Hans-Ulrich Back

Hans-Ulrich Back
Born	26 August 1896 Saarbrücken
Died	14 February 1976 (aged 79) Hagen
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1914–45
Rank	Generalmajor
Commands held	16. Panzer-Division 178. Panzer-Division Panzer-Division Tatra 232. Panzer Division
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Annexation of Austria Annexation of the Sudetenland Invasion of Poland Battle of France Battle of Greece Operation Barbarossa Battle of Moscow Battles of Rzhev Korsun–Shevchenkovsky Offensive Hube's Pocket Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive Operation Frühlingserwachen
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Hans-Ulrich Back (26 August 1896 – 14 February 1976) was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht during World War II who held several divisional commands. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (14 November 1914)
  • 1st Class (25 July 1915)
• Wound Badge (1914)
  • in Black
  • in Silver (15 April 1918)
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (9 November 1934)
• Anschluss Medal (8 November 1938)
• Sudetenland Medal with Prague Castle Bar
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (27 September 1939)
  • 1st Class (20 October 1940)
• Eastern Front Medal
• Panzer Badge
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 5 August 1940 as Oberstleutnant and commander of I./Schützen-Regiment 2^[1]
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 31 January 1944

References in the Wehrmachtbericht

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

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
31 January 1944	Die westfälische 16. Panzerdivision unter Führung des Generalmajors Back und ein unter der Führung des Oberleutnants Bäke stehendes schweres Panzerregiment haben sich hier besonders bewährt.[2]	The Westfalian 16th Panzer Division under the leadership of Generalmajor Back and a heavy panzer regiment under Oberstleutnant Bäke distinguished themselves here.

References

Citations

1. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 102.
2. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 23.

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.
• Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 3, 1 January 1944 to 9 May 1945] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.
• Nietrug, Gerd (2004). Die Ritterkreuzträger des Saarlandes 1939 - 1945. Zweibrücken: VDM Nickel. ISBN 3-925480-93-5.

External links

• World War 2 Awards.com
• Lexikon der Wehrmacht
• Ritterkreuztraeger 1939-1945