Walter Pitsch

Walter Pitsch
Born	13 July 1920 Saarbrücken, Germany
Died	29 July 2005 (aged 85)
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen SS
Years of service	1939–45
Rank	Hauptscharführer
Unit	1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Iron Cross 1st Class Iron Cross 2nd Class Tank Destruction Badge Close Combat Clasp

Walter Pitsch (13 July 1920 – 29 July 2005) was a Hauptscharführer in the Waffen SS who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 May 1945, he was the last member of the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and the only member of the Division's Anti Aircraft battalion to be given the award.^{[Note 1]}

At the time of his award Pitsch was the commander of the 4th Battery, 1st SS Anti Aircraft Battalion, LSSAH.

Notes

1. No evidence of the award can be found in the German Federal Archives. According to Walther-Peer Fellgiebel the award was presumably awarded by SS-Oberstgruppenführer Sepp Dietrich, which would make it unlawful. Fellgiebel names Hermann Buch, the former IIa (personnel administration) of the 2. SS-Division "Das Reich", and Wilhelm Kment, the adjutant of Heinrich Himmler and liaison officer to the Heerespersonalamt (HPA—Army Staff Office), as sources. Buch stated on 25 June 2006 that he has nothing to do with this presentation. Walter Pitsch is mentioned the first in Ernst-Günther Krätschmer 2nd edition of "Die Ritterkreuzträger der Waffen-SS—The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Waffen-SS". The Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) initially did not accept Pitsch as a recipient since he was not listed in Gerhard von Seemen's 2nd edition of "Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945—The Knight's Cross Bearers". The order commission of the AKCR processed the case in 1977 and decided: "Knight's Cross yes, 3 May 1945". The presentation date was later changed by Fellgiebel to 6 May 1945. Krätschmer who does not present a source for Pritsch’s listing also states 6 May 1945. Unfortunately Pritsch, a member of the AKCR, did not help clarify the situation. Twice, on 24 July 2004 and 22 July 2004, did he not respond to a request from the president of the AKCR.^[1]

References

Citations

1. Scherzer 2007, pp. 162–163.

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.
• Nietrug, Gerd (2004). Die Ritterkreuzträger des Saarlandes 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Saarland 1939 – 1945] (in German). Zweibrücken, Germany: VDM Nickel. ISBN 978-3-925480-93-5.
• 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.

External links

• Pitsch can be seen wearing his Knight's Cross