Fritz Knöchlein

Fritz Knöchlein (born May 27, 1911 in Munich ; † January 21, 1949 in Hameln ) was a German SS-Obersturmbannführer who served in the Waffen-SS on various fronts during the Second World War and was convicted by the British as a war criminal after the war and was executed .

Life

Knöchlein was admitted to the SS in 1934 (SS no. 87.881, NSDAP membership number 157.016) and graduated from the SS Junker School in Braunschweig . At the beginning of the war in 1939 he took over a company of the SS-Totenkopfstandarte I "Upper Bavaria" and after the attack on Poland the 3rd company in the 2nd SS-Totenkopf-Regiment (motorized) of the SS-Totenkopf Division . In this function he also took part in the campaign in the west , where his unit, consisting mainly of poorly trained reservists , suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Dunkirk . Knöchlein had 99 British prisoners of war who fell into the hands of the SS shot in the Le Paradis massacre on May 27, 1940 .

The incident initially had no consequences for Knöchlein. A little later he took over the 5th Company and in 1941 came to SS Flaka Division 3, where he commanded a battery . During the reorganization of the SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment 36 of the 16th SS Panzer Grenadier Division "Reichsführer SS" he was given command of the III. Battalion , which he led in the fighting for the landing head of Anzio-Nettuno .

In April 1944 he became the commander of the 23rd SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment “Norge” of the 11th SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division “Nordland” . On February 10, 1945 Knöchlein received the command of the SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 49 of the 23rd SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division "Nederland" , which he led until the end of the war.

After the war ended, two returning survivors, William O'Callaghan and Albert Pooley , confirmed the Le Paradis massacre and the War Crimes Investigation Unit opened an investigation. Knöchlein was located in Hamburg, questioned at the London Cage interrogation center and brought to justice. During the trial, Knöchlein tried to justify his actions by claiming that the British units had used dum-dum projectiles in violation of international law . However, no evidence could be presented to the court, whereby it is doubtful whether the shooting of the prisoners would have been lawful even in the positive case. He was sentenced to death on October 25, 1948 and executed in Hameln prison on January 21, 1949 .

Awards

Iron Cross 2nd and 1st class
German cross in gold on November 15, 1942
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on November 16, 1944

Individual evidence

^ Brün Meyer, seniority list of the Waffen SS. SS-Obergruppenführer to SS-Hauptsturmführer. As of July 1, 1944. Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück 1987. ISBN 3-7648-1469-1 . P. 31.
↑ Seniority list of the NSDAP Schutzstaffel Edited by the personnel department of the Reichsführer-SS. As of October 1, 1934. No. 2782.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gerald Reitlinger , The SS. Alibi of a Nation, 1922-1945. Arms and Armor Press, London 1985. ISBN 0-85368-187-2 , pp. 148 f.
↑ Chris Bishop, SS. Hell on the Western Front. Staplehurst, Staplemount 2003, ISBN 1-86227-185-2 , pp. 47 f.
↑ Johannes Hürter , Hitler's military leader. The German commanders-in-chief in the war against the Soviet Union, 1941/42. Oldenbourg, Munich 2007, ISBN 3486583417 , p. 189.
^ Brün Meyer, seniority list of the Waffen SS. P. 31
^ The Hamburg Curiohaus Trials - Nazi war crimes before British military courts , pp. 54 and 60, publisher: Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial, January 2017
↑ Horst Scheibert: The bearers of the German cross in gold: Navy, Luftwaffe, Waffen-SS and the bearers of the German cross in silver: Heer, Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe, Waffen-SS . Podzun-Pallas-Verlag, Bad Nauheim 1984. p. 470.
↑ Gerhard von Seemen: The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939-1945. The knight's cross bearers of all Wehrmacht parts. Diamond, sword and oak leaf bearers in the order in which they were awarded . Podzun-Verlag, Bad Nauheim 1976. p. 198.

personal data
SURNAME	Bones, Fritz
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Little Bones, Fritz
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German SS-Obersturmbannführer, responsible for the Le Paradis massacre
DATE OF BIRTH	May 27, 1911
PLACE OF BIRTH	Munich
DATE OF DEATH	January 21, 1949
Place of death	Hamelin

[1] Brün Meyer, seniority list of the Waffen SS. SS-Obergruppenführer to SS-Hauptsturmführer. As of July 1, 1944. Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück 1987. ISBN 3-7648-1469-1 . P. 31.

[2] Seniority list of the NSDAP Schutzstaffel Edited by the personnel department of the Reichsführer-SS. As of October 1, 1934. No. 2782.

[Alibi148-3] Gerald Reitlinger , The SS. Alibi of a Nation, 1922-1945. Arms and Armor Press, London 1985. ISBN 0-85368-187-2 , pp. 148 f.

[4] Chris Bishop, SS. Hell on the Western Front. Staplehurst, Staplemount 2003, ISBN 1-86227-185-2 , pp. 47 f.

[5] Johannes Hürter , Hitler's military leader. The German commanders-in-chief in the war against the Soviet Union, 1941/42. Oldenbourg, Munich 2007, ISBN 3486583417 , p. 189.

[6] Brün Meyer, seniority list of the Waffen SS. P. 31

[7] The Hamburg Curiohaus Trials - Nazi war crimes before British military courts , pp. 54 and 60, publisher: Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial, January 2017

[8] Horst Scheibert: The bearers of the German cross in gold: Navy, Luftwaffe, Waffen-SS and the bearers of the German cross in silver: Heer, Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe, Waffen-SS . Podzun-Pallas-Verlag, Bad Nauheim 1984. p. 470.

[9] Gerhard von Seemen: The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939-1945. The knight's cross bearers of all Wehrmacht parts. Diamond, sword and oak leaf bearers in the order in which they were awarded . Podzun-Verlag, Bad Nauheim 1976. p. 198.