Rudolf Säumenicht

Rudolf Säumenicht (13 February 1916 — 26 August 1944) was a Sturmbannführer (Major), in the Waffen-SS during World War II who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership by Nazi Germany during World War II.

Rudolf Säumenicht was born on the 13 February 1916 at Harburg. He volunteered to join the SS and was selected to become an officer and posted to the SS-Junkerschule at Braunschweig. Upon graduation he was posted to the 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf and participated in the Anschluss of Austria and the occupation of the Sudetenland.

He was awarded the Knight's Cross in October 1943, when with a kampfgruppe (battle group) consisting of one Panzer VI, five Panzer IVs and six Panzer IIIs, without orders, he launched a counterattack to halt a Russian breakthrough. Through this action 42 Soviet tanks were knocked out, for the loss of two tanks of their own.

Rudolf Säumenicht was transferred to the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking as the commander of the II. Battalion, 5th SS Panzer Regiment and was killed in action on 26 August 1944 near Czarnov, on the Bug River, Eastern Front.

Commands

 * 3rd Company, SS Totenkopf Motorcycle Battalion                   1941 - October 1942
 * 5th Company, SS Motorcycle Regiment Thule            October 1942 - February 1943
 * 7th Company, SS Motorcycle Regiment Thule           February 1943 - April 1943
 * HQ Company, 3rd SS Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion         April 1943 - August 1943
 * 2nd Company, 3rd SS Panzer Regiment, SS Totenkopf     August 1943 - September 1943
 * I. Battalion, 3rd SS Panzer Regiment, SS Totenkopf September 1943 - February 1944
 * I. Battalion, 5th SS Panzer Regiment, SS Wiking     February 1944 - August 1944