Werner Wrangel (24 March 1922 – 24 March 1945) was a Gefreiter in the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

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 ...

, who received three of Germany's highest military decorations during a single combat action. He was the only person ever to do so. Wrangel received the

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 ...

2nd class, Iron Cross 1st Class, and the

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' ...

simultaneously on 8 February 1943 for outstanding valour in repulsing a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

tank attack virtually single-handedly, thereby saving the lives of hundreds of his comrades. Additionally, he received the Infantry Assault Badge (''Sturmabzeichen'') in silver. At the time he served with 1./Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 160. Wrangel died in combat on 24 March 1945 near

Trebur Trebur is a municipality in Groß-Gerau district in Hessen, Germany. It is 13 km southeast of Mainz, and 8 km south of Rüsselsheim. Geography Location Trebur is located in the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Region. The cities of Mainz, Wiesbade ...

Awards

on 8 February 1943 as '' Gefreiter'' and ''Richtschütze'' (gunner) in the 1./Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 183Scherzer 2007, p. 798.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wrangel, Werner German military personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1922 births 1945 deaths People from Segeberg People from the Province of Schleswig-Holstein German Army soldiers of World War II Military personnel from Schleswig-Holstein