Otto Benzin

Otto Benzin
Otto Benzin (left) next to Joseph Goebbels
Born	23 November 1910 Pritzwalk
Died	29 June 1944 (aged 33) † Babruysk, Belarus
Allegiance	Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1928–44
Rank	Major
Commands held	Grenadier-Regiment 89
Battles/wars	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Siege of Leningrad Demyansk Pocket Operation Bagration †
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Otto Benzin (23 November 1910 – 29 June 1944) was a Major in the Wehrmacht during World War II, and one of only 882 recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He was killed on 29 June 1944 at Babruysk, Belarus during Operation Bagration.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (27 May 1940)^[1]
  • 1st Class (4 July 1941)^[1]
• Wound Badge (1939)
  • in Black
  • in Silver
  • in Gold
• Eastern Front Medal
• Infantry Assault Badge
• Close Combat Clasp
  • in Bronze
• Demyansk Shield
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 31 December 1941 as Oberleutnant of the Reserves and chief of the 9./Infanterie-Regiment 89^[2]
  • 406th Oak Leaves on 22 February 1944 as Major and commander of Grenadier-Regiment 89^[3]

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1997, p. 40.
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 110.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 67.

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.
• Schaulen, Fritjof (2003). Eichenlaubträger 1940 – 1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe I Abraham – Huppertz [Oak Leaves Bearers 1940 – 1945 Contemporary History in Color I Abraham – Huppertz] (in German). Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 978-3-932381-20-1.
• 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

• Lexikon der Wehrmacht
• World War 2 Awards.com