Hugo Kraas

Hugo Kraas
Hugo Kraas
Born	25 January 1911 Witten, German Empire
Died	20 February 1980 (1980-02-21) (aged 69) Selk, West Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service / branch	Waffen-SS
Years of service	1935–1945
Rank	SS-Brigadeführer
Service number	NSDAP #2,204,561 SS #289,633
Commands	SS Division Hitlerjugend
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Relations	Boris Kraas

Hugo Kraas (25 January 1911 – 20 February 1980) was a German member in Waffen-SS who served with the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and was the last commander of the SS Division Hitlerjugend. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.

Born in 1911, Kraas became a member of the Nazi Party and the Sturmabteilung (SA) in 1934; in 1938 he was posted to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH). With the LSSAH, Kraas took part in the invasion of Poland where he was awarded the Iron Cross second class. He was awarded the Iron Cross first class following the Battle of the Netherlands. He took part in the Balkan Campaign and Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. In December 1941, Kraas received the German Cross in Gold for actions during the Battle of Rostov. In 1943, he took part in the Third Battle of Kharkov. For his role in this operation he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in March 1943. He received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross in January 1944. Kraas died in 1980.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (16 October 1939)
  • 1st Class (25 May 1940)
• German Cross in Gold on 26 December 1941 as SS-Hauptsturmführer in the Aufklärungs-Abteilung "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler"
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 28 March 1943 as SS-Sturmbannführer and commander of the I./2. SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment/Panzergrenadier-Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler"
  • 375 Oak Leaves on 24 January 1944 as SS-Obersturmbannführer and commander of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2 "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler"
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 27 February 1943

References

Bibliography

• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. {{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)
• Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)