Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Obergefreiter (Corporal)

Unit:

Gruppenführer, 6. Kompanie, II. Bataillon, Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 143, 6. Gebirgs-Division, Heer

Awarded on:

December 9th, 1944

The following press excerpt, taken from the Ulmer Zeitung (20.01.1945), describes why Fischer would be awarded the Knight’s Cross…

“Obergefreiter Hans Fischer has once again demonstrated his audacity in the aftermath of Finland’s betrayal during the retreat battles of his Division from its secure positions before Murmansk.

Over the course of this fighting Fischer’s Bataillon was encircled east of the Petsamo river by Soviet forces that had pierced the German lines in the area around Petsamo itself. This created the danger that the far superior enemy would take control of an important river crossing, which in turn would cut off the retreat of German forces that had not yet crossed over. As such Fischer’s Bataillon commenced a breakthrough during the night, with Fischer’s Kompanie at the spearhead. After the Kompanie had stormed across the bridge the attack ground to a halt after its commander fell in the fire of 12 enemy tanks and a machine-gun company.

Obergefreiter Fischer was leading the Kompanie’s point squad at the time, and in this critical situation he assembled all the German soldiers in his vicinity. With these he stormed forward on his own initiative past the nearest enemy tank, destroyed those Soviet forces that were blocking the road in close combat and thereby opened the way for his Bataillon to continue its breakthrough.”