Hubert Erwin Meierdress

Early Life - Hitlerjugend - SS

Meierdrees was born in Wesel in Rhenish Prussia into a middle-class family. His father was a Customs Tariff Secretary. When the Nazi Party came to power in 1933, Meierdrees was still in school. He joined the Hitlerjugend when all Scout organizations were dissolved and replaced by the Nazi-run organization. As soon as he was old enough, Meierdrees applied for NSDAP membership, which he was granted on 4 April 1934 (Nr. 3,601,911). Soon after, he applied to join the SS, to which he was admitted on 1 August 1934 (Nr. 265,243). He was posted to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, the SS' elite guard formation, serving as an enlisted man.

In April 1938, Meierdrees enrolled in the SS-Junkerschule (the SS officer training school) at Braunschweig. He performed well during the intensive study and training, showing particular interest in the artillery and panzer parts of the course. On 20 April 1939, he graduated as an SS-Untersturmfuhrer (Second Lieutenant) specializing in artillery. On 1 May 1939, he was posted to command of a platoon in the 13th (Infantry gun) company of the newly formed SS-Standarte Der Fuhrer.

In mid 1939, Adolf Hitler authorized the formation of an SS-Verfugungs-Division, comprising all three SS-VT Standartes, SS-Standarte Deutschland, SS-Standarte Germania and SS-Standarte Der Fuhrer (The Leibstandarte was to form its own unit). Meierdrees was assigned to command of an artillery battery SS-Verfugungs-Artillerie-Regiment under SS-Sturmbannfuhrer (major) Herbert Otto Gille. The Polish Crisis of August 1939 put these plans on hold, and the SS-Standarten were deployed for action during the upcoming offensive, Fall Weiss. The SS-Verfugungs-Artillerie-Regiment was subordinated to Panzer-Division Kempf, based in East Prussia.

Early War Campaigns - Totenkopf

On 1 September 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, starting the Second World War. At the conclusion of the Polish campaign, Panzer-Division Kempf was disbanded, and the SS-VT formations began forming into the SS-Verfugungs-Division, to be commanded by SS-Gruppenfuhrer Paul Hausser. For personal bravery in combat during the Polish campaign, Meierdrees was awarded the Iron Cross second class.

On 20 October 1939, Meierdrees was transferred to the staff of I./SS-Totenkopf-Artillerie-Regiment, part of the now forming SS-Division Totenkopf commanded by SS-Gruppenfuhrer Theodor Eicke. Meierdrees served with the Totenkopf during the invasion of France. As a member of the artillery regiment's staff, Meierdrees did not see any frontline combat during the invasion. On 12 June 1940, Meierdrees secured a combat command. He was placed in charge of a platoon of StuG IIIs in the artillery regiment's assault gun unit, SS-Sturmgeschutze-Batterie Totenkopf. On 9 November 1940, Meierdrees was promoted to SS-Obersturmfuhrer (First Lieutenant).

Barbarossa to Demyansk Pocket

The Totenkopf was assigned to Army Group North for Operation Barbarossa, the planned invasion of the Soviet Union. Meierdrees' unit participated in the advance to Leningrad, the objective of Army Group North. By December 1941, the Germans had breached the Stalin Line and were at the gates of Leningrad.

Several strong Soviet assaults launched at the height of winter caught the exhausted Germans off guard. The Totenkopf managed to hold its section of the line near Demyansk. By early January 1942 Totenkopf's position was located in a salient which protruded into the Soviet lines. On 15 January 1942, the Soviets launched a major attack which threatened to sever the main highway at the town of Byakovo. Meierdrees formed an ad-hoc Kampfgruppe (battle group) from his StuG battery (down to less than 100 men) and assorted engineers, SS-police and artillery reconnaissance troops to defend the town.

Heavy Soviet attacks further to the south, launched on 8 February, sliced through the flanks of the Demyansk salient, trapping Totenkopf and five other divisions, over 100,000 men, in a kessel (pocket). For his actions in commanding his battlegroup around Byakovo, Meierdrees was awarded the Iron Cross, first class. In early February, the Soviets captured Byakovo, cutting off the Totenkopf, including Meierdress' force from the main German force, II. Armeekorps, encircled around Demyansk itself.

