Hans Kroh

Hans Kroh
File:Hans Kroh.jpg Hans Kroh
Allegiance	Nazi Germany (to 1945) West Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1935–1945, 1956–1962
Rank	Generalmajor (Wehrmacht) Generalmajor (Bundeswehr)
Commands held	I./FschJägRgt 2, FschJägRgt 2, 2.FschJägDiv
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of Crete Battle for Brest
Awards	Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords Great Cross of Merit
Other work	Bundeswehr

Hans Kroh (13 May 1907 in Heidelberg – 18 July 1967 in Braunschweig) was a German Fallschirmjäger and general in the Bundeswehr. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Biography

Hans Kroh entered the Brandenburg-Havel Police School as a police cadet on April 8, 1926. On October 1, 1935 he became commander of the 2nd Company, General Göring Regiment and transferred to the Luftwaffe on April 1, 1936. Kroh completed the parachutist-rifleman course and became a training director of the Stendal Parachute School. After a period of staff work, on September 1, 1940 he assumed command of I Battalion, 2nd Parachute Regiment.

During the Battle of Crete Kroh took command of Battle Group Sturm, whose objective was Rethymnon airfield, after Oberst Alfred Sturm was taken prisoner by the British Forces. Near Stavromenos and the oil refinery the paratroops held out against a vastly superior enemy force. Following the bitter ten-day struggle, which occupied a large portion of the British-Greek armed forces, the battle group was relieved by mountain infantry. Kroh received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on August 21, 1941.

In Africa Kroh served as Ia of the Ramcke Parachute Brigade. It was Kroh who initiated the brigade's escape through enemy territory following the German withdrawal from El Alamein.

In Russia on the Eastern front Kroh and his regiment fought near Novo Andreyevka and Novgorodka. Near Butor the regiment eliminated a Russian bridgehead on the Dniepr. Kroh also saw action at Kirovograd, where Russian attacks were repulsed.

Hans Kroh commanded the 2nd Parachute Division in the Battle for Brest until he was captured in the St. Pierre district of the city on September 18, 1944.

Hans Kroh joined the Bundeswehr on June 1, 1956 as Oberst. On September 1, 1957 he was promoted to Brigadegeneral. One day later he took command of the 1st Luftlande-Division in Bruchsal. On July 1, 1959 he was again promoted to Generalmajor. He retired on October 1, 1962. He died in Braunschweig in 1967.

Awards

• Wound Badge in Black
• "Afrika" and "Kreta" Cuffband
• Medaglia d'Argento al Valor Militare (9 February 1942)
• Luftwaffe Paratrooper Badge
• Luftwaffe Ground Assault Badge
• German Cross in Gold (24 December 1942)
• Iron Cross
  • 2nd Class (22 May 1940)
  • 1st Class (22 May 1940)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
  • Knight's Cross on 21 August 1941 as Major and commander I./Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 2
  • 443rd Oak Leaves on 6 April 1944 as Oberstleutnant and commander of the Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 2
  • 96th Schwerter on 12 September 1944 as Oberst and leader of the 2. Fallschirmjäger-Division
• Great Cross of Merit (12 September 1962)

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Berger, Florian (2000). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges. Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 3-9501307-0-5.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
• Kurowski, Franz. Knights of the Wehrmacht Knight's Cross Holders of the Fallschirmjäger. Schiffer Military. ISBN 0-88740-749-8.
• Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.
• 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.
• Helden der Wehrmacht III - Unsterbliche deutsche Soldaten (in German). München, Germany: FZ-Verlag GmbH, 2007. ISBN 978-3-924309-82-4.

External links

Media related to Hans Kroh at Wikimedia Commons

• Hans Kroh @ Lexikon der Wehrmacht