Josef Schreiber

Josef Schreiber
Memorial stone at the Oberfeldwebel-Schreiber barracks in Immendingen
Born(1919-12-24)24 December 1919
Mindersdorf/Baden
Died1 February 1945(1945-02-01) (aged 25) M.I.A
Disappeared near Poznań
Allegiance Nazi Germany
BranchHeer
Service years1938–1945
RankLeutnant
Unit14th Infantry Regiment
ConflictsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Josef Schreiber (24 December 1919 – missing as of 1 February 1945) was an Oberfeldwebel in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was the namesake of the Oberfeldwebel-Schreiber barracks in Immendingen which was closed in March 2016.

Biography

Josef Schreiber was born on 24 December 1919 to August Schreiber, a master saddler, and his second wife Josefine, together the family ran a farm. Josef Schreiber had completed secondary school and his compulsory labor service in the RAD when he volunteered for service in the German Army on 14 August 1938.

His first posting was with the 7th company of the 14th Infantry Regiment based in the city of Konstanz. He was promoted to the rank of Unteroffizier on 11 October 1940. During early phase of Operation Barbarossa Schreier temporarily took command of a platoon and helped to repel a Soviet counterattack, for this action he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class on 18 September 1941.

He remained a platoon leader with the 4th company of the 14th Infantry Regiment and on 31 March 1941 was awarded the Knight's Cross for leadership during a battle north of Orel. During the battle two platoons under his command successfully defended a hill overlooking the area from a strong Soviet attack.

On 1 July 1941 he was promoted to the rank of Oberfeldwebel and returned the 7th company on 14 August 1943 in anticipation of Operation Citadel. He was eventually given command of the 7th company after the former company commander was killed although by this point the unit only number 30 men. He was eventually reassigned back to the 4th company and placed in command of one platoon and he and his men succeeded in halting Soviet advance that had broken through German lines. For this, he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 5 October 1943.

At the end of 1944 Schreiber was assigned to Kriegsschule V in Posen as an instructor. Schreiber, along with the nearly 2,000 officer candidates at the school, was eventually sent to the front to try and stop the Soviet advance. On 1 February 1945 Schreiber was listed as missing in action during the fighting around Posen, he was posthumously promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in the Replacement Army.

Bundeswehr's role model

Oberfeldwebel-Schreiber barracks

His actions leading to the presentations of Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) made him a role model in the Bundeswehr. During Operation Citadel, on his own initiative, he led an attack against Soviet trenches, forcing the enemy to retreat. In August 1943, supported by 30 soldiers, he again forced the Soviets to retreat at Karachev. On 27 May 1967, the Bundeswehr named the barracks at Immendingen the Oberfeldwebel-Schreiber barracks.[1]

Awards and decorations

References

Citations

  1. ^ Knab 1995, p. 83.
  2. ^ a b Thomas 1998, p. 285.
  3. ^ a b Scherzer 2007, p. 684.
  4. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 389.
  5. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 73.

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.
  • Knab, Jakob (1995). Falsche Glorie: das Traditionsverständnis der Bundeswehr [False Glory: the Bundeswehr's Understanding of Tradition] (in German). ISBN 978-3-86153-089-3.
  • 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.
  • Stockert, Peter (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 4 [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 4] (in German). Bad Friedrichshall, Germany: Friedrichshaller Rundblick. ISBN 978-3-932915-03-1.
  • Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Schreiber