Hermann Borchers

Hermann Borchers
Born	5 December 1910 Wendhausen, Germany
Died	31 August 1974 (aged 63) Berlin
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen SS
Years of service	1934–45
Rank	Sturmbannführer
Unit	9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross War Merit Cross class II with swords Iron Cross 1st *Class Iron Cross 2nd Class Panzer Assault Badge in Bronze Honour Chevron for the Old Guard
Relations	Walter Borchers (brother) Adolf Borchers (brother)

Hermann Borchers (5 December 1910 – 31 August 1974) was a Sturmbannführer (Storm Unit Leader/Major) in the Waffen SS during World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.

Early life

Hermann Borchers was born on 5 December 1910, in Wendhausen near Lüneburg. He joined the SA on 1 November 1928. He volunteered to join the SS-VT in August 1934 (SS number 257.879) and was posted to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and in March 1935 joined the NSDAP (party number 257.879). Selected to become an officer, he was posted to the SS-Junkerschule in Braunschweig in June 1936. After graduation he was transferred to the staff of the Reichsführer-SS in May 1937, and served in the Schutzpolizei in Lübeck being promoted to Leutnant. In May 1938 he was sent to the Police School at Berlin Köpenick.

World War II

In March 1940 he married Elfriede Lifka and they had a son who was born in December 1940.

In February 1941, he was given command of a company in the 26th Polizei Regiment in Norway and took part in the formation of the Hird Battalion created to guard Soviet and Serbian prisoners of war.

In August 1942 he returned to Germany and was assigned to training the police and the SS Motorised Reserve Battalion and remained in that role until February 1943. He was given command of a company in the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen. In July 1944 he was appointed battalion commander. He was promoted to Hauptsturmführer and awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross following the fighting in Normandy.

Post war

Borchers died on 31 August 1974, in Berlin.

Awards

• War Merit Cross with Swords
  • 2nd Class (3 January 1942)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (28 April 1944)
  • 1st Class (8 July 1944)
• Panzer Badge in Bronze (17 May 1944)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 16 October 1944 as SS-Hauptsturmführer and leader of the I./SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 19 "Hohenstaufen"^{[1][Note 1]}

Notes

1. According to Scherzer as leader of the I./SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 19.^[2]

References

Citations

1. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 140.
2. Scherzer 2007, p. 235.

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.
• Henschler, Henri; Fey, Willi (2003). Armor Battles of the Waffen-SS, 1943–45. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-2905-5.
• Mitcham, Samuel W (2007). Retreat to the Reich : the German defeat in France, 1944. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3384-7.
• 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.