Otto Paetsch

Otto Paetsch (3 August 1909 – 16 March 1945) was a Standartenführer (Colonel) in the Waffen SS who was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves during World War II.

Paetsch was born on the 3 August 1909, at Rheinhausen. In his early life he studied Theology at Tübingen Evangelical college.

In 1931 he volunteered for the SS and was posted to the Germania Regiment promoted on 20 April 1936 to Untersturmführer(Second Lieutenant) and made a platoon leader in the 15th Company, Germania Regiment, and promoted again in April 1940 to Hauptsturmführer (Captain) and given command of the 15th Company.

After the Battle of France the Germania Regiment was used as the basis of a new SS division 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking, which from June 1941 fought in Operation Barbarossa the invasion of Russia, when he was given command of the Reconnaissance Battalion in December 1941.

On 20 April 1942, he was promoted to Sturmbannführer (Major) and awarded the German Cross in Gold for bravery. He was made the commander of the 10th SS Panzer Regiment and promoted to Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel), 3 November 1943. From June 1944 he led his regiment in Normandy, and distinguished himself in the fighting in the Avranches area and the breakout from Falaise (Falaise Pocket) for which he was awarded the Knight's Cross.

In the autumn of 1944 he fought at Arnhem (Operation Market Garden) against the British 1st Airborne Division and in early 1945 was involved in the fighting in Pomerania, where on 16 March 1945 at Altdamm, he was fatally wounded. For the successful fighting at the Hagenau bridgehead and at Stettin in May 1945 he was awarded a posthumous award of the Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross and promoted to Standartenführer.