On February 18, Meierdress was seriously wounded. On 21 February, Meierdress was flown out of the pocket in a Fieseler Fi 156 Storch to an SS field hospital. On 13 March 1942, Meierdrees was awarded the Knight's Cross in recognition of his courage and resourcefulness while encircled near Byakovo.

Transfer to the Panzerwaffe

In late March, Meierdrees was discharged from the hospital, but was deemed unfit to rejoin the division, which was still engaged in the Demjansk Pocket. Instead, he was posted to the Waffen-SS artillery replacement regiment, SS-Artillerie-Ersatz-Regiment. On 20 April, he was promoted to SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer (captain). Meierdrees remained with the regiment, training replacements in the use of StuGs.

In October 1942, the Totenkopf was pulled out of the line and moved to France to be reformed as a panzergrenadier division. Meierdrees took the Panzer commander's course at Panzertruppenschule II at Wunsdorf, graduating on 14 November. He was posted back to now reformed SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf as commander of I. Abteilung of SS-Panzer-Regiment 3.

In December 1942, the situation in Stalingrad meant that the division was needed in the east. It was entrained and sent to the region around Kharkov, where it would form a part of SS-Obergruppenfuhrer Hausser's SS-Panzerkorps.

Battles for Kharkov

The division arrived at the front in late February 1943, and, together with the Waffen-SS divisions Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and Das Reich, participated in Erich von Manstein's counter-offensive to retake Kharkov.

The Soviet spearhead was formed by Mobile Group Popov, named after Markian Popov. The SS-Panzerkorps was divided into a number of smaller battlegroups, and Meierdrees' battalion formed the nucleus of one of such groups, providing flank defence to the main assault by elements of the Leibstandarte. Meierdress's unit took part in the recapture of Belgorod. After the Third Battle of Kharkov, the SS-Panzekorps was rested and refitted in preparation for the major offensive against the Kursk salient, Operation Citadel.

Citadel

The attack was launched on 4 July 1943. The SS-Panzerkorps was to attack the southern flank of the salient as the spearhead for Generaloberst Hermann Hoth's 4. Panzer-Armee.

The Totenkopf led the advance on the SS-Panzerkops western flank. Encountering stiff Soviet resistance from prepared anti-tank gun positions, the Totenkopf's tanks advanced at a slower pace than had been planned. Hausser ordered his SS-Panzerkorps to split in two, with the Totenkopf crossing the Psel River northwards and then continuing on towards the town of Prokhorovka.

Elements of the Totenkopf's SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 6 Theodor Eicke forced a crossing of the Psel and established a bridgehead by 10 July. On July 11, Meierdrees's unit crossed the Psel and then advanced further north.

In the afternoon of 12 July, near the village of Andre'evka on the south bank of the Psel, the Soviets launched a counterattack against the Totenkopf's SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 5 Thule and the division's StuG Battalion. Meierdrees's unit was ordered to advance and support them. Meierdrees's battalion engaged the lead units of the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army with some tactical success, but at the cost of the majority of his remaining operational panzers.

On 14 July, Hitler called off the operation due to Wehrmacht's inability to breach Soviet defences and to address developing Soviet counter-attacks elsewhere in the southern sector.

Battles on the Mius Front

On 22 July, the Totenkopf was entrained for the Mius-Front, where Holldit's reformed 6. Armee was under heavy Soviet attack. The Leibstandarte, which was heading to the Italian front, left its vehicles behind, which were used to partially refit both the Totenkopf and the Das Reich.

The launch of the Soviet Operation Rumyantsev on the southern flank of the Kursk salient meant that the Totenkopf and Das Reich were sent back north to deal with the threat to Kharkov. Meierdress's unit was ordered into the line near Belgorod. Soviet units soon outflanked the two divisions and forced them to fall back to Kharkov. On 23 August the Totenkopf and Das Reich abandoned the city, which fell to the Red Army on 23 August. Army Group South began a withdrawal to the Dnieper.

