Johannes-Rudolf Mühlenkamp

Johannes-Rudolf Mühlenkamp
Born	9 October 1910 Montigny-lès-Metz, Alsace-Lorraine, German Empire now Montigny-lès-Metz, Lorraine, France
Died	23 September 1986 (aged 75) Goslar, Lower Saxony, West Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen-SS
Years of service	1933–45
Rank	Standartenführer (colonel)
Service number	NSDAP #2,800,042 SS #86,065
Unit	5th SS Panzer Grenadier Division Wiking
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Iron Cross 1st Class Iron Cross 2nd Class German Cross in Gold Wound Badge in Gold Mentioned in official Wehrmachtbericht Panzer Badge SS Long Service Award

Johannes-Rudolf Mühlenkamp (9 October 1910 – 23 September 1986) was a Standartenführer (colonel) in the Waffen-SS during World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 21 September 1944.

Biography

Early life

Mühlenkamp was born on 9 October 1910 in Montigny-lès-Metz, Alsace-Lorraine. He joined the NSDAP (Nazi Party) and the SS in April 1933. Mühlenkamp was given the party number 2,800,042 and the SS service number 86,065. He was first assigned to the 4th SS Standarte Schleswig Holstein in Hamburg before being moved to the 2nd SS Standarte of the SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT) in 1934. Mühlenkamp was selected to become an officer in 1935. He was sent to the SS junker school at Braunschweig.

From April to May 1936, Mühlenkamp completed motorcycle training with the Heers 2nd Panzer Division, being highly successful in pre-World War II motorcycle competitions. On completion of his officer training, Mühlenkamp was assigned to the 2nd Battalion of the Germania Regiment (5th SS Panzer Division Wiking) as a Zugführer (platoon leader) on November 1937. Mühlenkamp took over command of the Motor Cycle Company on May 1938.

World War II

At the eve of the war, Mühlenkamp was the Divisional Adjutant of the SS-Verfügungs-Division, until December 1940, when he was given the command of the Reich Division Reconnaissance Battalion. Mühlenkamp was seriously wounded in the head by artillery shrapnel near Yelnya, Russia; he was hospitalized between October 1941 and February 1942. On his release from hospital, Johannes Mühlenkamp was assigned to the 5th SS Panzer Grenadier Division Wiking, as Panzer Battalion commander, until March 1943. After the number of soldiers from the battalion were increased, the battalion was converted into a regiment. On August 1944, Mühlenkamp was given the command of the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking. He commanded this unit until October 1944. At that time, Mühlenkamp was promoted Inspector of Waffen SS Panzer troops in the SS-Führungshauptamt. His last command was the 32nd SS Volunteer Grenadier Division 30 January from January 1945 to February 1945.

Promotions

• SS-Standartenführer : 20 Apr. 1944
• SS-Obersturmbannführer : 30 Jan. 1943
• SS-Sturmbannführer : 30 Jan. 1942
• SS-Hauptsturmführer : 30 Jun. 1939
• SS-Obersturmführer : 9 Nov. 1937
• SS-Untersturmführer : 20 Apr. 1936

Decorations and Awards

• Iron Cross of 1939
  • 2nd class (3 October 1939)^[1]
  • 1st class (11 November 1939)^[1]
• Wound Badge, 1939 in Gold (13 January 1943)
• Panzer Badge
• SS Long Service Award
• Sword of honour of the Reichsführer-SS
• SS Honour Ring
• Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir, 1st class with Swords (Independent State of Croatia (NDH))
• German Cross in Gold on 2 January 1942 as SS-Hauptsturmführer in the Aufklärungs-Abteilung SS-Division "Reich"^[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 3 September 1942 as SS-Sturmbannführer and commander of the SS-Panzer-Abteilung 5 "Wiking"^{[3][Note 1]}
  • 596th Oak Leaves on 21 September 1944 as SS-Standartenführer and division leader of the 5. SS-Panzer-Division "Wiking"^[4][5]
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (11 July 1944) for his unit's destruction of 103 Soviet tanks at Maciejow

Notes

1. According to Scherzer as commander of the Panzer-Abteilung of the SS-Division "Wiking".^[4]

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1998, p. 98.
2. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 317.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 316.
4. Scherzer 2007, p. 553.
5. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 89.

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.
• 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.
• Standartenführer Johannes Mühlenkamp, Kommandeur des SS-Panzerregiments 5 (Wiking), und seine Männer, Publisher: de Krijger, 2005: ISBN 90-5868-146-7.