Max Hansen

Max Hansen
Born	31 July 1908 Niebüll, Province of Schleswig-Holstein, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died	7 March 1990 (aged 81) Niebüll, Schleswig-Holstein, West Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen SS
Years of service	1933–45
Rank	Standartenführer
Unit	1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
Commands held	8th Company LSSAH II./1st Panzer Grenadier Regiment LSSAH 1st Panzer Grenadier Regiment LSSAH
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knights Cross with Oakleaves Iron Cross 1st Class Iron Cross 2nd Class German Cross in Gold Close Combat Clasp in Gold Wound Badge in Silver War Merit Cross with Swords Bulgarian Military Order for Bravery IV class

Max Hansen (31 July 1908 – 7 March 1990) was a Standartenführer (Colonel), in the Waffen-SS who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knights Cross was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II. The Oak leaves was a second award.

Early life

Hansen was born on 31 July 1908 at Niebüll, Germany. Before joining the SS he was apprenticed to a locksmith.

Military career

In 1933 he joined the SS-Verfügungstruppe and by 1939 was the commander of the 12th Company in the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. In 1941, he was awarded the German Cross in Gold and promoted to Sturmbannführer (Major). He was given command of the II./1st Panzer Grenadier Regiment LSSAH.^[1]

It was whilst commanding this battalion during the Third Battle of Kharkov on 28 March 1943 that Hansen was awarded the Knight's Cross. His battalion broke through to Red Square in Kharkov, conducted house-to-house fighting and opened the way to the city centre, so that the northern part of Kharkov could be taken.^[2]

Hansen later went on to command the 1st SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment LSSAH. With his regiment he took part in the Ardennes Offensive and the offensive in Hungary, Operation Spring Awakening in 1945 during which he was awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross.^[1]

SS-Sturmbannführer Max Hansen in 1943.

He ended the war as a Standartenführer.

Later life

Max Hansen died in the town of his birth on 7 March 1990.^[1]

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (8 November 1939)^[3]
  • 1st Class (7 May 1941)^[3]
• German Cross in Gold on 26 December 1941 as SS-Hauptsturmführer in the 14./"Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler"^[4]
• Close Combat Clasp
  • in Silver (7 September 1943)^[5]
  • in Gold (12 March 1945)^[3][5]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 28 March 1943 as SS-Sturmbannführer and commander of the II./1. SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment of the SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler"^{[6][Note 1]}
  • 835th Oak Leaves on 17 April 1945 as SS-Obersturmbannführer and commander of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 1 "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler"^[7][8]

Notes

1. According to Scherzer as commander of the II./1. SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment "Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler".^[7]

References

Citations

1. Mitcham, p.183
2. Agte, p.43
3. Thomas 1997, p. 243.
4. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 164.
5. Berger 2004, p. 144.
6. Fellgiebel 2000, pp. 213, 492.
7. Scherzer 2007, p. 365.
8. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 102.

Bibliography

• Agte, Patrick (2006). Michael Wittmann and the Waffen SS Tiger Commanders of the Leibstandarte in World War II, Volume 1. Mechanicsburg, PA, USA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0811733342.
• 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.
• Mitcham, Samuel W. Panzers in Winter
• 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 (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.

External links

Media related to Max Hansen (SS officer) at Wikimedia Commons