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Eichler, Wolfgang (Panzer-Regiment 29)

Date of birth:
August 17th, 1914 (Lüderitzbucht, Southwest Africa)
Date of death:
July 4th, 1944 (West of Minsk, Soviet Union)
Nationality:
German (1933-1945, Third Reich)

Biography

In service from November 1st 1935.
Credited with 15 tank kills

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Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Awarded on:
July 30th, 1941
Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Awarded on:
November 1st, 1942
Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
Leutnant der Reserve (2nd Lieutenant of Reserves)
Unit:
Zugführer, 6. Kompanie, Panzer-Regiment 29, 12. Panzer-Division, 2. Armee, Heeresgruppe Mitte
Awarded on:
December 20th, 1943
The following wartime excerpt describes why Eichler would receive the Knight’s Cross…

“On the 10.11.1943 the enemy commenced a major offensive southwest of Gomel along a broad front. In addition to numerous rifle divisions they also committed two full-strength tank corps into the battle in order to clear the way through the German positions for their infantry. However on the first day of the offensive alone a total of 14 Soviet tanks were destroyed in the sector of the German Armee-Korps that lay at the thick of the fighting. As such both tank corps suffered a severe reverse, and when the Soviets were unable to achieve a penetration on either this or the following day the main striking power of their shock armies in this sector was broken along with that of their tank corps.

Leutnant Eichler had a major share in this success. At the start of the enemy offensive, as Leutnant Eichler and three Panzers were marching towards their ordered assembly area, he spotted a Soviet tank column coming from the south. This force had broken through the German lines and were now thrusting deep into the German rear. The Leutnant instantly moved against this enemy (which outnumbered him at least 4-1) and destroyed 9 Soviet tanks with his three own Panzers. The remainder were barely able to escape.

After this brief interruption Leutnant Eichler got back to his original task. For the entire morning he was locked in desperate combat against constantly appearing new groups of Soviet tanks (which would outnumber by as much as 8-1). It did not help that he and his unit were all alone without any infantry or other anti-tank weapons. During the hours of combat he ultimately smashed 5 enemy attack waves in succession. In the process 31 enemy tanks were destroyed (of which he was personally responsible for 15), and another 10 were so heavily damaged that they were no longer able to participate in the fighting.

During the afternoon he thrusted into an enemy assembly area with 4 friendly Panzers working in cooperation with a Panzergrenadier-Bataillon. 4 T-34s were destroyed, and a truck column with infantry and cavalry was scattered and largely destroyed. The remainder of this enemy group were only able to escape this total destruction by scattering into the bush in a disordered flight. Through this action a further intended enemy attack was smashed before it even got started.”

Submitted on December 16th 1943.
Preliminary document on December 24th 1943 to AOK 2.
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes

Sources

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