Werner Pötschke
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Werner Poetschke (6 March 1914 – 24 March 1945) was a German SS-Sturmbannführer and battalion commander. He commanded SS Panzer Regiment 1 LSSAH during the Ardennes Offensive and is considered to be the primary person responsible for 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 ...
.


Biography

Werner Poetschke was born in Brussels in 1914. In 1935 he entered the SS and served in the Leibstandarte. From March 1938 he was a platoon commander in the SS standard "Der Führer", with whom he participated in the Polish campaign and won the Iron Cross 1st class. In the French Campaign, he commanded a platoon in the 1st Company of the Reconnaissance Battalion with which he captured a bridge over the
Maas–Waal Canal The Maas–Waal Canal (Dutch: Maas–Waalkanaal) is a canal in the Netherlands that connects the river Meuse (Dutch: Maas) to the river Waal. The channel is about long and runs from Weurt (west of Nijmegen) to the south and ends at Heumen. The ...
. In France he destroyed a motor cycle unit and six anti-tanks guns near Dissen. His evaluation by his superiors however was negative, they considered him to be overreckless and a bad people manager, and Poetschke was transferred to the division ''Das Reich''. Werner Poetschke then took part in the Balkan campaign and in the battles on the Eastern Front for which he received the
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 ...
. From April 1942 he was commander of the 2nd company of the reconnaissance battalion of the SS division ''Das Reich''. In early 1943 he was transferred to the 1st Battalion of the 1st Panzer Regiment of the SS Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" as commander of the 1st company. In August 1943, he was sent to Italy, and in December 1943 to Russia. Poetschke received the
Knight's Cross Knight's Cross (German language ''Ritterkreuz'') refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that often denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield. Most frequently the term Knight's Cross is used to refer to the Knight's Cr ...
in 1944. Poetschke was characteristically described as unstable, impulsive, fickle and a hothead who had only contempt for the enemy and who was extremely hard on his own men. During the Battle of the Bulge, Poetschke was commander of the 1st SS Panzer Battalion that was part of “
Kampfgruppe Peiper Joachim Peiper (30 January 1915 – 14 July 1976) was a German ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) officer and a Nazi war criminal convicted for the Malmedy massacre of U.S. Army prisoners of war (POWs). During the Second World War in Europe, Peiper serve ...
”. Poetschke was identified by various persons involved and eyewitnesses as the officer directly responsible for giving the order to execute the American prisoners near the Baugnez crossroads, which culminated in the Malmedy massacre. In March 1945 he received the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross. During the fighting in Hungary, Poetschke was seriously wounded in battle and he died two days later from his wounds.


Awards

* Iron Cross 2nd Class on 27 September 1939, 1st Class on 2 June 1940 * German Cross in Gold on 5 November 1942 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves ** Knight's Cross on 4 June 1944 as SS-'' Hauptsturmführer'' and company commander in SS-Pz.Rgt 1 LSSAHScherzer 2007, p. 600. ** 783rd Oak Leaves on 15 March 1945 as SS-'' Sturmbannführer'' and commander of the I.(schw)/SS-Pz.Rgt. 1 LSSAH * Close Combat Clasp in Bronze * Wound Badge in Gold * Tank Destruction Badge


Reference


Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Poetschke, Werner 1914 births 1945 deaths German mass murderers SS-Sturmbannführer Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Waffen-SS personnel killed in action Military personnel from Brussels Perpetrators of World War II prisoner of war massacres Nazi war criminals