Walter Girg

Walter Girg (13 August 1919 – 25 July 2010) was a Hauptsturmführer (Captain) in the Waffen SS during World War II and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.

Girg was born in Hamburg on 13 August 1919. At the start of World War II, he joined the SS and was posted to the SS-Verfügungstruppe(SS Troops-at-disposal or Troops-on-call was formed in 1934 as combat troops for the NSDAP). Girg served in the Balkans (Operation Marita) with SS Panzer Division Das Reich and took part in Operation Barbarossa (the invasion of Soviet Union) in June 1941.

At the end of 1943, he was promoted to Untersturmführer (Second Lieutenant). In April 1944, he became a platoon leader in the 1st Company, 502nd SS Jäger Battalion''.

In early September 1944, he carried through Operation Landfried with his company of 105 men behind enemy lines in the Carpathian mountains in Romania. They were discovered in the Braşov region but were saved from capture by a German artillery barrage which allowed them to escape back to the German lines, during which, however, Girg was wounded. The intelligence that Girg had obtained was instrumental in the continued operations on the Romanian front. For his performance he was promoted to Obersturmführer (First Lieutenant) on 16 September 1944 and awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 4 October 1944.

After recovering from his wounds, he was given command of a special unit of the SS-Jagdverband Mitte which operated Russian tanks behind enemy lines in Pomerania.

On 12 March 1945, he operated with his unit in the area of the enemy-encircled Kolberg garrison. The German forces there believed Girg and his men to be Seydlitz agents (German soldiers working for the Soviet forces) and they were going to be shot, but the mistake was clarified a short time later. Girg remained in Kolberg until 18 March 1945 when the garrison was evacuated by sea.

On 27 March 1945, Girg was promoted to Hauptsturmführer (Captain) and, upon presenting himself to Adolf Hitler, was awarded the Wound Badge and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 1 April 1945.

Girg ended the war as an inspector of training for SS Jäger units.