Erich Krebs (1912–1993)
| Erich Krebs | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Birth date | 6 July 1912 |
| Place of birth | Angerburg, Province of East Prussia, German Empire |
| Death date | 3 May 1993 (aged 80) |
| Place of death | Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany |
| Allegiance |  National Socialist Germany West Germany
|
| Service/branch | .png){kind=small} Reichswehr Luftwaffe
|
| Rank | Major |
| Commands held | Flak-Regiment 145 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Erich Krebs (6 July 1912 – 3 May 1993) was a German officer candidate of the Reichswehr and officer of the Wehrmacht, finally Major of the ant-aircraft weapon (Flak) of the Luftwaffe and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II.
Life
Erich Krebs joined military service and possibly served with the Flak-Abteilung 8 of the army of the Reichswehr which was restructured as I. Abteilung/Flak-Regiment 11 (gem. mot.) on 1 April 1935 in Seerappen northwest of Königsberg, which was commanded by Major Adolf Pirmann from 1 November 1937 to 31 March 1939 and took part in the liberation of the Sudetenland in October 1938.
WWII
During Operation Barbarossa, Krebs commanded the 1st Company. The following excerpt from Krebs’ Knight’s Cross recommendation describes the actions for which he would receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross:
- “On the 4 October 1941, a Soviet tank attack against the Orel train station was repelled thanks to the guns of the 1./Flak-Regiment 11 under the personal leadership of Hauptmann Krebs. Krebs directed the fire of his guns with unheard of ruthlessness and great courage, destroying two 52 ton assault tanks, one 28 ton tank and three 7 ton tanks. Only thanks to the bold performance of the 1st Battery under the leadership of Hauptmann Krebs was it possible to prevent the penetration of Russian tanks into Orel. The city, which at the time was only occupied with weak forces, could thus be held. In total, his basttery has destroyed the following material during the Russian campaign up until the 6 January 1942:16 aircraft, 23 tanks, 2 enemy batteries, 10 guns, 5 MG nests, 7 mortars, 1 observation post and 10 vehicles. In all this time, the battery has participated in a total of 38 ground battles.”[1]
The "Illustrierter Beobachter" reported about the award ceremony. From 11 August 1942 to 14 April 1943, Krebs was appointed commander of the I. Abteilung/Flak-Regiment 29, at the same time, from c. December 1942 until September 1943, he was commander of the Feld-Flakartillerie-Schule 11 (Mitte), another source states Field Flak Artillery School 16. The Field Flak Artillery School 11 was formed in in Barth (Pommern). On 16 August 1943, he was also appointed as commander of the Chaidari Flak training center in Greece. In September 1943, he was appointed as commander of the Feld-Flakartillerie-Schule 21 (Südost) in Belgrade, Serbia (disbanded 1944). On 1 January 1944, he was promoted to Major. On 4 october 1944, he was appointed to head of the course group (Lehrgang-Gruppe 2) Air Warfare School or Luftkriegsschule 6 (LKS 6 Flak).
On 9 February 1945, Krebs was appointed commander of the Flak-Regiment 145.[2] The staff of the regiment (the former staff of the dissolved 12. Flak-Brigade) had been set up in Leuna and was then assigned to home air defense (Reichsluftverteidigung) as the Leuna Flak Group. When the situation on the Eastern Front continued to worsen from the end of January 1945, the anti-aircraft regiment was withdrawn from air defense and deployed as a ground force on the Oder river front (Oderfront) in the Freienwalde-Schwedt area. In the fighting there it was subordinate to the 15th Flak Brigade. The regiment was completely destroyed by the Red Army by the end of April 1945. However, the regimental commander, Major Krebs, and a few parts of his regiment were able to retreat west, fighting all the way, in order to surrender to the American forces on 8 May 1945.
Awards and decorations
- Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung), 4th Class
- Sudetenland Medal (Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938)
- Iron Cross (1939), 2nd and 1st Class
- Anti-Aircraft Flak Battle Badge (Flak-Kampfabzeichen)
- Wound Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen 1939) in Black
- Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 14 February 1942 as Hauptmann (Captain) and Commander of the 1st Company/I. Abteilung/Flak-Regiment 11 (motorized)
Gallery
References
- ↑ Erich Krebs-Vintage Signed Photo (Hauptmann)
- ↑ KREBS, Erich, Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries
