Otto Benzin

Otto Benzin
Otto Benzin (left) next to Joseph Goebbels
Born	23 November 1910 Pritzwalk
Died	29 June 1944 (aged 33) † Babruysk, Belarus
Allegiance	Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1928–44
Rank	Major
Commands held	Grenadier-Regiment 89
Battles/wars	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Siege of Leningrad Demyansk Pocket Operation Bagration †
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Otto Benzin (23 November 1910 – 29 June 1944) was a Major in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II, and a recipient Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. He was killed on 29 June 1944 at Babruysk, Belarus during Operation Bagration.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (27 May 1940)^[1]
  • 1st Class (4 July 1941)^[1]
• Wound Badge (1939)
  • in Black
  • in Silver
  • in Gold
• Eastern Front Medal
• Infantry Assault Badge
• Close Combat Clasp
  • in Bronze
• Demyansk Shield
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 31 December 1941 as Oberleutnant of the Reserves and chief of the 9./Infanterie-Regiment 89^[2]
  • 406th Oak Leaves on 22 February 1944 as Major and commander of Grenadier-Regiment 89^[3]

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1997, p. 40.
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 110.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 67.

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.
• Schaulen, Fritjof (2003). Eichenlaubträger 1940 – 1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe I Abraham – Huppertz [Oak Leaves Bearers 1940 – 1945 Contemporary History in Color I Abraham – Huppertz] (in German). Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 978-3-932381-20-1.
• 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 (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.