Erich Schneider

Erich Schneider
Born	12 August 1894 Biedenkopf
Died	3 August 1980 (aged 85) Wiesbaden
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1914–45
Rank	Generalleutnant
Commands held	4. Panzer-Division 14. Infanterie-Division
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Operation Barbarossa Battle of Białystok–Minsk Battle of Kiev (1941) Battle of Moscow East Prussian Offensive Heiligenbeil Pocket
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Erich Schneider (12 August 1894 – 3 August 1980) was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient 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. Erich Schneider was captured by Allied troops in 1945 and was held until 1947. He held an engineer's degree, called Diplom-Ingenieur (abbreviated Dipl.-Ing.) in German.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class (22 September 1915)^[1]
  • 1st Class (26 October 1916)^[1]
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (24 June 1941)^[1]
  • 1st Class (16 July 1941)^[1]
• Infantry Assault Badge
• Eastern Front Medal
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 5 May 1943 as Generalmajor and commander of the 4. Panzer-Division^[2]
  • 768th Oak Leaves on 6 March 1945 as Generalleutnant and commander of 14. Infanterie-Division^[3]

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1998, p. 275.
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 312.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 82.

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 (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9.