Ernst-Georg Buchterkirch

Ernst-Georg Buchterkirch

Buchterkirch (left) in discussion with General Walter Model, July 1941
Born (1914-09-10)10 September 1914
Stolp, Pomerania
Died 17 July 1969(1969-07-17) (aged 54)
Krummendeich
Allegiance  Nazi Germany
Service/branch Heer
Condor Legion
Years of service 1935–45
Rank Oberstleutnant in the General Staff
Unit 3rd Panzer Division
Battles/wars

Spanish Civil War

World War II

Awards Spanish Cross in Silver
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Ernst-Georg Buchterkirch (10 September 1914 – 17 July 1969) was a German officer in the Wehrmacht and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II of Nazi Germany.

Career

Born in 1914 into a military family, Buchterkirch joined the military service of the Wehrmacht in April 1935. He served in the 1st battalion of 6th Panzer Regiment and attended several training courses for officer candidates.[1] With outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936, Germany supported the Nationalists and asked for volunteers which organized in the Condor Legion. Buchterkirch volunteered for service in the Condor Legion, and under the command of Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma, served in Spain from June 1938 to June 1939. His main task was training Spanish military personnel as tank drivers. He also actively participated in ground combat and was awarded the Panzer Badge of the Condor Legion on 25 September 1939. There he was promoted to Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) in May 1939.[1]

Upon his return to Germany, Buchterkirch was assigned to the staff of the 1st Battalion of the 6th Panzer Regiment and then became Zugführer of the 2nd Company. On 1 August 1939, he was awarded the Spanish Cross in Silver with Swords for his service in Spain.[1] Following the outbreak of World War II he fought in the Invasion of Poland and in 1940 in the Battle of France.[1] On 29 June 1940, he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for the capture of multiple bridges crossing the Seine river and the destruction of six enemy tanks.

In Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, he commanded the 2nd company of same regiment and was credited with the destruction of twelve enemy tanks at Buchowiecze and with securing a bridgehead at Minicze. For these actions he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 31 December 1941. He was then posted to a training position and attended the Kriegsschule (war school). In 1943, he was transferred to the General Staff of the Oberkommando des Heeres (Supreme High Command of the German Army). His last service position was operations officer with the commander of Panzer Group West.

Buchterkirch died in 1969.[2]

Awards

A Panzerkampfwagen I as used by the Condor Legion

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Stockert 1996, p. 242.
  2. ↑ Stockert 1996, p. 244.
  3. ↑ Thomas 1997, p. 88.
  4. 1 2 Scherzer 2007, p. 249.

Bibliography

  • 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. 
  • Stockert, Peter (1996). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1 [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1] (in German). Bad Friedrichshall, Germany: Friedrichshaller Rundblick. ISBN 978-3-9802222-7-3. 
  • 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. 
  • Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, 1. September 1939 bis 31. Dezember 1941 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 1, 1 September 1939 to 31 December 1941] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2. 
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