Rolf Mager

Rolf Mager
Born	1 December 1917 Königstein, Germany
Died	1 January 1945 (aged 27) U.S. military hospital near Antwerp, Belgium
Buried at	German War Cemetery Köningswinter - Ittenbach
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1936–45
Rank	Major (Posthumously)
Commands held	II. / Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of Crete Siege of Leningrad Battle of Kiev (1943) Operation Overlord American airborne landings in Normandy Battle of Carentan Operation Market Garden Battle of the Bulge Operation Stösser
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Rolf Mager (1 December 1917 – 1 January 1945) was a highly decorated Major in the Fallschirmjäger during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He was also awarded the very rare Close Combat Clasp in Gold one of only 631 awards.

Awards and decorations

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (17 June 1941)^[1]
  • 1st Class (1 April 1942)^[1]
• Fallschirmschützenabzeichen
• Ground Assault Badge of the Luftwaffe
• Wound Badge
  • in Black
  • in Silver
• Close Combat Clasp
  • in Bronze (?)^[2]
  • in Silver (?)^[2]
  • in Gold (11 November 1944)^[2]
• German Cross in Gold on 28 September 1944 as Hauptmann in the II./Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6^[3]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 31 October 1944 as Hauptmann and commander of the II./Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6^[4]
• Ärmelband Kreta

References

Citations

1. Thomas & Wegmann 1986, p. 169.
2. Berger 2004, p. 323.
3. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 291.
4. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 246.

Bibliography

• Berger, Florian (2004). Ritterkreuzträger mit Nahkampfspange in Gold [Knight's Cross Bearers with the Close Combat Clasp in Gold] (in German). Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-3-7.
• 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.
• 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 Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Thomas, Franz; Wegmann, Günter (1986). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Teil II: Fallschirmjäger [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the German Wehrmacht 1939–1945 Part II: Paratroopers] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-1461-8.