Helmut Meder ( German: Hellmuth Mäder ; July 5, 1908 - May 12, 1984 ) - German officer in the Second World War (from January 1945 - Major General ). Knight's cross knight with Oak leaves and Swords.
| Helmut Meder | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| him. Hellmuth mäder | ||||
| Date of Birth | July 5, 1908 | |||
| Place of Birth | ||||
| Date of death | May 12, 1984 (75 years old) | |||
| Place of death | ||||
| Affiliation |  Weimar Republic Third Reich Germany | |||
| Type of army | infantry | |||
| Years of service | 1936-1945, 1956-1968 | |||
| Rank | major general | |||
| Commanded | Grenadier Division "Führer", Lithuanian combat group "Defense Forces of the Fatherland" | |||
| Battles / wars | The Second World War
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| Awards and prizes |
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Content
Career start
He entered the military service in 1936. In 1938 he received the rank of lieutenant, served in the 34th Infantry Division.
World War II
Participated in the French campaign, company commander, senior lieutenant. He was awarded the Iron Cross of the 2nd degree.
Since December 1940 - battalion commander (in the 297th infantry division), captain.
Since June 22, 1941 he participated in the German-Soviet war, in August 1941 for the battles in Ukraine was awarded the Iron Cross of the 1st degree.
For fights in the Kharkov region in April 1942 he was awarded the Knight's Cross . Since July 1942 - regiment commander, major. The fighting on the Don, then near Stalingrad. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel. In January 1943, in the battles in the Stalingrad cauldron, he was seriously wounded and evacuated to Germany. After treatment in the hospital - in the command reserve.
Since January 1944 - commander of the Narva Brigade (Eingreifbrigade Narwa), Colonel. He was again seriously wounded, and then was appointed commander of the cadet brigade "North" (Heeresgruppen-Waffenschule Nord) in Šiauliai (Lithuania), a junction between Riga and Königsberg . For the defense of Šiauliai in August 1944 he was awarded Oak leaves to the Knight's Cross.
In November 1944, Colonel Meder commanded the 7th Panzer Division in Memel (the division was evacuated to Germany).
Since December 1944, Möder commanded the Führer Brigade during the Ardennes offensive . In January 1945, the brigade was deployed to the Grenadier Division "Fuhrer", Meder promoted to the rank of Major General. On April 18, 1945 he was awarded with Swords (No. 143) to the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.
On May 8, 1945, Major General Meder surrendered to American troops in Austria, but was transferred to Soviet captivity.
After the war
In 1955, Meder was released from Soviet captivity.
In 1956 he entered the service of the Bundeswehr , was appointed head of the infantry school with the rank of brigadier general. In 1960-68, he was the head of the department at the headquarters of the Bundeswehr ground forces, promoted to lieutenant general. In 1968 - retired (by age).
Literature
- Berger, Florian. Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges . Selbstverlag Florian Berger, 1999. ISBN 3-9501307-0-5 .