Franz Staudegger

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Franz Staudegger
Born 12 February 1921
Kärnten, Austria
Died 16 May 1995(1995-05-16) (aged 74)
Frankfurt, Germany
Allegiance  Nazi Germany
Service/branch Waffen-SS
Years of service 1939–1945
Rank Oberscharführer (Staff Sergeant)
Unit 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Iron Cross 1st Class
Iron Cross 2nd Class
Eastern Front Medal
Relations died childless
Other work railway official
insurance clerk

Franz Staudegger (1921–1995) was an Oberscharführer (Staff Sergeant) in the Waffen-SS and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

As a Unterscharführer (Corporal/Sergeant) Franz Staudegger was the first member of the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Tiger tank commanders to win the Knight's Cross [1]

On 7 July 1943, a single Tiger I tank commanded by SS Oberscharfuehrer Franz Staudegger from the 2nd Platoon, 13th Panzer Company, 1st SS Panzer Regiment LSSAH engaged a Soviet group of some 50 T-34 tanks around Psyolknee in the southern sector of the Battle of Kursk. Staudegger used up his entire ammunition supply and destroyed 22 Soviet tanks, while the rest retreated. For his achievement, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross,[2] as first Tiger tank crewman.[3]

He was also summoned to the Führer Headquarters to give Adolf Hitler a detailed account of the tank battle.[4]

Staudegger ended the war in the 101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion which was present at the Battle of Normandy in 1944 under the command of Michael Wittmann and was later involved in the Battle of the Bulge.

See also

  • Waffen-SS
  • 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
  • List of Knight's Cross holders 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler

References

  1. ↑ "SS.501.panzer". 
  2. ↑ "achtung.panzer". 
  3. ↑ "axis.history". 
  4. ↑ Michael Wittmann and the Waffen SS Tiger Commanders of the Leibstandarte in ... By Patrick Agte p.123

External links

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