Willy Albrecht

Willy Albrecht (7 July 1907 – 9 September 1996), born in Birkow, Farther Pomerania, was a German Hauptmann of the Reserves in the Wehrmacht during World War II.

Military career
He served in the 82nd Infantry Division. He was promoted to Leutnant on 5 October 1941 in the Headquarters Company of his regiment and later became a Oberleutnant of the Reserves of the 7./Jäger Regiment 734. On 1 December 1943, he took charge of Field Replacement Battalion 654 and then acquired command of Jäger Regiment 734 of the 104th Jäger Division.

On 22 June 1944, Albrecht was promoted to captain of the Reserve Battalion. He assumed command of the 104th Hunter Division and led them to the front in order to strengthen the lines when Lika was introduced in the spring of 1945. Albrecht's division was deployed in the area of Bihac, Yugoslavia, alongside the 373rd (Croatian) Infantry Division which had been charged to hunt down Yugoslav partisans. However, the partisan forces had grown to over 800,000 by 1945, and on or about 28 March 1945, the Wehrmacht line collapsed. During this last battle Albrecht's troops fought valiantly.

Albrecht, along with regimental commander Lieutenant Colonel Franz Wecker, may have received the Knight's Cross on September 5, 1945. However, no evidence for the award survives in the German Federal Archives, casting doubt on the authenticity of the award. Albrecht died on 9 September 1996, in Bramsche, Germany.

Awards

 * Iron Cross (1939)
 * 2nd Class (19 December 1940)
 * 1st Class (27 February 1942)
 * Infantry Assault Badge in Silver
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 May 1945 as Hauptmann of the Reserves and commander of the I./Jäger-Regiment 734