Fritz Langanke

Fritz Langanke
Born	July 15, 1919 Gelsenkirchen, Weimar Germany
Died	10 July 2012 (aged 92) Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen SS
Years of service	1937–45
Rank	Obersturmführer
Unit	2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Iron Cross 1st Class Iron Cross 2nd Class [1]

Fritz Langanke (15 July 1919 – 10 July 2012) was an Obersturmführer (first lieutenant), in the Waffen-SS during World War II who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.

Langanke was born on 15 July 1919, in Gelsenkirchen. He was the son of a miner, so like most of the SS officers was of lower middle-class or working-class origin.^[2] He volunteered to join the SS and was posted to the 10th Company, Germania Standarte in 1937.^[1] In 1938 he transferred to the newly formed Panzer Reconnaissance platoon, as a radio operator, and later as a vehicle commander.^[1]

He was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class in December 1940 and the 1st class award in December 1941.^[3] In 1942 he transferred to the Panzer Battalion and served as a Panzer commander in the Reconnaissance Platoon.^[1][3] In late 1943 the division was reformed and Langanke was assigned to I.Battalion, SS Division Das Reich 2nd Panzer Regiment as an Ordinance officer until the Normandy Landings.^[1] For his part in ensuring that hundreds of soldiers and their equipment managed to escape from the Falaise Pocket, Fritz Langanke was recommended for the Knight's Cross on 7 August 1944. Which he was awarded on the 27 August 1944.^[3][4] He took command of the 2nd Company on 25 December 1944 and remained at this post till the end of the war.^[1]

Langanke survived the war and died on 10 July 2012 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

Notes

1. "dasreich".
2. Hastings 2013, p. 7.
3. "frontkjemper".
4. "interviews".

References

• Mattson, Gregory Louis (2002). SS—Das Reich: The History of the Second SS division, 1939–45. Spellmount. ISBN 1-86227-144-5.
• 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.
• Hastings , Max (2013). Das Reich: The march of the 2nd SS Panzer Division through France, June 1944. Minneapolis USA: Zenith Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-4491-0.
• Henschler, Henri; Fey, Willi (2003). Armor Battles of the Waffen-SS, 1943–45. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-2905-5.
• Mitcham, Samuel W (2007). Retreat to the Reich : the German defeat in France, 1944. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3384-7.