Date of birth:

February 24th, 1911 (Hofgeismar, Kassel, Hesse, Germany)

Date of death:

December 31st, 1945 (Soviet POW camp Dubrovka)

Nationality:

German

01.10.1933: entered the Artillerie-Regiment 70 in Koblenz
11.11.1935: Waffen Lehrgänge der Artillerie
01.08.1940: promoted to Oberwachtmeister
10.12.1940: Artillerie-Lehr-Regiment, Jüterbog
12.05.1941: Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 244 - sent to Russia
00.02.1942: Geschützführer im 1. Zug, der 1. Batterie, Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 244 - severe fightings in the Charkow region - his StuG destroyed 13 tanks out of the 24 armored vehicles destroyed by his Zug
25.05.1942: awarded the Anerkennungsurkunde des Heeres
27.05.1942: awarded with the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes
00.06.1942: promoted to Leutnant
00.02.1943: captured and sent to a Soviet Camp Dubrovka
31.12.1945: probably executed and declared dead

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Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

July 24th, 1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

September 27th, 1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Oberwachtmeister

Unit:

Zugführer, 1. Batterie, Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 244, 113. Infanterie-Division, Heer

Awarded on:

May 15th, 1942

Mentioning:
"The Sturmgeschützabteilung 244 has, during battle at the Eastfront on May 14th, destroyed 36 enemy tanks.
Of these tanks, Oberwachmeister Banze alone, destroyed 13."

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Oberwachtmeister

Unit:

Geschützführer, I. Zug, 1. Batterie, Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 244

Awarded on:

May 25th, 1942

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Oberwachtmeister

Unit:

Zugführer, 1. Batterie, Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 244, 113. Infanterie-Division, Heer

Awarded on:

May 27th, 1942

Awarded for his actions on the 14.05.1942 as his Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 244 assisted the defense of the 113. Infanterie-Division during the Second Battle of Kharkov. On this day he engaged a Soviet tank formation all on his own and destroyed numerous tanks within it. The following excerpt from an OKW report (dated 16.05.1942) adds the following detail to his actions on this day…

“The Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 244 destroyed 36 enemy tanks during the fighting in the East on the 14.05.1943 [no typo]. Of this total, Oberfeldwebel Banse alone destroyed 13 of these.”

By doing so Banze raised his personal total of destroyed Soviet tanks to 24, and by the time he was recommended for the Knight’s Cross this total had risen to 27.

• Photo 1: Andrew Straube
• Photo: Andrew Straube via Death-Cards.com
  
• - FELLGIEBEL, W.P., Elite of theThird Reich, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull, 2003.
  - 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.
  - Die Ordensträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht (CD), VMD-Verlag GmbH, Osnabrück, 2002
  - Knightscross collectioncard