Max Wünsche

Max Wünsche
Born	20 April 1914 Kittlitz, Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire
Died	17 April 1995 (aged 80) Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Buried at	Munich Northern Cemetery
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen-SS
Years of service	1933–45
Rank	Obersturmbannführer
Service number	NSDAP #5,508,247 SS #153,508[1]
Unit	1st Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH); Führerbegleitkommando 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend[2]
Commands held	12th SS Panzer Regiment[2]
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Iron Cross 1st Class Iron Cross 2nd Class Wound Badge Infantry Assault Badge in Silver German Cross in Gold Eastern Front

Max Wünsche (20 April 1914 — 17 April 1995) was a SS-Standartenführer in the Waffen-SS during World War II who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.^[2]

Career

Max Wünsche was born on 20 April 1914 in Kittlitz. In July 1933 Wünsche joined the SS. In 1935, he graduated from SS-Junkerschule at Bad Tölz and was promoted to Untersturmführer.^[2] Wünsche was then posted to the Leibstandarte as a platoon leader.^[2]

In October 1938, Wünsche was assigned as an orderly officer for Hitler. In that role, Wünsche joined the Führerbegleitkommando (the SS bodyguard unit) which provided personal security for Hitler.^[3]

In January 1940 he was again posted to the Leibstandarte, as a platoon commander in a motorcycle company under the command of Kurt Meyer, for the invasion of the Netherlands and the Battle of France. In December 1940 he became an adjutant to Sepp Dietrich where he stayed during the invasion of the Balkans (Operation Marita) and the invasion of the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa). In February 1942 Wünsche was given the command of the LSSAH Sturmgeschütz (assault gun) battalion.^[2]

In 1942 Wünsche completed the General Staff training course the Staff College in Germany and was promoted to Sturmbannführer. In September 1942 he was posted to the LSSAH and resumed command of the Sturmgeschütz battalion; in October he assumed command of a battalion in a panzer regiment of LSSAH. His battalion's first action was at Kharkov, which was abandoned by the Soviet forces by 15 February 1943. For his actions during the battles for Kharkov, Wünsche was awarded the German Cross in Gold and later the Knight's Cross, both in February 1943.^[2]

On 25 February 1943 Wünsche led his tankers into action against a defensive position manned by the Russian 350th Rifle Division. Supported by artillery and a company of SS Grenadiers, Wünsche's battalion launched a attack and rolled over the Russian front lines, destroying a number of anti-tank guns.^[2] Wünsche's assault would lead to the destruction of 47 artillery pieces and anti-tank guns. The assault also led to 800 Russian troops being killed.^[2]

Hitlerjugend Division

Max Wünsche (left), Fritz Witt (center), Kurt Meyer (right) at a commanders strategy session on or about 7–14 June 1944 in the vicinity of Caen, France

In June 1943, Sturmbannführer Wünsche was transferred to a new division forming in France, 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, and take command of the 12th SS Panzer Regiment. On 6 June 1944, the Allies landed in Normandy (Operation Overlord) and the division was committed to action on 7 June. The division was later trapped in the Falaise pocket, on the night of 20 August, Wünsche escaped out of the pocket on foot; he was wounded and captured by British soldiers.^[2]

In 1944, Wünsche was taken prisoner and spent the rest of the war as a prisoner of war in camp 165 at Caithness, Scotland, a special camp for high-ranking German officers.^[4]

In 1948 Wünsche was released and returned to Germany.^[4] Wünsche died on 17 April 1995.^[2]

Summary of SS career

Decorations

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (25 May 1940)^[5]
  • 1st Class (31 May 1940)^[5]
• German Cross in Gold on 25 February 1943 as SS-Sturmbannführer in the I./SS-Panzer-Regiment 1^[6]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 28 February 1943 as SS-Sturmbannführer and commander of the I./SS-Panzer-Regiment 1 "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler"^{[7][8][Note 1]}
  • 548th Oak Leaves on 11 August 1944 as SS-Obersturmbannführer and commander of SS-Panzer-Regiment 12 "Hitlerjugend"^{[10][11][12][Note 2]}
• Honour Chevron for the Old Guard (?)

Dates of rank

31 January 1936:	SS-Standartenjunker[13]
20 April 1936:	SS-Untersturmführer[13]
25 May 1940:	SS-Hauptsturmführer[13]
1 September 1942:	SS-Sturmbannführer[14]
April 1943:	SS-Obersturmbannführer[15]
9 November 1944:	SS-Standartenführer[16]

Notes

1. According to Krätschmer and Scherzer as commander of the I./SS-Panzer-Regiment 1.^[9][10]
2. According to Krätschmer as commander of SS-Panzer-Regiment 12.^[9]

References

Citations

1. Westemeier 2013, p. 664.
2. Nipe & Spezzano 2002, p. 129.
3. Hoffmann 2000, p. 55.
4. Gordon, Barry (18 December 2007). "scotsman". The Scotsman (Edinburgh).
5. Thomas 1998, p. 461.
6. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 525.
7. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 453.
8. Von Seemen 1976, p. 366.
9. Krätschmer 1999, p. 378.
10. Scherzer 2007, p. 799.
11. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 86.
12. Von Seemen 1976, p. 47.
13. Stockert 2012, p. 164.
14. Stockert 2012, p. 166.
15. Stockert 2012, p. 167.
16. Stockert 2012, p. 169.

Bibliography

• Durante, Thomas M. (2007), The German Close Combat Clasp of World War II, ISBN 978-90-812301-1-7
• 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.
• Hoffmann, Peter (2000) [1979]. Hitler's Personal Security: Protecting the Führer 1921-1945. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-30680-947-7.
• 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.
• Nipe, George Nipe; Spezzano, Remy (2002). Platz Der Leibstandarte The SS Panzer Grenadier Division "LSSAH" and the Battle of Kharkov January–March 1943. Southbury, CT: RZM Imports. ISBN 978-0-9657584-2-0.
• 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.
• Stockert, Peter (2012). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 6 [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 6] (in German) (3rd ed.). Bad Friedrichshall, Germany: Friedrichshaller Rundblick. OCLC 76072662.
• 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.
• Von Seemen, Gerhard (1976). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 : die Ritterkreuzträger sämtlicher Wehrmachtteile, Brillanten-, Schwerter- und Eichenlaubträger in der Reihenfolge der Verleihung : Anhang mit Verleihungsbestimmungen und weiteren Angaben [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 : The Knight's Cross Bearers of All the Armed Services, Diamonds, Swords and Oak Leaves Bearers in the Order of Presentation: Appendix with Further Information and Presentation Requirements] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7909-0051-4.
• Westemeier, Jens (2013). Himmlers Krieger: Joachim Peiper und die Waffen-SS in Krieg und Nachkriegszeit [Himmler's Warriors: Joachim Peiper and the Waffen-SS during the War and Post-War Period]. Paderborn, Germany: Ferdinand Schöningh. ISBN 978-3-506-77241-1.