Gerhard Pleiss

Gerhard Pleiss
Born	20 April 1915 Remscheid, Germany
Died	17 November 1941 (aged 26) Rostov, Russia
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen-SS
Years of service	1936–41
Rank	SS-Hauptsturmführer
Unit	SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Gerhard Pleiss or in German Gerhard Pleiß (20 April 1915 – 17 November 1941) was a Hauptsturmführer in the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler.

Career

Pleiss volunteered for the SS in 1936 (SS number 323 807) and was posted to the LSSAH. In the Battle of France he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class for his actions at the river crossing at Pont-du-Château. During the 1941 Balkans Campaign he was the commander of a company in the LSSAH, and took part in securing the Klidi pass during the Battle of Vevi. For his actions in the battle, Pleiss was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

During Operation Barbarossa, LSSAH was attached to Army Group South. Pleiss's company participated in an attack on Rostov on the Don river. On 17 November 1941, he was wounded when he stepped on a mine, and died on the way to hospital. He was buried in Taganrog.

Awards

• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 20 April 1941 as SS-Obersturmführer and chief of the 1./"Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" (motorized)^[1]

References

Citations

1. Scherzer 2007, p. 597.

Bibliography

• 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.