Paul-Albert Kausch

Paul Albert Kausch
Born	3 March 1911
Died	27 October 2001 (aged 90)
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen SS
Years of service	1933–45
Rank	Obersturmbannführer
Unit	5th SS Panzer Division Wiking 11th SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nordland
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

Paul Albert Kausch (3 March 1911 – 27 October 2001) was an Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel) in the Waffen SS during World War II who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.^[1][2]

Kausch was one of the original members of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler which he joined in 1933, in 1935 he was selected for officer training and sent to the SS-Junkerschule at Braunschweig being promoted to Untersturmführer (Second Lieutenant) upon graduation, 20 April 1936.^[1][2] He spent the next three years as a platoon and company commander in the Totenkopf Regiment as well as being a company commander in the army's 11th Infantry Regiment. On 20 April 1939, he was promoted to Hauptsturmführer (Captain) and in November 1939, given command of an artillery battery in SS Totenkopf.^[1][2]

During the Battle of France Kausch was awarded the Iron Cross 1st class and in November 1940 he was transferred to the Wiking Division as the Divisional Adjutant. From August 1941 until January 1942, Kausch was the commander of an artillery battalion; he was promoted to Sturmbannführer (Major) in April 1942.^[1][2]

In February 1943, his unit fought in the area of the Oranienbaum sector during the withdrawal to the Narva. Kausch was promoted to Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel).^[1][2] For his actions in July 1944 Kausch was decorated with the Knight's Cross on 23 August 1944.^[1]

Kausch's unit participated in the last battles of Berlin.^[2] On 1 May 1945, he was taken prisoner by the Red Army. He was released in January 1956, and died in October 2001.^[1][2][3]

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (4 August 1940)^[4]
  • 1st Class (1 October 1940)^[4]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 23 August 1944 as SS-Obersturmbannführer and commander of SS-Panzer-Abteilung 11 "Hermann von Salza"^[5][6]
  • (845th) Oak Leaves on 23 April 1945 as SS-Obersturmbannführer and commander of SS-Panzer-Regiment 11^{[7][Note 1]}

Notes

1. No evidence of the award can be found in the German Federal Archives. Walther-Peer Fellgiebel claimed that Paul-Albert Kausch, at the time wounded in the Reich Chancellery, had received news that according to a radio message received from Panzer AOK 11 had been awarded the Oak Leaves on 23 April 1945 from SS-Brigadeführer Joachim Ziegler. Kausch's division commander Ziegler was killed in action on 1 May 1945. Ernst-Günther Krätschmer, however, indicated that Kausch was wounded on 25 April and as such he therefore could not have received the news that day. The 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland was only subordinated to the 11th Panzer Armee in February 1945. The Stab of the 11th Panzer Army then relocated to the Western Front where it surrendered on 21 April. Krätschmer claimed that the award was presented for the actions during the middle of April east of Berlin. Mr. J.S. Fischer, who was verifying the Oak Leaves presentation on behalf of Fellgiebel, is not aware of a radio message received from the Panzer AOK 11. Fischer indicated that he only referenced the information presented by Kausch, which is already stated in Krätschmer. According to information by Fischer on 14 October 2004, Fellgiebel had made the note about the Panzer AOK 11. The sequential number "845" was assigned by the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR)—according to Krätschmer the number is "846"—the date was accepted by the AKCR. Kausch was a member of the AKCR.^[8]

References

Citations

1. "wararchive".
2. "personregister".
3. "frontkjemper".
4. Thomas 1997, p. 351.
5. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 251.
6. Scherzer 2007, p. 434.
7. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 102.
8. Scherzer 2007, p. 147.

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.
• 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.