Amling, Fritz (Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 202)

Date of birth:: January 17th, 1916 (Preußisch Holland/Eastern Prussia, Germany)
Date of death:: March 6th, 1994 (Mainz, Germany)
Nationality:: German

Biography

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Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)

Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)

Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Wachtmeister
Unit:: Zugführer, 3. Batterie, Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 202
Awarded on:: December 11th, 1942

Awarded for distinguishing himself while his Abteilung was deployed in the sector of the 78. Infanterie-Division during Operation Mars. The following wartime excerpt describes why he would be awarded the Knight’s Cross…

“Knight’s Cross Holder and Wachtmeister Fritz Amling… received the Knight’s Cross on the 11.12.1942 while serving as the commander of a Sturmgeschütz. This was for his actions during the defense against the Soviet offensive to the southwest of Kalinin that began on the 25.11.1942. In this time he destroyed 40 enemy tanks within a few days (including 24 in just one day alone) despite being wounded himself.”

Amling had reached a total of 56 Soviet tanks destroyed altogether by the time he received the Knight’s Cross.

Sources

Photo 1:
- SCHERZER, VEIT & FARWICK, WERNER, Die Ritterkreuzträger der Sturmartillerie 1939-1945, Verlag Veit Scherzer, 2011.
- THOMAS, FRANZ & WEGMANN, GÜNTER, Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939-1945, Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück, Germany, 1985.
- Fellgiebel W.P., Elite of the Third Reich, The recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939-1945: A Reference, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull, 2003, ISBN 1-874622-46-9
- Lexikon der Wehrmacht