Franz Schmitz

Franz Schmitz
Born	(1918-10-12)12 October 1918 Bonn
Died	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

References

Bibliography

• 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