Hinrich Schuldt

Hinrich Schuldt
SS-Standartenführer Hinrich Schuldt
Born	14 January 1901 Blankenese, Province of Schleswig-Holstein, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died	15 March 1944 (aged 43) near Newel, Rhine Province, Free State of Prussia, Nazi Germany
Allegiance	Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Reichsmarine Waffen SS
Years of service	1922–44
Rank	Brigadeführer
Service number	NSDAP #975,664
Unit	SMS Elsass
Commands held	SS Brigade Schuldt 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian)
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (posthumously)

SS-Brigadeführer Hinrich Schuldt (14 January 1901 – 15 March 1944) was a German Waffen-SS officer and a posthumous recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He was killed in action by an anti-tank shell.(Needs elaboration or correction: how could he get killed in action by an anti tank shell at that location at that time, where there was no military action)

Career

Hinrich Schuldt was born on 14 January 1901 in Blankenese, Hamburg. He joined the military service in the Reichsmarine in 1922 as an officer candidate. He was promoted to Leutnant zur See (Sub-lieutenant, Ensign) in 1926 and served on the battleship Elsass. In 1933 he transferred to newly formed SS-Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler and took command of the 3rd company.

Awards

• Wound Badge in Silver
• Infantry Assault Badge in Silver
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (24 October 1939)^[1]
  • 1st Class (October 1941)^[1]
• German Cross in Gold on 21 April 1943 as SS-Standartenführer in the SS-Bridage "Schuldt"^[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
  • Knight's Cross on 5 April 1942 as SS-Obersturmbannführer and commander of SS-Totenkopf-Regiment 4^{[3][Note 1]}
  • 220th Oak Leaves on 2 April 1943 as SS-Standartenführer and commander of SS-Brigade "Schuldt"^[5] also Kampfgruppe "Schuld": I./SS-Polizei-Schützen-Regiment 1 and VII./Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler^[4]
  • 56th Swords on 25 March 1944 (posthumously) as SS-Oberführer and commander of the 2. lettische SS-Freiwilligen-Brigade^[6]
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 29 February 1944

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
29 February 1944	Bei den schweren Abwehrkämpfen im Nordabschnitt der Ostfront hat sich die 2. Lettische SS-Freiwilligen-Brigade unter Führung des Eichenlaubträgers SS-Oberführer Schuldt und ihres lettischen Infanterieführers, des Ritterkreuzträgers Standartenführer Weiß [sic], besonders ausgezeichnet.[7]	In heavy defensive combat in the northern sector of the Eastern Front, the 2nd Latvian SS-Volunteer-Brigade led by Oak Leaves bearer SS-Oberführer Schuldt and their Latvian infantry officer, the Knight's Cross bearer Standartenführer Weiß, have especially distinguished themselves.

Notes

1. According to Scherzer as SS-Infanterie-Regiment 4 "Reichsführer-SS".^[4]

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1998, p. 296.
2. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 427.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 391, 503.
4. Scherzer 2007, p. 688.
5. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 67.
6. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 42.
7. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 46.

Bibliography

• Berger, Florian (1999). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges [With Oak Leaves and Swords. The Highest Decorated Soldiers of the Second World War] (in German). Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-0-6.
• 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.
• Krätschmer, Ernst-Günther (1999). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Waffen-SS [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Waffen-SS]. Coburg, Germany: Nation Europa Verlag. ISBN 978-3-920677-43-9.
• 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.
• 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 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.

External links

• Hinrich Schuldt @ Lexikon der Wehrmacht
• Hinrich Schuldt @ Ritterkreuzträger 1939–45