Walter Pitsch

Walter Pitsch
Born July 13, 1920 (1920-07-13) (age 91)
Saarbrücken, Germany
Allegiance  Nazi Germany
Service/branch Waffen SS
Years of service 1939–1945
Rank Hauptscharführer
Unit 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Iron Cross 1st Class
Iron Cross 2nd Class
Tank Destruction Badge
Close Combat Clasp

Walter Pitsch (born 13 July 1920) was a Hauptscharführer in the Waffen SS who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 May 1945, he was the last member of the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and the only member of the Division's Anti Aircraft battalion to be given the award.[1][Note 1]

At the time of his award Pitsch was the commander of the 4th Battery, 1st SS Anti Aircraft Battalion, LSSAH.[3]

Notes

  1. ^ No evidence of the award can be found in the German National Archives. According to Walther-Peer Fellgiebel the award was presumably awarded by SS-Oberstgruppenführer Sepp Dietrich, which would make it unlawful. Fellgiebel names Hermann Buch, the former IIa (personnel administration) of the 2. SS-Division "Das Reich", and Wilhelm Kment as sources. Buch stated on 25 June 2006 that he has nothing to do with this presentation. Walter Pitsch is mentioned the first in Ernst-Günther Krätschmer 2nd edition of "Die Ritterkreuzträger der Waffen-SS—The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Waffen-SS". The Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR) initially did not accept Pitsch as a recipient since he was not listed in Gerhard von Seemen's 2nd edition of "Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939-1945—The Knight's Cross Bearers". The order commission of the AKCR processed the case in 1977 and decided: "Knight's Cross yes, 3 May 1945". The presentation date was later changed by Fellgiebel to 6 May 1945. Krätschmer who does not present a source for Pritsch’s listing also states 6 May 1945. Unfortunately Pritsch, a member of the AKCR, did not help clarify the situation. Twice, on 24 July 2004 and 22 July 2004, did he not respond to a request from the president of the AKCR.[2]

References

Citations
  1. ^ "axis.history". http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=1984. 
  2. ^ Scherzer 2007, pp. 162–163.
  3. ^ "SS-Hauptscharfuhrer". Archived from the original on 2009-10-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20091028181123/http://geocities.com/~orion47/SS-POLIZEI/SS-Hauptscharfuhrer.html. 
Bibliography
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 (in German). Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.

External links