Heinrich Ochs

Heinrich Ochs
Heinrich Ochs
	;
Birth date	19 April 1915
Place of birth	Ettlingen, Landeskommissärbezirk Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire
Death date	⚔ 21 October 1943 (aged 28)
Place of death	Eastern Front, Soviet Union
Allegiance	National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1937–1943
Rank	1st Lieutenant (posthumously)
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of France; Operation Barbarossa; Battle of Uman; Battle of Kiev (1941); First Battle of Kharkov; Battle of the Caucasus;
Awards	Iron Cross; Wound Badge (1939); Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Heinrich Ochs (19 April 1915 – 21 October 1943) was a German officer of the Wehrmacht and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves in WWII. He must not be confused with the fallen recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Lieutenant Colonel Heinrich "Heiner" Wilhelm Ochßner (1912–1944).

Life

Heinrich Ochs, Breisgauer Nachrichten, 6 January 1944.png

After attending eight years of Volksschule (compulsory education), Heinrich Ochs completed a three-year apprenticeship as a carpenter. Afterwards, he worked as such for four years, joined the Reichsarbeitsdienst for mandatory service in 1936 and in 1937 transferred to the anti-tank battalion Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 35 in Karlsruhe (subordinated to the 35. Infanterie-Division) to complete his compulsory two-year military service. In 1939, before the end of his service, he decided to become professional soldier and signed up for 12 years. After mobilization at the end of August 1939, the division was relocated to the Upper Rhine and deployed there as part of the West Wall west of Baden-Baden. On 1 April 1940, the Anti-Tank Battalion 35 was renamed the Panzerjäger Battalion 35. Ochs took part in the Western Campaign with his battalion and division.

After the end of the Battle of France, the 35. Infanterie-Division was transferred to Belgium and used there for coastal protection on the Channel coast. The division also prepared for the landing in England (Operation Sea Lion). In December 1940, a third of the division was transferred to form the new 101st Light Infantry Division located in the Prague Military District. On 27 May 1941, Ochs was promoted to Unteroffizier (NCO). Ochs now served with the Panzerjäger-Abteilung 101 and took part in Operation Barbarossa. On 6 July 1942, the 101st Light Infantry Division was renamed the 101st Jäger Division. During the defensive battles in the Caucasus and the Kuban bridgehead in the spring and summer of 1943, he repeatedly distinguished himself through bravery. In the further defensive battles at Zaporozhye and Melitopol in October 1943, he again distinguished himself far above average.

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Despite being formally employed as a Panzerjäger, Oberfeldwebel Ochs initiated an infantry counter-thrust on his own initiative and was able to smash a major hostile attack in close combat. In the early morning hours of 6 April 1943, enemy infantry managed to capture a strong-point (Stützpunkt) on the railroad embankment north of Krymskaja and thereafter thrust along the embankment up to the German main line. From here they threatened to cut off the Bataillon z. b. V. 500 (positioned in the swampy ground east of the railroad) from its connection to the rear. There also was the possibility of two other combat groups being either rolled up from the flank or engaged from the rear. Recognizing this danger, Oberfeldwebel Ochs mustered a few men from his platoon as well as some Jäger on his own initiative. He then counterattacked the enemy with this small group, which was inspired by his daring bravery. After a three hour close-quarter battle, the much larger and bitterly defending enemy force was pushed back 2 km, and the German strong-point was once again recaptured. This decisive success by Oberfeldwebel Ochs made such a strong impression on the enemy that they did not attempt to swing the tide of battle by sending in their own strong reserve forces that were standing by to expand the penetration at the time.^[1]

Because of bravery in the face of the enemy, Oberfeldwebel Ochs was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant (war officer; Kriegsoffizier). On 17 June 1943, after receiving leave, Ochs was greeted as a hero with great cheers by his family, the mayor and the assembled residents of his hometown.

Death

2nd Lieutenant Ochs was killed in action between Melitopol and Saporoshje (45 km south of Saporoshje), other sources state near Michailowk, during a major enemy attack, when he rushed to his front anti-tank battery, fought the enemy and was fatally hit by a grenade splinter. Posthumously, he was awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross and was promoted to Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant).

Family

Heinrich Ochs was the son of the Ettlingen blacksmith Anton Ochs and was married. It is not known if he had children. Heinrich's three younger Ettlingen-born brothers fought and died during WWII:

Ewald (b. 15 August 1917; ⚔ 1 April 1945), officer of the Wehrmacht
Theodor (b. 28 May 1921; ⚔ 17 February 1944 during the Cherkassy breakthrough), Obergefreiter of the Wehrmacht
Hermann (b. 1 February 1923; ᛣ⚔ 2 September 1943 in Field Military Hospital 181 in Potschinok), rifleman of the Wehrmacht

Awards and decorations

West Wall Medal (Deutsches Schutzwall-Ehrenzeichen)
Iron Cross (1939)
- 2nd Class on 1 September 1940
- 1st Class on 30 October 1941
Wound Badge (1939) in Black, Silver and Gold
- Gold on 28 May 1943
General Assault Badge (Allgemeines Sturmabzeichen) in Silver on 11 April 1942
Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal
Kuban Shield (Kubanschild)
Romanian Medal of Faithful Service, 3rd Class with Swords on 4 September 1943
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- 1,821th Knight's Cross on 2 June 1943 as Oberfeldwebel and Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 1. Company/Panzerjäger-Abteilung 101
- 360th Oak Leaves on 30 December 1943 as 2nd Lieutenant and Zugführer (platoon leader) in the 1. Company/Panzerjäger-Abteilung 101/101. Jäger-Division