Max Kloß

Max Hermann Kloß

Major Max Kloß
Born (1917-03-14)14 March 1917
München, Germany
Died 10 November 1944(1944-11-10) (aged 27)
Miskolc, Hungary
Buried at Miskolc, Hungary
Allegiance  Nazi Germany
Service/branch Wehrmacht Gebirgsjäger
Years of service ?-1944
Rank Major
Commands held 2nd Battalion of the 144th Gebirgsjäger Regiment
Battles/wars

World War II

Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Max Hermann Kloß (usually referred to as Max Kloß) was a German Wehrmacht officer of World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, awarded to recognize successful military leadership or extreme battlefield bravery.

Career

Born in Munich in 1917, Max Kloß was a devoted, but not fanatical, National Socialist, who believed that Adolf Hitler's regime would be beneficial for Germany. He was enlisted for service to the Wehrmacht, and, upon completing his training as a commissioned officer,[1] he was initially sent to the Finnish Front.[2]

Kloß requested to be transferred to the Eastern Front, as he felt he was obliged to serve his country by fighting on a more decisive front than that of Finland. In early 1944, with the rank of Hauptmann, he took command of the second battalion of the 144th Gebirgsjäger Regiment (part of 3. Gebirgs-Division) in Ukraine. There, in late January 1944, he met Josef Allerberger, second most successful sniper of World War II with whom he maintained a close friendship. Allerberger, who became a de facto adjutant to Kloß, noted in his memoirs that he always wore a Hitlerjugend badge, as a sign of devotion to the Nazi regime.[2]

In early April 1944, Kloß, in an outburst of anger, executed with his pistol a soldier who had shot a rifleman from his battalion after a mere misunderstanding, but was never tried for this, as witnesses of the scene found this execution - in a way - fair.[3]

With the Gebirgsjäger, Kloß earned many decorations towards the end of 1944, most notable the German Cross in Gold on 1 April 1944. With the tide of war now turning against Germany and the 3rd Gebirgs-Division fighting in northeastern Hungary, Kloß was promoted to Major in the late autumn.[4] On 26 November 1944, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the second highest military decoration of Nazi Germany.

Death

On 10 November 1944, Kloß held a conference with other battalion commanders in a villa owned by an industrialist in Miskolc. Soviet artillery was present in the area and enemy observers were trying to spot and destroy any means of German communication. A shell scored a direct impact on the communications vehicle near the group of officers. Kloß was hit by a large piece of shrapnel which struck his head right below the right ear. Having been killed instantly, he was buried in the villa's yard.[4]

Awards

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Wacker 2007, p. 218.
  2. 1 2 Wacker 2007, p. 84.
  3. ↑ Wacker 2007, pp. 141–142.
  4. 1 2 Wacker 2007, pp. 236–237.
  5. 1 2 Visible in the picture
  6. ↑ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 235.
  7. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 260.
  8. ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 450.

Bibliography

  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. 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. 
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. 
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die 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 [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. 
  • Wacker, Albrecht (2007). Eleutheros skopeutēs sto Anatoliko Metōpo ta apomnēmoneumata tu Zep Allermpernker katochu tu Stauru tōn Hippotōn tu Sidēru Stauru [Sniper on the Eastern Front: The Memoirs of Sepp Allerberger, Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipient]. Eurobooks Editions (Greek). ISBN 978-960-87218-7-6.
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