Friedrich Meyer

From Metapedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Friedrich-August Meyer
Friedrich-August Meyer.jpg
Birth name Friedrich August Hermann Meyer
Birth date 19 September 1899(1899-09-19)
Place of birth Gut Steinthal, Kreis Neustettin, Province of Pomerania, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date 4 January 1971 (aged 71)
Place of death Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
Resting place Osterholzer Friedhof, Bremen
Allegiance  German Empire
 Weimar Republic
 National Socialist Germany
Service/branch Iron Cross of the Luftstreitkräfte.png Imperial German Army
War Ensign of the Reichswehr, 1919 - 1935.png Reichswehr
Luftwaffe eagle.jpg Luftwaffe
Rank Colonel
Battles/wars World War I
World War II
Awards Iron Cross
German Cross in Gold
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Relations I ∞ Lucie Klara Hildegard Dorothee Kleinert
II ∞ Schewe (Meyer-Schewe)

Friedrich August Hermann Meyer (1899–1971) was a German officer, finally Colonel of the Wehrmacht and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in World War II.

Life

Paul Conrath (Knight's Cross), commander of the Panzer-Division "Hermann Göring", and Friedrich August Meyer (center) with other officers of the Flak-Regiment "Hermann Göring"
Colonel (ret.) Meyer-Schewe, member of the OdR

Military

In late 1917, Meyer joined the Imperial German Army and served in WWI. He was awarded the Iron Cross as a young officer cadet. He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on 1 April 1922 serving in the 7th (Prussian) Infantry Regiment (5th Company in Glatz). He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on 1 March 1927 in the 4th (Machine Gun) Company. He was later transferred to the 10th Company in Breslau. Then a Hauptmann (Captain), he served with the Regiment "General Göring" which belonged to the Luftwaffe since September 1935.

WWII

On 23 October 1939, now a Major, he was appointed commander of the Reserve-Flakscheinwerfer-Abteilung 438 which was used in the Cologne-Bonn area. In July 1941, he was appointed commander of the Flakscheinwerfer-Regiment 56 in Bremen and Hannover. On 20 May 1943, Lieutenant Colonel Meyer was appointed commander of the Flak-Regiment “Hermann Göring”. On 1 October 1943, he was promoted to Colonel. On 24 September 1944, he was appointed commander of the Fallschirm-Flakregiment "Hermann Göring".

In November 1944, he was appointed commander of the Fallschirm-Panzer-Ersatz- und Ausbildungs-Brigade "Hermann Göring" which saw action by the Weichsel River and was destroyed (along with both regiments under Major Schlutius and Major Edmund Francois) during the defense of the bridgehead and fortress at Graudenz. Colonel Meyer and other survivors became POWs.

Knight's Cross

Meyer’s Knight’s Cross recommendation reads as follows…

Oberst Meyer (commander of the Fallschirm-Panzer-Ersatz- und Ausbildungs-Brigade "Hermann Göring") has demonstrated outstanding personal bravery, swift initiative and bold aggressiveness during the retreat battles in East Prussia in January 1945. Here he and his brigade were consistently deployed as a rearguard, and in this capacity they provided invaluable security for the retreat movements of multiple Heer Divisionen. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that Oberst Meyer achieved this with a newly constituted training and replacement unit, one which was woefully inadequate in regards to both personnel and material for the conduct of active combat. The brigade was established at the beginning of November 1944 as a training and replacement unit for the Fallschirm-Panzerkorps "Hermann Göring", and it was filled primarily with young recruits that were inducted in either December 1944 or January 1945. They were thus only in the beginning of their training.
The permanent staff were composed of invalids and soldiers that were still not fully combat-capable on account of recent wounds. The Brigade had an operational strength of: 63 officers as well as 3800 NCOs and men, for which only 1200 German rifles, 60 MGs, four medium mortars and two 15 cm schwere Feldhaubitze 18 or sFH 18 (German: "heavy field howitzer, model 18") were available as equipment. The remaining weapons consisted of captured foreign rifles and 30 foreign MGs (which each had around 30 and 1000 rounds of ammunition available, respectively). Armour defeating weapons amounted to a totally inadequate stock of close combat weapons. Vehicles and communication equipment was also in short supply. Winter gear was, by and large, not available.
Despite the brigade’s poor state of outfitting, Oberst Meyer has nonetheless managed to bring his unit to battle and retain its combat cohesion in an area of operations that saw numerous Heer formations flee after offering only token resistance. This was done even whilst being deployed totally alone. The brigade has succeeded in holding its given positions against strong attacks long enough for reinforcements to arrive, and only then did it pull back as per orders. In this capacity it made a decisive contribution as a rearguard for the withdrawal movements of the Heer across the Vistula. Only his ruthless devotion to duty, magnificent leadership and iron willpower enabled him and his unit to endure this crisis situation in the face of a far numerically superior foe. Oberst Meyer cannot be given enough credit for fulfilling his mission under the most difficult of circumstances and retaining the cohesion of his brigade despite massive opposing pressure. Furthermore the brigade has also succeeded in winning multiple tactical victories thanks to the personal initiative of its commander.
Of his many achievements, Oberst Meyer made a particularly impressive display of bravery and decisiveness at Hohenkirch on the 24 January 1945. During the withdrawal movements the enemy succeeded in using their motorized forces to overtake our retreating troops and occupy Hohenkirch. In response Oberst Meyer led his brigade around the south of Hohenkirch and reordered it for an attack to the west of the village. However, during the assembly for this attack the Soviets launched their own attack westwards out of Hohenkirch with strong anti-tank and mortar support. Clearly recognizing the impending crisis, Oberst Meyer decided to launch an immediate counterattack. His soldiers took their lead from his example, and so he and his men thrust deep into the attacking Soviets, took the village of Hohenkirch and held it against further attacks. With this an extremely threatening situation was reversed, and the Soviets were preventing from interfering the withdrawal movements of the Heer formations with strong motorized forces of their own.
Since the 26 January 1945, the brigade has been deployed for the defense of the bridgehead and fortress at Graudenz. Up until now the enemy has vainly attempted to conquer this position despite having support from artillery of all calibers, tanks, anti-tank guns, Katyushas and major aerial attacks. Oberst Meyer’s outstandingly brave conduct and superior leadership have meant that he has had a decisive share in the successes of his unit. For this reason he deserves to be honoured with the high award of the Knight’s Cross to the Iron Cross.[1]

Meyer's Luftwaffenpersonalamt-Verleihungsvorschlag (LPA-VV—Air Force Staff Office Nomination Recommendation) Nr. 1493 was forwarded to the adjutancy of Hermann Göring on 3 March 1945. The nomination was never finalized and was left unfinished by the end of the war. A radio message was sent by the chief of the LPA on 12 May 1945 stating that Meyer, effective as of today, has been awarded the Knight's Cross (Dönitz-Erlaß). The presentation date 9 May 1945 was assigned by Walther-Peer Fellgiebel (Association of Knight's Cross Recipients).

Awards and decorations

WWI

Between wars

WWII

References

  1. ↑ Meyer, Friedrich-August
Retrieved from "http://en.metapedia.org/m/index.php?title=Friedrich_Meyer&oldid=514360"