Ulrich Freiherr von Canstein

Ulrich Freiherr von Canstein
Born	16 June 1906 Dortmund
Died	10 August 1991 (aged 85) Munich
Allegiance	Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany (to 1945)  West Germany
Service/branch	Heer Bundeswehr
Years of service	1925–45 1960–70
Rank	Oberst (Wehrmacht) Oberst of the Reserves (Bundeswehr)
Commands held	Reiter-Regiment 41
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Siege of Leningrad Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942) Battle of Kursk Battle of Narva (1944) Operation Frühlingserwachen Vienna Offensive
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Ulrich Maria Freiherr von Canstein^[a] (16 June 1906 – 10 August 1991) was a highly decorated Oberst in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Ulrich Freiherr von Canstein was captured by British troops in May 1945 and later joined the Bundeswehr.

Awards and decorations

• Wehrmacht Long Service Award
  • 4th Class (2 October 1936)^[1]
  • 3rd Class (1 April 1937)^[1]
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (23 October 1941)^[1]
  • 1st Class (14 May 1942)^[1]
• Wound Badge (1939)
  • in Black
• Eastern Front Medal (15 July 1942)^[1]
• Crimea Shield (10 December 1942)^[1]
• Order of Michael the Brave 3rd Class (31 March 1943)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 12 February 1944 as Oberstleutnant and commander of Grenadier-Regiment 220^[2]

Footnotes

• ^a Regarding personal names: Freiherr is a former title (translated as Baron), which is now legally a part of the last name. The feminine forms are Freifrau and Freiin.

References

Citations

1. Thomas & Wegmann 1998, p. 9.
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 129.

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; Wegmann, Günter (1998). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Teil III: Infanterie Band 4: C–Dow [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the German Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Part III: Infantry Volume 4: C–Dow] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2534-8.

External links

• Ritterkreuztraeger 1939-1945
• Lexikon der Wehrmacht
• World War 2 Awards.com
• Historic.de