Hans Kroh

Hans Kroh as major.

Hans Kroh (born May 13, 1907 in Heidelberg , † July 18, 1967 in Braunschweig ) was a German officer during the Second World War . After the war he served in the German Armed Forces , most recently as major general .

Life

Kroh joined the police as a candidate on April 8, 1926 Police Academy , a Brandenburg-Havel. On April 1, 1933 he was promoted to lieutenant and on August 1, 1933 to lieutenant of the police . He joined the Air Force on April 1, 1935 and became company commander and training manager at the parachute school in Stendal . On October 1, 1937, he became a captain and on January 1, 1939, he was assigned to the staff of the 7th Flieger Division, which later became the 1st Paratrooper Division .

During the Second World War he first took part in the occupation of the Netherlands and on August 1, 1940, he became the commander of the 1st Battalion of the Parachute Jäger Regiment 2. On March 1, 1941, he was promoted to major . This was followed by his participation in the Merkur company and the Barbarossa company before he was relocated to North Africa and then a second time to Russia . On December 16, 1943, Kroh became the commander of the Parachute Jäger Regiment 2. He came to France at the beginning of 1944 , was promoted to Colonel on April 6, and on June 1, 1944 was entrusted with the command of the 2nd Parachute Division .

On September 1, 1944, he was promoted to major general. Kroh and his unit were able to hold the St. Pierre district in Brest north of the submarine base until September 18, 1944 and then fell into American captivity, from which he was released in mid-1948.

On June 1, 1956, he was accepted into the newly founded Bundeswehr and served as commander of the 1st Airborne Division in Bruchsal . There he was promoted to Brigadier General on September 1, 1957 and major general on July 1, 1959, before retiring on October 1, 1962.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st class on May 22, 1940
• German cross in gold on December 24, 1942
• Italian Silver Medal of Bravery on February 9, 1942
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with oak leaves and swords
  • Knight's Cross on August 21, 1941
  • Oak leaves on April 6, 1944 (443rd award)
  • Swords on September 12, 1944 (96th award)
• Cuff bracelet Crete
• Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany on September 12, 1962

literature

• Franz Thomas / Günter Wegmann: The knight's cross bearers of the German Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Part II: Paratroopers , ISBN 3-7648-1461-6

Web links

Commons : Hans Kroh  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files