Hans Collani

Hans Collani
Nickname(s)	Fritz
Born	February 13, 1908 Stettin, Germany now Poland
Died	July 29, 1944 (aged 36) Narva, Estonia
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen SS
Years of service	1932–44
Rank	Standartenführer
Unit	Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking 23rd SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nederland
Battles/wars	World War II Polish Campaign Battle of France Operation Marita Operation Barbarossa Eastern Front Battle of Tannenberg Line
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Iron Cross I Class Iron Cross II Class German Cross in Gold Infantry Assault Badge Wound Badge

Hans Collani (13 February 1908 – 29 July 1944) was a Standartenführer (Colonel) in the Waffen SS during World War II. He 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.

Early life

Hans Collani was born on the 13 February 1908, in Stettin. His father was a career officer in the Infantry and held the rank of Oberst (Colonel or Group Captain). (His brother who was killed in action over France in World War II would achieve the same rank in the Luftwaffe)

After leaving school in 1931, he worked in a merchant shipping office and travelled to Leningrad and Murmansk. He joined the NSDAP in 1932 and later joined the Sturmabteilung (SA) and then the Waffen SS.

Assigned to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Regiment he served in the 1st Company from March 1933 and was promoted to Hauptsturmführer (Captain) in October 1933. He served as the Adjutant to the LSSAH commander Sepp Dietrich from February 1935 to November 1939.

World War II

He served in the Polish Campaign where he was awarded the Iron Cross II class in September 1939, and the Battle of France. He also took part in the Invasions of the Balkans (Operation Marita) and the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa) where he was awarded the Eastern Front Medal.

He was promoted to Sturmbannführer (Major) in March 1942 and awarded the Iron Cross I class in October. In February 1943, he was transferred to command the III (Finnish) Battalion/ SS Panzergrenadier Regiment Norland, 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking until July 1943 when the Finns returned home to Finland at the end of their contract. In the meantime he had in April 1943, been promoted to Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel).

In May 1943, he was transferred to command the SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 49 De Ruyter which was in the 23rd SS Panzergrenadier Division Nederland.

Hans Collani committed suicide when his command post was about to be overrun by the Red Army Leningrad Front on the Eastern Front in the Battle of Tannenberg Line on 29 July 1944.^[1]

He was awarded a posthumous Knight's Cross and promotion to Standartenführer (Colonel) for his bravery and leadership in the Narva battles in August 1944.

Awards and decorations

• SS Honour Ring ("Totenkopf")
• Sword of honor of the Reichsführer-SS
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Infantry Assault Badge
• Eastern Front Medal
• German Cross in Gold on 24 April 1944 as SS-Obersturmbannführer in the SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 49 "De Ruyter"^[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 19 August 1944 (posthumously) as SS-Obersturmbannführer and commander of the SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 49 "De Ruyter" (niederländische Nr. 2)^[3][4]

References

Citations

1. Mart Laar (2006). Sinimäed 1944: II maailmasõja lahingud Kirde-Eestis (Sinimäed 1944: Battles of World War II in Northeast Estonia) (in Estonian). Tallinn: Varrak.
2. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 74.
3. Scherzer 2007, p. 261.
4. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 154.

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Henschler, Henri; Fey, Willi (2003). Armor Battles of the Waffen-SS, 1943–45. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-2905-5.
• Mitcham, Samuel W (2007). Retreat to the Reich : the German defeat in France, 1944. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3384-7.
• Mitcham, Samuel W (2007). The German Defeat in the East, 1944–45. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-3371-7.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Thomas, Franz; Wegmann, Günter (1998). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Teil III: Infanterie Band 4: C–Dow [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the German Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Part III: Infantry Volume 4: C–Dow] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2534-8.