Johannes-Matthias Hönscheid
Johannes-Matthias Hönscheid (born June 14, 1922 in Eitorf ; † March 2, 2001 in Munich ) was a lieutenant in the reserve and war correspondent in World War II . As the only war correspondent for the German armed forces , he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross .
Life
After studying at a university in Frankfurt am Main , Hönscheid was drafted (January 15, 1942) to join the air news company at Fritzlar Air Base . From September 1, 1942, he was deployed as a war reporter for the Air Force and front editor of the German-Italian daily newspaper "Il Popolo di Sicilia" (The Eagle of Sicily) in Catania . During this time he had front deployments with the III. Group / Lehrgeschwader 1 and at KG 54 . He flew as a crew member of a Ju 88 in 28 enemy flights a. a. Attacks against La Valletta and Cape Bône. Then there were orders as a war reporter z. b. V. to Rommel's headquarters and to Commander-in-Chief South Kesselring .
During the Sicily campaign he was deployed as a paratrooper with the Graßmehl battalion of the 1st Paratrooper Division . During the retreat as far as the Frosinone - Monte Cassino area , he destroyed seven enemy tanks with plate mines. In addition, as a shock troop leader, he brought in a total of 827 prisoners. Here he got into British captivity from which he managed to escape despite being severely wounded. This was followed by a long hospital stay at the Duce headquarters in Fasano.
On September 14, 1944, he was accepted into the army as a war reporter z. b. V. at the Wehrmacht High Command . Here he was head of department for the deployment of war reporters, as well as military censor (OKW) and liaison officer to Reich Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels . Furthermore, he was temporarily the war diary keeper at the Führer headquarters in Wolfsschanze . Most recently he was a war reporter and press spokesman for the Dönitz government in Plön and Flensburg - Mürwik .
After the war he made a career as editor-in-chief and publisher in Munich. Among other things, he headed the editorial team of the news magazine Plus: constructive criticism (own spelling), which had to be discontinued after 3 issues in January 1960 due to massive losses.
Johannes-Matthias Hönscheid died on March 2, 2001 at the age of 78.
Awards
- Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st class
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on March 16, 1945
- German cross in gold on March 16, 1945
- War Merit Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st class
- Wound badge (1939) in silver
- Melee clasp in silver
- Air Force Ground Combat Badge
- Front flight clasp for fighter pilots in bronze
- Arm band Africa
- Tank destruction badge in gold
- Cuff war reporter of the Luftwaffe
- Paratrooper Badge of the Air Force
- Aviator Memorial Badge
Works
- The war reporter. Novel and autobiography of a bearer of the Knight's Cross. Volume 1: The Front. Internationaler Kulturdienst Verlag. Munich 1992. ISBN 3-926469-17-X .
Web links
- Literature by and about Johannes-Matthias Hönscheid in the catalog of the German National Library
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Veit Scherzer : Knight's Cross bearers 1939–1945. The holders of the Iron Cross of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and armed forces allied with Germany according to the documents of the Federal Archives. 2nd Edition. Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, Ranis / Jena 2007, ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2 , p. 396.
- ↑ a b Henry L. deZeng IV, Douglas G. Stankey: Air Force Officer Career Summaries, Section G K. (PDF) 2017, p. 562 , accessed on April 1, 2020 (English).
- ↑ Journal database. (PDF) Retrieved April 1, 2020 .
- ^ Checks and red roses. (PDF) March 23, 1960, accessed April 1, 2020 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hönscheid, Johannes-Matthias |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German officer and war correspondent in World War II |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 14, 1922 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Eitorf |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 2, 2001 |
| Place of death | Munich |