Hubert-Erwin Meierdress

Hubert-Erwin Meierdrees
Born	(1916-12-11)11 December 1916 Wesel
Died	4 January 1945(1945-01-04) (aged 28) Budapest
Buried	Zentralfriedhof Vienna
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen SS
Rank	Sturmbannführer
Service number	NSDAP #3,601,911 SS #265,243
Unit	Totenkopf
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Hubert-Erwin Meierdrees (11 December 1916 – 4 January 1945), usually referred to as Erwin Meierdress, was a German officer and tank commander in the Waffen-SS. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, awarded by Nazi Germany to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Meierdress was killed in action in January 1945.

Career

Meierdrees was born in Wesel in Rhenish Prussia. In April 1934, se joined the NSDAP (Nr. 3,601,911) and the SS (Nr. 265,243). He was posted to the SS Division Leibstandarte. On 1 May 1939, he was posted as a platoon commander in SS-Standarte Der Führer. During the invasion of Poland, Operation Fall Weiss, Meierdress was awarded the Iron Cross second class. For his actions with the SS Division SS Division Totenkopf in the Demyansk Pocket pocket in February 1942 on the Eastern Front, Meierdrees was awarded the Iron Cross, first class and, later, the Knight's Cross.

In December 1942, the division was transferred to Kharkov, where it formed a part of II SS Panzer Corps; Meierdress's unit took part in the Third Battle of Kharkov. The division then took part in the Battle of Kursk; on 12 July, Meierdrees's battalion engaged the lead units of the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army. On 23 August, Army Group South abandoned Kharkov and began to retreat to the Dnieper. For his actions at Kursk and during the withdrawal Meierdress was awarded the Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross. In January 1944, Meierdress received a promotion to SS-Sturmbannführer (major).

In December 1944, Totenkopf was transferred to Budapest in an effort to relieve 9th SS Mountain Corps encircled there. On 4 January, Meierdrees' unit was counterattacked by a Soviet armoured force. Meierdrees' tank was hit and exploded, killing him.

Awards

• Wound Badge in Gold
• Panzer Badge in Silver
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (15 November 1939)
  • 1st Class (15 January 1942)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 13 March 1942 as Obersturmführer and leader of the SS-Sturm-Geschütz-Batterie "Totenkopf"
  • 544th Oak Leaves on 5 October 1943 as Hauptsturmführer and commander of the I./SS-Panzer-Regiment 3 "Totenkopf"

References

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 (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Krätschmer, Ernst-Günther (1999). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Waffen-SS. Coburg, Germany: Nation Europa Verlag. ISBN 978-3-920677-43-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• 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 (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Stockert, Peter (1996). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 4 (in German). Bad Friedrichshall, Germany: Friedrichshaller Rundblick. ISBN 978-3-932915-03-1. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)