Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Hauptmann (Flight Lieutenant)

Unit:

Kommandeur I./Flak-Regiment 25

Awarded on:

October 24th, 1944

Awarded for the role his Flak Abteilung played in delaying Soviet forces in early October 1944. On the 06.10.1944, while stationed near Gyoma (Hungary), it was attacked by a Soviet tank force which had penetrated the frontline some 60 km away. The goal of this group was to seize the crossings over the Tisza river further to the west. Weißberg quickly redeployed his Flak guns in an ad hoc defensive position and they stopped the first Soviet attempts to break through.

The next day they fought bitterly to contest the Soviet advance, destroying 12 Soviet tanks (one of which was destroyed by Weißberg himself while manning one of the guns). They couldn't hold out indefinitely though, and pulled out of Gyoma around midday, with Weißberg being badly wounded. However they had delayed the Soviets for 30 hours without any support and thus bought time for German and Hungarian units to build new defenses west of the Tisza. Weißberg was decorated accordingly and his Abteilung received the honorary title of "Flaksturmabteilung".