Bruno Schatz

Bruno Schatz
Born(1894-06-24)24 June 1894
Markneukirchen, Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire
Died3 December 1974(1974-12-03) (aged 80)
West Germany
Relatives∞ 1921 Arnhild Walpurga Otto; 3 children
Military career
Allegiance German Empire
Weimar Republic
Nazi Germany
Branch
 Imperial German Army
Freikorps
 Reichsheer
 German Army
Service years
1915–1920
1934–1945
Rank
Generalmajor
Commands122nd Infantry Division
Conflicts
World War I
World War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Other workBusinessman (co-owner of his father's Musical Instrument Dealership firm, Hitzeroth & Schatz)

Hermann Bruno Schatz (24 June 1894 – 3 December 1974) was a German officer, finally Generalmajor, divisional commander and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of the Wehrmacht in World War II.

Life

WWII

On 27 October 1939, Schatz, who had completed his service at the War School in Potsdam, was placed at disposal of the 24th Infantry Division for use as battalion commander. On 1 November 1939, he was appointed commander of the III. Battalion/Infantry Regiment 31. On 8 August 1941, he was appointed commander of the Infanterie-Regiment 261 in Grafenwöhr, subordinated to the 113th Infantry Division.

On 1 December 1942, he was commanded to the Formation Staff of Training Staff 4 at the Infantry School in Döberitz and on 15 December 1942, he was appointed commander of the Training Staff 4 at the Infantry School. On 7 April 1943, he was appointed commander of the Grenadier-Regiment 268 in France, subordinated to the newly formed 113th Infantry Division (the former division was destroyed during the Battle of Stalingrad).

On 10 October 1943, he was transferred to the Führerreserve (OKH)/Army High Command Leader Reserve. On 1 January 1944, he was appointed commander of the Grenadier-Regiment 977, subordinated to the 271st Infantry Division. Following the heavy fighting resulting from the invasion of Normandy, the division was destroyed in August 1944 while serving with the 5th Panzer Army in the Falaise Pocket. The regiment was reconstituted in Tyrnau, Slovakia, on 17 September 1944, through the renaming of Grenadier Regiment 1186, which had been in the process of formation since 25 August 1944.

On 10 November 1944, he was again transferred to the Führerreserve (OKH) and then attended the 16th Divisional Commander Course from 21 November to 20 December 1944. On 2 January 1945, he once again was transferred to the Führerreserve (OKH) and on 21 January 1945, he was delegated with the leadership of the 122nd Infantry Division (his Ia was Gustav-Adolf Kuntzen). On 20 April 1945, after being promoted to Generalmajor, he was officially appointed commander of the 122nd Infantry Division, subordinated to the Army Group Courland under Carl Hilpert.

Schatz surrendered to the Soviet Red Army troops on 10 May 1945 in the Courland Pocket. In a show trial before a Soviet military court, he was convicted as a war criminal. He was repatriated to Germany in October 1955 as one of the last ″late homecomers″ (German: Spätheimkehrer).

Family

Bruno was the son of Protestant Lutheran businessman Christian Hermann Schatz and his wife Johanna, née Stark. The "Musical Instruments Town of Markneukirchen", as it is known, is located in the Vogtland region, near the border with the Czech Republic.

Marriage

On 21 January 1921 in Plauen, Schatz married his fiancée Arnhild Walpurga/Walburga Otto, daughter of Director of the Local Court (Amtsgerichtsdirektor) in Plauen Dr. jur. Ulrich Otto (1868–1931) and his wife Martha, née Heinel (1877–1958). They would have three children:

Promotions

Awards and decorations

Sources

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Depending on the source, he died either in West Berlin or in Murnau am Staffelsee, Bavaria.
  2. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 304.

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.