Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Oberleutnant der Reserve (1st Lieutenant of Reserves)

Unit:

Chef, 1. Kompanie, I. Bataillon, Grenadier-Regiment 578, 305. Infanterie-Division, Heer

Awarded on:

January 9th, 1945

Here follows an account by Oberst Trompeter that describes why Wehinger was awarded the Knight’s Cross…
“… A second hotspot of the December fighting was the defense of Hill 225 by Oberleutnant Wehinger and his 1./578. This was a key point of the position. The capture of this hill would have enabled the enemy to roll up a large portion of the position. The enemy therefore repeatedly tried to capture the important ridge around 225 via any means necessary. But the brave Grenadiers of Wehinger’s Kompanie succeeded in denying all such attempts while inflicting heavy losses on the attackers. The enemy thus decided to shift their focus to the elevated village of Pidéura (a small village with about 5 houses and a chapel).
The II./578 was responsible for defending this area, and the soul of the resistance was borne by the Bataillon commander, Hauptmann Krebber. Pidéura was nonetheless initially lost to the enemy on the 05.12.1944 following heavy combat, and those elements of the 7. Kompanie fighting there (led by Kompanie commander Leutnant Sörgel) were cut off in the process. However Hauptmann Krebber launched a counterthrust with his Grenadiers, and the bitter enemy resistance was broken meter by meter in an hours-long struggle. Eventually the entire hill returned to friendly control, and the 18 German soldiers that were cut off were freed. 11 prisoners were captured, 55 enemy dead were counted on the battlefield and a few heavily wounded enemy soldiers were treated by our side.
The enemy’s answer to their eviction was to pummel both the hill and the village with a furious drumfire of all calibers. The area was eventually reduced to a moonscape in which only parts of the chapel still stood. Fluid fighting occur over the next few days, however the enemy was ultimately able to take control of Pidéura with the help of tanks. But on the 08.12.1944 Oberleutnant Wehinger conducted a pincer-like counterattack from the right with elements of his Kompanie. In the initial stages it was possible to clear a small hill west of Pidéura while capturing 17 prisoners. But tough resistance was met when Wehinger continued the attack against Pidéura itself. Here the enemy riflemen had brought up a heavy tank that delivered effective fire support. However Wehinger was able to approach this tank and knock it out with a Panzerfaust.”
Wehinger was later wounded in the subsequent close combat, and significant German losses forced the defenders to eventually give up control of Pidéura. Wehinger would nonetheless receive the Knight’s Cross for his successes around Pidéura and Hill 225 as well as for mastering a number of difficult situations during earlier combat in the Apennine mountains.

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)