Horst Gresiak

Horst Gresiak
Born	17 February 1920 Leverkusen, Germany
Died	22 February 1995 (aged 75) Leverkusen, Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen SS
Years of service	1940–45
Rank	Obersturmführer
Unit	2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Iron Cross 1st Class Iron Cross 2nd Class [1]

Horst Gresiak (17 February 1920 – 22 February 1995) was an Obersturmführer (First Lieutenant), in the Waffen SS during World War II who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. This was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.

Horst Gresiak was born on the 17 February 1920 at Leverkusen. He volunteered to join the Waffen SS in September 1940, and was posted to the SS Totenkopf Standarte as a Grenadier.^[2]

He was selected to become an officer in November 1941 and was sent to the Junker school at Braunschweig> After graduation in April 1942, he was posted to the Das Reich.^[2]

He served in the Panzer Battalion as a tank commander and later a Platoon commander in the 3rd Company. In 1944 He was given command of the 7th Company in Normandy, he was awarded the Knight's Cross for his actions during combat at Baraque de Fraiture during the Ardennes offensive.^[2][3]

References

1. "ww2awards".
2. "dasreich".
3. "frontkjemper".

• 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.
• Mitcham, Samuel W (2007). Retreat to the Reich : the German defeat in France, 1944. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3384-7.