Kurt Schäfer

Kurt Schäfer
Born	19 August 1913 Magdeburg
Died	15 May 1992 (aged 78) Ludwigshafen
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1934–45
Rank	Major
Unit	2. Marine-Infanterie-Division
Commands held	I./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 33
Battles/wars	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Białystok–Minsk Battle of Smolensk (1941) Battle of Kursk Lublin–Brest Offensive Battle of Radzymin (1944)
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Other work	Police officer

Kurt Schäfer (19 August 1913 – 15 May 1992) was a highly decorated Major in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He was also awarded the very rare Close Combat Clasp in Gold—one of only 631 awards.

Awards and decorations

• War Merit Cross with Swords
  • 2nd Class (29 July 1940)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (11 November 1941)
  • 1st Class (31 January 1942)
• Wound Badge
  • in Black (26 October 1941)
  • in Silver (7 August 1943)
  • in Gold (29 October 1943)
• Panzer Badge in Bronze
• Honour Roll Clasp of the Army (18 February 1944)
• Eastern Front Medal (1 August 1942)
• Close Combat Clasp
  • in Bronze (9 November 1943)^[1]
  • in Silver (30 January 1944)^[1]
  • in Gold (23 September 1944)^[1]
• German Cross in Gold on 21 February 1944 as Oberleutnant in the I./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 33^[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 12 August 1944 as Hauptmann and leader of the I./Panzergrenadier-Regiment 33^[3][4]
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (3 August 1944)

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
3 August 1944 (addendum)	Im Mittelabschnitt der Ostfront hat sich das 1. Bataillon des Panzergrenadier-Regiments 33 unter Hauptmann Schäfer in Angriff und Abwehr hervorragend gehalten.[5]	In the middle section of the Eastern Front, the 1st Battalion of the Panzer Grenadier Regiment 33 under Captain Schäfer has held itself excellently in attack and defense.

References

Citations

1. Berger 2004, p. 452.
2. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 399.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 373.
4. Scherzer 2007, p. 655.
5. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 188.

Bibliography

• Berger, Florian (2004). Ritterkreuzträger mit Nahkampfspange in Gold [Knight's Cross Bearers with the Close Combat Clasp in Gold] (in German). Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-3-7.
• 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.
• 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

• World War 2 Awards.com