Date of birth:

November 28th, 1924 (Breslau/Silesia, Germany)

Date of death:

January 28th, 2009 (Timmendorfer Strand/Schleswig-Holstein, Germany)

Nationality:

German (1933-1945, Third Reich)

00.02.1942: RAD, Reichsarbeitsdienst
00.00.1942: Offiziersbewerber, Panzertruppe
00.02.1943: Panzer-Regiment 2, Erfurt
00.12.1943: Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier, Richt- und Ladeschütze, I. Abteilung, Panzer-Regiment 2, 16. Panzer-Division - South Russia
00.03.1944-15.09.1944: Waffenschule Wischau, Mähren
00.09.1944: Oberfähnrich, Zugführer, Fallschirm-Panzer-Division „Hermann Göring"
12.01.1945: Oberfähnrich, Führer, Kompanie
25.01.1945: destroyed 25 tanks T34/85
20.03.1945: severely WIA when his Panther was destroyed by a „Josef-Stalin" tank and evacuated to a Lazarett
02.01.195600.00.1958: Leutnant, Ordonanzoffizier, Bundeswehr
00.00.1958: Kompaniechef, Panzerlehrbataillon, Munster
00.00.1961: stellvertretender Bataillonskommandeur
00.00.1984: retired as Oberst and last Ritterkreuzträger to retire from the Bundeswehr

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Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

1944

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

January 21st, 1945

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Oberfähnrich

Unit:

Zugführer, 2. Kompanie, I. Bataillon, Fallschirm-Panzer-Regiment Hermann Göring, Fallschirm-Panzer-Division 1 "Hermann Göring", Luftwaffe

Awarded on:

February 23rd, 1945

The following report by the Deutsche Nachrichtenbüro, dated 28.03.1945, reported on Hartelt winning the Knight’s Cross as follows…

“After the wounding of his Kompanie commander, Wolfgang Hartelt stepped in as commander of the unit and in this capacity has distinguished himself several times as a particularly brave and ruthless soldier. On the 25.01.1945 he led the rearguard of the Division with 5 Panthers when it was attacked by 25 T-34s while on the march. On his own initiative the Oberfähnrich attacked the fivefold superior enemy and eliminated all enemy tanks while at the head of his Kompanie. With this he raised the total of tanks destroyed by Panzers under his command to 59, of which he was personally responsible for 17. This took place on the 26.01.1945 near Benice (8 km from Krotoschin).”

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

• Photo 1: Known to STIWOT
• - FELLGIEBEL, W.P., Elite of theThird Reich, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull, 2003.
  - WEGMANN, GÜNTER, Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939-1945, Biblio-Verlag, 2009.
  - Ritterkreuz Archiv I/2009, Veit Scherzer, Ranis, März 2009, ISSN 1866-4709
  - das-ritterkreuz.de