Franz Schmitz

Franz Schmitz
Born	(1918-10-12)12 October 1918 Bonn
Died	10 June 1985(1985-06-10) (aged 66) Inden
Allegiance	Nazi Germany (to 1945)  West Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1938–45 1956–62
Rank	Sanitäts-Unteroffizier (Wehrmacht) Oberstabsfeldwebel (Bundeswehr)
Unit	279th Grenadier Regiment
Battles/wars	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Kiev (1941) Operation Veritable
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Franz Schmitz (12 October 1918 – 10 June 1985) was a highly decorated German Sanitäts-Unteroffizier in the Wehrmacht during World War II and an Oberstabsfeldwebel in the Bundeswehr. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He is remembered especially for his medical care and rescue of wounded German soldiers (roughly 2,000), along with his care for wounded Russian soldiers isolated on the battlefield. Franz Schmitz joined the Bundeswehr in 1956 and served until 1962.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class (20 September 1941)
• Wound Badge (1939)
  • in Black
  • in Silver
  • in Gold (11 March 1945)
• Infantry Assault Badge (20 September 1941)
• Close Combat Clasp
  • in Bronze
  • in Silver
• Eastern Front Medal
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 13 September 1943 as Sanitäts-Unteroffizier and group leader in the 3. / Grenadier-Regiment 279 ^[1]

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 – Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. 
• Kurowski, Franz. 2005."Infantry Aces:The German Soldier in Combat in WWII". Mechanicsburg PA, USA.StackPole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3202-4

External links

• Lexikon der Wehrmacht
• World War 2 Awards.com
• Ritterkreuztraeger 1939-1945

Medical personnel recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Sanitätsfeldwebel Rudolf Bäcker Stabsarzt Dr Ernst Gadermann Oberarzt Dr Heinrich Hüls Oberarzt Dr Rolf Jäger Sanitätsunteroffizier Manfred Jordan Assistenzarzt Dr Walter Keup Stabsarzt Dr Carl Langemeyer Sanitätsfeldwebel Karl Nowotnik Sanitätsunteroffizier Willi Pieper Stabsarzt Dr Friedrich Salamon Sanitätsunteroffizier Franz Schmitz Stabsarzt Dr Hans-Joachim Schulz-Merkel Oberarzt of the Reserves Dr Horst Wilcke Oberfeldarzt Dr Werner Wischhusen in alphabetical order