Georg Michael

Georg Michael
Born	10 February 1917 Hamburg
Died	19 January 1944 (aged 26) Odessa
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1936–44
Rank	Major of the Reserves (posthumously)
Commands held	II. Battalion des Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26
Battles/wars	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Stalingrad
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Georg Michael (10 February 1917 – 19 January 1944) was a highly decorated Major of the Reserves in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (25 May 1940)^[1]
  • 1st Class (27 June 1940)^[1]
• Wound Badge
  • in Black (?)
  • in Silver (?)
  • in Gold (?)
• 2 Tank Destruction Badges for Individual Combatants
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 19 January 1941 as Leutnant of the Reserves and Zugführer (platoon leader) in 6./Reiter-Regiment 22^[2]
  • 187th Oak Leaves on 25 January 1943 as Oberleutnant of the Reserves and leader of II./Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 26^[3]

Wehrmachtbericht reference

The daily Wehrmachtbericht (Wehrmacht propaganda report) noted the following:

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
Saturday, 22 June 1940	In den Kämpfen der letzten Tage haben sich durch unerschrockenen Einsatz in kühnen Einzeltaten besonders hervorgetan: der Oberst und Kommandeur einer Schützenbrigade Neumann-Silkow, der Oberleutnant und Chef einer Reiterschwadron Freiherr von Boeselager, der Leutnant Michael in einem Reiterregiment und der Leutnant Meder in einer Panzerjägerabteilung.[4]	In the fighting in recent days, in fearless action in bold individual acts have particularly excelled: the colonel and commander of a rifle Neumann-Silkow, the lieutenant and chief of a cavalry squadron Freiherr von Boeselager, the Lieutenant Michael in a cavalry regiment and the Lieutenant Meder in an anti-tank battalion.

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1998, p. 79.
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 254.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 58.
4. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, p. 225.

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.
• Kurowski, Franz (2010). Panzer-Grenadier Aces German Mechanized Infantrymen in WWII. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, USA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-0656-8
• 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.
• Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, 1. September 1939 bis 31. Dezember 1941 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 1, 1 September 1939 to 31 December 1941] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.

External links

• World War 2 Awards.com
• Lexikon der Wehrmacht