Awarded on:

1935

Awarded on:

1937

Awarded on:

1937

Awarded on:

1937

Awarded on:

1937

Awarded on:

1937

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

December 15th, 1940

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

July 10th, 1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

October 10th, 1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

SS-Sturmbannführer (Major)

Unit:

Führer, SS-Reiter-Regiment.2, 8. SS-Kavalerie-Division "Florian Geyer", 8. Armee, Heersegruppe Süd

Awarded on:

December 16th, 1943

Fegelein’s Knight’s Cross recommendation reads as follows…

“SS-Sturmbannführer Fegelein had already distinguished himself on the 28.08.1943. On this day, following a strong artillery preparation, the Russians broke through the left neighbour of the SS-Kavallerie-Division’s Aufkl.Abt. with fresh forces. In response SS-Sturmbannführer Fegelein sealed off this penetration (which greatly threatened the Division’s entire frontline) and restored the situation.

On the 02.09.1943, despite the enemy’s extensive signs of offensive preparation and previous attempts at an attack, calm initially prevailed. As such the Wehrmacht units that had been dispatched to support Fegelein’s Reiter-Rgt. 2 were taken out of the line. The garrison of the regimental sector was thereby heavily weakened. Heavy weapons from the Heer were also removed from the Regiment’s sector. Not only this but the sector of the Regiment was lengthened by another 100 metres to the right neighbour (which was also the Armee boundary).

At around midday the enemy attacked the position of the Reiter-Rgt. 2 from the patch of forest southeast of Sapadenka. While this assault was largely fended off, it achieved small penetrations that could not be cleaned up by counterthrusts due to the lack of heavy weapons.

However by around 18:00 the enemy had approached the Volkswagenschwadron that was positioned on the left wing of the Regiment, and thereupon launched a surprise attack. They punched through the thin line of the Schwadron and knocked out an 8.8 and 2 cm Flak. At the same time the enemy started an assault against Reiter-Rgt. 2 along a broad front. The situation became suddenly and unexpectedly grave. No reserves were available near the enemy forces that had broken through the Volkswagenschwadron. Help from the Division could not be expected as all of its resources had been concentrated to deal with the attacks against the Reiter-Rgt. 1.

The broken-through enemy turned to the southeast in order to roll up the thin and hard-pressed line of the Reiter-Rgt. 2. The cavalrymen on the left wing were fired upon from the rear while in their foxholes, the officers and NCOs of the left-wing Schwadron had become casualties and the first enemy attack spearheads had already shown up at the regimental command post. The telephone links to the Division had long since been smashed, and radio communication was pointless due to the rapidly developing events.

Then Sturmbannführer Fegelein, who had preserved his unshakeable calm all the way up to now, assembled the personnel of his regimental staff as well as individual stragglers from his Regiment and the Volkswagenschwadron. With these he threw himself against the broken-through Russians.

He was worried about his Regiment and the sector for which he was responsible for. But he clearly recognized that an enemy breakthrough here would be decisive for the position of both his whole Division as well as all German forces in the Bereka sector. As such he and his few men stormed against the point of break-in at the left neighbouring unit. The fighting quickly degenerated into close quarter combat, during which Fegelein repeatedly inspired his men by his personal example. It almost looked like this small group would not be able to triumph over the enemy superiority. The counterthrust came to a halt. Then the regimental commander jumped forwards with his last two hand grenades in his fists, and galvanized his troops forward one last time.

That was the decisive moment. The enemy turned back, and our forces succeeded in pushing them past the break-in point all the way to their jump-off position.

However the Sturmbannführer’s spirit was not yet exhausted. With two Sturmgeschützen that had just arrived on the battlefield he then organized counterthrusts to relieve the pressure on his own bitterly-defending Regiment. These smashed the enemy and pushed them back beyond their jump off points into the forest that lay to the north. Fighting was still ongoing as dusk fell, however thanks to the self-reliant and aggressive behaviour of SS-Sturmbannführer Fegelein the Division’s position remained in friendly hands. For their part the far numerically superior enemy was badly battered and their attempt to break through south of Sapadenka and roll up the German position along the Donez came to naught.

The enemy’s losses were exceedingly high. Several hundred enemy dead could be found in our positions. The friendly counterthrusts also captured a total of 8 enemy anti-tank guns, 17 heavy machine-guns, 15 light machine-guns, 8 anti-tank rifles and 2 machine-pistols.”

based on a recommendation dated 01.12.1943 and signed by Div. Kdr. i.V. Bruno Streckenbach

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

SS-Sturmbannführer der Reserve (Major of Reserves)

Unit:

Führer, SS-Reiter-Regiment.2, 8. SS-Kavalerie-Division "Florian Geyer", 8. Armee, Heersegruppe Süd

Awarded on:

December 2nd, 1944

based on a recommendation dated 02.08.1943 and signed by Joachim Rumohr; approved by Div. Kdr. August Zehender, 02.08.1943, however he did not receive the award until over a year later, by which time he was SS-Obersturmbannführer d. R. and Kdr. SS-Kavallerie-Regiment 16 of the Division

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)