By early September, the Totenkopf reached the Dnieper. Elements of the Soviet 5th Guards Tank army had forced a crossing at Kremenchug and were soon threatening to break through the Dnieper line. In late September, while his unit was trying to eliminate the bridgehead, Meierdress was seriously wounded and evacuated to an SS field hospital.

As this was his fifth serious wound, he was awarded the wound badge in gold. In recognition of his actions in Kharkov, Kursk, the Mius and the retreat to the Dnieper, Meierdress was awarded the Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross. These were personally awarded to him by Adolf Hitler on 5 October 1943.

Retreat to Romania

After his recovery, Meierdress was posted to the SS-Panzer-Ausbildungs-und-Ersatz-Regiment, helping train new troops who would be sent as replacements to the SS panzer divisions. In January 1944, he was deemed ready for active service and was sent back to his old command with the Totenkopf, arriving on 20 January. On 30 January, he received a promotion to SS-Sturmbannfuhrer (major).

The Totenkopf was engaged in heavy defensive fighting east of the Dnieper near Krivoy Rog. In February 1944, 56,000 German troops were trapped in the Korsun Pocket. The Totenkopf was sent towards Cherkassy to assist in the relief attempts. Meierdress led his panzer troops in attacks towards the city of Korsun, attempting to secure a crossing across the Gniloy-Tilkich river. The 1. Panzer-Division, fighting alongside the Totenkopf, achieved a linkup with the encircled forces.

The Totenkopf then fell back behind the Southern Bug River, in the second week of March, taking up new defensive positions. After two weeks of heavy fighting alongside the Heer's division Grosdeutschland west of Ivanovka, the German lines again fell back, withdrawing to the Dniestr on the Romanian border near Iasi.

In the first week of April, Totenkopf was resting in the area near Targul-Frumos in Romania. The division received replacements and new equipment, Meierdress's unit receiving a component of Panthers to replace some of the outdated PzKpfw IVs. In April, Meierdress's unit participated in fighting against the Soviet forces around Targul Frumos. By 7 May, the front had quieted and Meierdress's unit was again brought up to strength. In early July, the division was ordered to the area near Grodno in Belarus, where it would form a part of the IV.SS-Panzerkorps, covering the approaches to Warsaw near Modlin.

Battles around Warsaw - Operation Konrad I

The Totenkopf arrived at the Warsaw front in late July 1944. After the launch of Operation Bagration and the collapse of Army Group Centre, the central-Eastern Front was a mess, and the IV. SS-Panzerkorps was one of the only formations standing in the way of the Soviet attacks. On 1 August 1944, the Armia Krajowa, rose up in Warsaw itself, sparking the Warsaw Uprising. A column of Totenkopf Tigers was caught up in the fighting, and several were lost. The Totenkopf was not involved in the suppression of the revolt, instead guarding the front lines, and fighting off several Soviet probing attacks into the city's eastern suburbs.

During the battles near the town of Modlin in mid August, the Totenkopf, fighting alongside the Waffen-SS division Wiking and the divisionHermann Goring failed to arrest the advance of the Soviet 3rd Corps. Meierdrees' unit fought in this battle.

The efforts of the Totenkopf, Wiking and Hermann Goring allowed Germans to hold the Vistula line and establish Army Group Vistula. In December 1944, the 9th SS Mountain Corps was encircled in Budapest. Hitler ordered the IV. SS-Panzerkorps to head south to break through to the Germans and Hungarian forces trapped in the city. The corps arrived late December.

The relief attempt, codenamed Operation Konrad I, was a joint attack by the Wiking and Totenkopf from the town of Tata attacking along the line Bicske-Budapest. Meierdrees' unit was to form one of the Totenkopf's spearheads.

The operation got underway on 1 January, and the unexpected attack resulted in local success for the Germans. However, the Red Army reacted quickly, and on 3 January its defence had solidified near the town of Biscke. On 4 January, Meierdrees' unit was counterattacked by a Soviet armoured force. Meierdrees' Panther was hit and exploded, killing Meierdrees. The German garrison at Budapest surrendered on 12 February 1945.

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