Hermann Dahlke

Hermann Dahlke (11 February 1917 – 5 July 1943) was a Untersturmführer(Second Lieutenant) in the Waffen SS who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Early years
He was born on 11 February 1917 in Greifswald. In 1933 he joined the Hitler Youth, then later joined the volunteer labour service and then applied to join the SS and was posted to the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler.

World War II
Dahlke was awarded the Knight's Cross on 3 March 1943 as an SS-Oberscharführer (Staff Sergeant), when in a well executed attack, his unit broke into the enemy's southern positions during the Third Battle of Kharkov. His platoon threw back the numerically superior enemy in hand-to-hand fighting and thus made a decisive contribution to the successful advance of the battalion and the whole battle group. Promoted to SS-Untersturmführer (Second Lieutenant), he was given command of the 3rd Company, 1st SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment LSSAH and was killed in action on 5 July 1943 on the Russian Front near Belgorod.

Awards and decorations

 * Iron Cross (1939)
 * 2nd Class (8 July 1940)
 * 1st Class (3 December 1941)
 * Wound Badge (1939)
 * in Black (3 August 1941)
 * Infantry Assault Badge in Bronze (23 February 1942)
 * Eastern Front Medal (17 September 1942)
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 3 March 1943 as SS-Oberscharführer of the Reserves and leader of 3./SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 1 "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler"