Feldgrau.net

I am searching for detailed information on the battlle leadership that brought the famous Panzer Count his major awards.

First, I cannot understand why there is no full, major biography of this amazing warrior. Is anyone working on something beyond the many brief internet biographies (Yes, Jason, I've seen the one on this site, and many others) and the chapter in Florian Geyer's "Mit Eichenlaub und Schwerten", and the appendix in Jung's history of Panzerregiment Grossdeutschland, and the few pages in "God, Honor, Fatherland." Why is there no complete biography of him? Someone should attempt this!

Second, I think I have found enough on the period when Strachwitz was commander of the Grossdeutschland's Panzerregiment at Kharkov for which the won the Swords, and Kursk (Spaeter, etc.), but not before that and after. So I am really looking for detailed information about the early and later periods of Strachwitz's WWII career.

Specifically, I am looking for detailed information about der Panzergraf's leadership with the first battalion of Regiment 2 of the 16th Panzer Division during the battles of the Uman pocket in July 1942 for which he won the Knight's Cross, and the battles of Kalatsch and the northern Stalingrad area during August/September 1942 for which he won the Oakleaves. I already have the basic history of Panzerregiment 2 from lexikon-der-wermacht, but I want more detailed info, perhaps from surviving veterans of the 16th Panzer division or their association. I have Gritz's book. Does Wolfgang Werthen's book contain detailed information? My German is poor but I have lots of time because I'm retired!

Next, there is adequate information about his role with the first edition of the Panzer Verband Strachwitz south of Narva (with Carius for example) in the Spring of 1944 for which he won the Diamonds, but I am seeking detailed information about the performance of the second version of Panzer Verband Strachwitz during its drive on August 19, 1944 to Tukkum/Tukums to break through to Army Group North. I have Newton's "Retreat from Leningrad" but that's about all I've found so far.

Finally, there is very little information on the Panzer Count's battles in January 1945 to defend his native Upper Silesia, in cooperation at times with Stuka pilot Rudel. He apparently led an ad hoc Panzerjager Brigade "Oberschliesen" formed at Bad Kudova and managed to lead it into American captivity at the end of the war.

I realize there are many requests here, but I will be very grateful for any assistance in my effort to truly understand the extraordinary Hyazinrh Graf Strachwitz.

Hello Charlie!

I cannot understand why there is no full, major biography of this amazing warrior.

Here you have Günter Fraschka's biography. Unfortunately, I don't own a copy, neither have I read the book...


See also, as we speak... http://cgi.ebay.at/Biographie-GENERAL-G ... dZViewItem


Regards,

Krollspell

Thank you Dr.! I have spent weeks trying to find this. Now of course the challenge is to find a copy. Can anyone help me do that?

This information is the best Christmas gift I can hope for.

Hello Charlie645,
See also: http://ritterkreuz.heim.at/els/els_HYAZINTH_GRAF.htm.
Regards.Fred.

Thanks, Fred, but that website gives me a 404 "Datei Nicht Gefunden" message.

Try google: I did found (a few montha ago) his bio, he wrote it himself. If I'm not mistaking, it's published in English too.

Thank you. I have already done many Google searches and used other search engines. The detailed information I am looking for is not on the Internet. I hope to learn about other sources of information.

I did write an article about him (in Dutch), because he was involved in a planned assassionation of Hitler in 1943. So I've looked it up, maybe this will help:

http://www.fprado.com/armorsite/tiger1_in_action.htm I think I seem to mess this book up with his bio...

By the way, the article: http://www.tweede-wereldoorlog.klup.nl/?art=277


Alex

Thanks again, Alex. I also have a great interest in the German Resistance to Hitler. It is interesting that Strachwitz was never arrested by the Gestapo for his part in the Poltava conspiracy.

But my main interest here is in details about the battles for which Strachwitz won his awards.

Charlie

Hello Charlie 645,
I cannot explain what is happening here.
Please go to: Google.de
Enter; strachwitz
Select: Seiten auf Deutsch
Click: Google-Suche
Go to: Page 3
Click Item: Militärgeschichtliche Fachbücher - Mit
Eichenlaub und Schwerter
In the address field of the web site you will see the info which I quoted on Friday, 16 Dec. 05.
Regards. Fred.

Hello Charlie645,

How about contacting the archives in Germany? Like the WASt or the Bundesarchives? Or the national archives? He was captured by the Americans, so I think they got something about him.

Alex

(I know, it's not much, at least it's something...)

Thanks for the suggestion, Alex. I'll check those sources eventually. Right now I'm waiting for my recently purchased copies Fraschka's 1962 biography of Der Panzer-Graf and Werthen's and Schmitz's works on the 16th Panzer Division to arrive. Then I'll see what's missing.

I think that the most difficult area to research will be the last period of Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz's career, from September 1944 until the end of the war. If anyone can help me with period, I would be most grateful.

happy holidays everyone,

Charlie

I think that the most difficult area to research will be the last period of Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz's career, from September 1944 until the end of the war. If anyone can help me with period, I would be most grateful.

That's why I suggested to look in the POW-file. A friend of my grandmother told me he served in the NSKK. So I tried to get more info out of him, mostly about his returning to Holland. He couldn't remember much about it. Within weeks (!), I did found his police record, accidentaly. He told his whole story in 1945, which was kept in a archive just 5 minutes away from my home. I was just doing some small research for a friend of mine, when I ran into this small record.

Back on topic: in Freiburg the Germans do keep all records of officers (Leutnant and higher).

Happy Christmas,

Alex

I am currently working on an English biography of Generalleutnant Hyacinth Graf Strachwitz, aka The Panzer Graf. First I must caution you that Gunther Fraschka's biography is overly sensational and therefore inaccurate. The Panzer Graf himself disliked the "Landser" style of the writing. The idea for this book came about in a conversation I had with Tiger Tank Ace Otto Carius when discussing the operations around Kinderheim in Estonia. As for the fairy tales in Fraschka, I would suggest that you read the Garde du Corps history in WWI by von Boddien (Chapter 5 is based on Strachwitz' own account of the raid and his incarceration) and Patroulle Schierstaedt by the other officer involved in the LRRP. There is no instance where they were to be executed by firing squad and saved by being given a cigarette break that allowed a bicyclist arrive in the nick of time with their stay of execution.
Of further note is Strachwitz acquantance with MAJ George Langhorne Tayloe who was the US Military Attache in pre-WWI Berlin. Tayloe, whose cousin was the famous verbal sparring partner of Winston Churchill, Lady Astor, and whose sisters I believe were the models of the "Gibson Girl" and one married Gibson, would later be George S. Patton's squadron commander during the Pershing Expedition against Mexico.
And for those who contemplate "what might have been" imagine Strachwitz competing against Patton in the Military Pentathalon in the 1916 Olympics! Although Patton's grandson states his grandfather was so put off by the pistol scoring in the 1912 event, that Patton would never have participated in another.

manchu19,

I am interested in Strachwitz's conflict with Karl Decker and the controversy over the Panzer Brigade/Regiment success at Kursk.

Do you have anything on that?

Jerry