__NOTOC__ Oskar-Hubert Dennhardt (30 June 1915 – 19 June 2014) was a German

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He was a recipient of the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves 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' ...

Nazi Germany 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 ...

. Dennhardt served in the

Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein The Schleswig-Holstein Landtag is the state parliament of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It convenes in the state's capital Kiel and currently consists of 69 members of five parties. The current majority consists of coalition of the ...

as a Christian Democratic Union politician after World War II.''Das braune Schleswig-Holstein''

Die Zeit ''Die Zeit'' (, "The Time") is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles. History The ...

, 26 January 1990 He rejoined the military service in the

West German West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

in 1955, retiring in 1971 holding the rank of

Brigadegeneral Brigadier general ( da, Brigadegeneral; german: Brigadegeneral) is the Germanic variant of Brigadier general. Belgium The rank of ( nl-BE, Brigadegeneraal; french: Général de Brigade) is used by the Belgian Land Component, Air Component and ...

. He commanded the ''Panzergrenadierbrigade 16'' from 1 November 1965 to 31 March 1968 and was deputy commander of the 6th Panzergrenadier Division.

Awards and decorations

Wehrmacht Long Service Award The Wehrmacht Long Service Award () was a military service decoration of Nazi Germany issued for satisfactory completion of a number of years in military service. History On 16 March, 1936, Adolf Hitler ordered the institution of a service awar ...

4th Class (28 May 1938)Thomas & Wegmann 1998, p. 217. *

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia est ...

(1939) 2nd Class (2 June 1940) & 1st Class (8 September 1940)Thomas 1997, p. 114. *

Wound Badge The Wound Badge (german: Verwundetenabzeichen) was a German military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was first awarded to soldiers of the German Army who were wounded during World War I. Between th ...

(1939) in Black (26 August 1941); in Silver (29 August 1942); in Gold (5 October 1942) *

Infantry Assault Badge The Infantry Assault Badge () was a German military decoration awarded to Waffen-SS and ''Wehrmacht Heer'' soldiers during the Second World War. This decoration was instituted on 20 December 1939 by the Commander-in-Chief (''Oberbefehlshaber'') ...

in Bronze (1 May 1942) *

Eastern Front Medal The Eastern Medal (german: Ostmedaille), officially the Winter Battle in the East 1941–42 Medal (german: Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42, links=no), was a military award of the ''Wehrmacht'' which was created by ordinance of Adolf Hi ...

(3 August 1942) *

German Cross in Gold The War Order of the German Cross (german: Der Kriegsorden Deutsches Kreuz), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repe ...

on 12 February 1943 as ''

Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literally ...

'' in the III./Grenadier-Regiment 53 (motorized) *

Close Combat Clasp The Close Combat Clasp (german: Nahkampfspange) was a World War II German military award instituted on 25 November 1942 for participation in hand-to-hand fighting at close quarters. Intended primarily for infantry, other Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS, gro ...

in Bronze (6 December 1943) & in Silver (15 April 1945) *

** Knight's Cross on 18 March 1942 as ''

'' and commander of the II./Grenadier-Regiment 11 and regiment leader ** (870th) Oak Leaves on 9 May 1945 as ''Major'' and leader of Grenadier-Regiment 1143Fellgiebel 2000, p. 103. *

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

1st Class (10 May 1971)

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dennhardt, Oskar-Hubert 1915 births 2014 deaths Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Christian Democratic Union of Germany politicians Members of the Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein People from Markranstädt People from the Kingdom of Saxony German Army officers of World War II Brigadier generals of the German Army Military personnel from Saxony