich’s deputy, and eventually succeeded Hubert Meyer as commander of the SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend. He was in charge of the division until 13 November 1944 when he was transferred to the reserves and Hugo Kraas assumed command of the division. For the remainder of the war, Kraemer served as a chief of staff with the 6th Panzer Army and surrendered to the U.S. Army, along with Dietrich, in May 1945. He was tried at Dachau in 1946 for the involvement in the Malmedy Massacre and was sentenced to a ten-year imprisonment. Following his release, he lived in Höxter, Germany until his death. Kraemer was buried with full military honors.

Dates of rank

• Oberleutnant: 1 October 1934
• Hauptmann: ?
• Major: ?
• Oberstleutnant: 1 April 1942
• Oberst: 1 January 1943
• SS-Oberführer: 1 September 1943
• SS-Brigadeführer: 1 August 1944

Notable decorations

• German Cross in Gold (1942)
• Eastern Front Medal (1942)
• Iron Cross Second (1939) and First (1940) Classes
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 17 December 1942 as Oberstleutnant im General (in the General Staff) and Ia (operations officer) in the 13. Panzer-Division^[1][2][3]
• SS-Honour Ring (?)
• Panzer Badge (?)

References

Citations

1. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 271.
2. Scherzer 2007, p. 469.
3. Von Seemen 1976, p. 205.

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.
• Von Seemen, Gerhard (1976). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 : die Ritterkreuzträger sämtlicher Wehrmachtteile, Brillanten-, Schwerter- und Eichenlaubträger in der Reihenfolge der Verleihung : Anhang mit Verleihungsbestimmungen und weiteren Angaben [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 : The Knight's Cross Bearers of All the Armed Services, Diamonds, Swords and Oak Leaves Bearers in the Order of Presentation: Appendix with Further Information and Presentation Requirements] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7909-0051-4.
• Yerger, Mark C. - Waffen-SS Commanders: Army, Corps, and Divisional Leaders, Vol.1 - Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History, 1999 - pp. 326–327