Some 60,000 ethnic Germans from Romania would eventually be incorporated into the Waffen-SS, serving in nearly every SS division. From June 1941 until May 1945, 15,000 of them would be killed or missing-in-action. One of he first of these Romanian German soldiers to really distinguish himself was SS-Rottenführer Arthur Christian who became the first one to receive the Close Combat Clasp in Gold in November 1943. Christian had been born in Ulmbach, the Banat (German) Region of Romania on 4 August 1922. After Germany made arrangements to have Romanian ethnic Germans (who were otherwise Romanian citizens) do their required military service in the German Armed Forces (again almost all in the Waffen-SS), contingents of them began traveling to Germany in 1941.
Arthur Christian was among the first 600 Romanian ethnic German volunteers. This group was given a festive send-off in the Banat and then sent to Vienna to begin basic military training. After completing this, Christian was assigned to the “Der Führer” SS Panzergrenadier Regiment of the 2nd SS Panzer Division “Das Reich” which was heavily engaged on the Russian Front. On 28 January 1942, he received his first battle wounds in the front lines near Rzhev when he received splinters from an exploding artillery shell in his face and also suffered burns from a fuel “flash” explosion. Despite this he refused to be evacuated from his machine-gun post until the combat situation stabilized.
For his deeds at this time, Arthur Christian would receive the Iron Cross, 2nd Class, the Wound Badge in Black, the Infantry Assault Badge in Bronze and later the “Ost” medal or “Eastern Front” medal given to everyone who survived the brutal winter of 1941/1942 in Russia. After having participated in 50 battlefield engagements, he was awarded the Close Combat Clasp in Gold on 25 November 1943, receiving it personally from the “DF” Regimental CO, SS-Obersturmbanniführer Sylvester Stadler. He would soon also be decorated with the Iron Cross, 1st Class and receive a promotion to SS-Unterscharführer (Sergeant.).
Later on, fighting on the Western Front with the “Das Reich” Division, Arthur Christian would again be severely wounded and was decorated with the Golden Wound Badge during his lengthy convalescence. In fact the war ended while he was still a patient at a Waffen-SS military hospital in Vienna. Following his release from post-war captivity, Christian remained in Austria and trained to become a master mechanic. He then lived and worked in the Upper Austrian town of Waizenkirchen where he died prematurely (probably due to effects from his war wounds), on 5 December 1966 at the age of 44.
Besides being one of the first Romanian ethnic-Germans to be highly decorated, Arthur Christian had served in and survived some of the most brutal battles in history on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. He would be remembered by surviving veterans as a “good comrade, who was always prepared to help out as needed”.
Arthur Christian was among the first 600 Romanian ethnic German volunteers. This group was given a festive send-off in the Banat and then sent to Vienna to begin basic military training. After completing this, Christian was assigned to the “Der Führer” SS Panzergrenadier Regiment of the 2nd SS Panzer Division “Das Reich” which was heavily engaged on the Russian Front. On 28 January 1942, he received his first battle wounds in the front lines near Rzhev when he received splinters from an exploding artillery shell in his face and also suffered burns from a fuel “flash” explosion. Despite this he refused to be evacuated from his machine-gun post until the combat situation stabilized.
For his deeds at this time, Arthur Christian would receive the Iron Cross, 2nd Class, the Wound Badge in Black, the Infantry Assault Badge in Bronze and later the “Ost” medal or “Eastern Front” medal given to everyone who survived the brutal winter of 1941/1942 in Russia. After having participated in 50 battlefield engagements, he was awarded the Close Combat Clasp in Gold on 25 November 1943, receiving it personally from the “DF” Regimental CO, SS-Obersturmbanniführer Sylvester Stadler. He would soon also be decorated with the Iron Cross, 1st Class and receive a promotion to SS-Unterscharführer (Sergeant.).
Later on, fighting on the Western Front with the “Das Reich” Division, Arthur Christian would again be severely wounded and was decorated with the Golden Wound Badge during his lengthy convalescence. In fact the war ended while he was still a patient at a Waffen-SS military hospital in Vienna. Following his release from post-war captivity, Christian remained in Austria and trained to become a master mechanic. He then lived and worked in the Upper Austrian town of Waizenkirchen where he died prematurely (probably due to effects from his war wounds), on 5 December 1966 at the age of 44.
Besides being one of the first Romanian ethnic-Germans to be highly decorated, Arthur Christian had served in and survived some of the most brutal battles in history on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. He would be remembered by surviving veterans as a “good comrade, who was always prepared to help out as needed”.
Source :
'Siegrunen 80' by Richard Landwehr
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