Horst Niederländer

Horst Niederländer
Born	1 April 1908 Sensburg
Died	24 April 1944 (aged 36) Sevastopol, Ukraine
Allegiance	Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1927–44
Rank	Oberst (Posthumously)
Commands held	Füsilier-Battalion 336
Battles/wars	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Second Battle of Kharkov Kerch–Eltigen Operation Crimean Offensive (1944) †
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Horst Niederländer (1 April 1908 – 24 April 1944) was a highly decorated Oberst 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. Horst Niederländer was killed on 24 April 1944 in Sevastopol, Ukraine. He was posthumously promoted to Oberst and awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (3 October 1939)^[1]
  • 1st Class (20 June 1942)^[1]
• Infantry Assault Badge
• German Cross in Gold on 21 April 1943 as Major in the I./Grenadier-Regiment 686^[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 10 February 1943 as Hauptmann and commander of I./Grenadier-Regiment 686^[3]
  • 491st Oak Leaves on 9 June 1944 as Oberstleutnant and commander of Füsilier-Battalion 336^[4]

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1998, p. 118.
2. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 330.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 265.
4. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 71.

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.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• 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.

External links

• World War 2 Awards.com
• Lexikon der Wehrmacht