__NOTOC__ Fritz Kraemer (12 December 1900 – 23 June 1959) was a high-ranking Waffen-SS commander and war criminal during the

Nazi era Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. During World War II, he commanded the

I SS Panzer Corps The I SS Panzer Corps (german: I.SS-Panzerkorps) was a German armoured corps of the Waffen-SS. It saw action on both the Western and Eastern Fronts during World War II. Formation and training The corps was raised on 26 July 1943 in Berlin-L ...

and the

SS Division Hitlerjugend The SS Division Hitlerjugend or 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" (german: 12. SS-Panzerdivision "Hitlerjugend") was a German armoured division of the Waffen-SS during World War II. The majority of its junior enlisted men were drawn from me ...

. After the war, Kramer was tried and convicted at the

Malmedy massacre trial The Malmedy massacre trial (''U.S. vs. Valentin Bersin, et al.'') was held in May–July 1946 in the former Dachau concentration camp to try the German Waffen-SS soldiers accused of the Malmedy massacre of 17 December 1944. The highest-ranking d ...

for his role in the

Malmedy Massacre The Malmedy massacre was a German war crime committed by soldiers of the on 17 December 1944, at the Baugnez crossroads near the city of Malmedy, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945). Soldiers of sum ...

, receiving a 10-year sentence. During World War II, Kraemer initially served with the 13th Infantry Division. In January 1943, he was appointed as a staff officer of the

commanded by Sepp Dietrich. Kraemer was admitted into the SS on 1 August 1944. During the battles in Normandy, Krämer acted as Dietrich’s deputy, and eventually succeeded Hubert Meyer as commander of the

. He was in charge of the division until 13 November 1944. Kraemer later served as a chief of staff with the

6th Panzer Army The 6th Panzer Army (german: 6. Panzerarmee) was a formation of the German Army, formed in the autumn of 1944. The 6th Panzer Army was first used as an offensive force during the Battle of the Bulge, in which it operated as the northernmost element ...

and surrendered to the U.S. Army, along with Dietrich, in May 1945. He was tried in 1946 for his role in the

. Kraemer was found guilty of war crimes and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was released in 1952, and died in 1959.

Awards

* German Cross in Gold (1942) * Iron Cross Second Class (1939) and First Class (1940) *

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight' ...

on 17 December 1942 as ''Oberstleutnant im Generalstab'' (i.G.; in the General Staff) and Ia (operations officer) in the 13. Panzer-DivisionScherzer 2007, p. 469.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kraemer, Fritz 1900 births 1959 deaths Military personnel from Szczecin People from the Province of Pomerania SS-Brigadeführer Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Waffen-SS personnel People convicted in the Dachau trials