Hyacinth Graf Strachwitz

Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz
Strachwitz in June 1943
Nickname(s)	Der Panzergraf
Born	(1893-07-30)30 July 1893 Groß Stein, Province of Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empirenow Kamień Śląski, Opole Voivodeship, Poland
Died	25 April 1968(1968-04-25) (aged 74) Trostberg, Bavaria, West Germany[1]
Buried	Cemetery in Grabenstätt
Service / branch	Prussian Army German Army (1935–1945)
Years of service	1912–45
Rank	Generalleutnant of the Reserves SS-Standartenführer
Service number	Nazi Party 1,405,562 SS 82,857
Unit	Guards Cavalry Division Freikorps "von Hülsen" 1st Panzer Division
Commands	Panzer-Regiment "Großdeutschland" of the Grossdeutschland Division
Battles / wars	See battles World War I Silesian Uprisings Battle of Annaberg World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Battle of Sedan Battle of Dunkirk Invasion of Yugoslavia Operation Barbarossa Battle of Kiev Battle of Stalingrad Third Battle of Kharkov Battle of Kursk Battle of Narva Narva Offensive (18–24 March 1944) Battle for Narva Bridgehead Soviet re-occupation of Latvia in 1944 Šiauliai Offensive Operation Doppelkopf
Awards	Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
Other work	land owner and farmer, military advisor

Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz (also known as Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz von Groß-Zauche und Camminetz) (30 July 1893 – 25 April 1968) was a German officer of aristocratic descent in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds.

Strachwitz was born in 1893 on his family estate in Silesia. He was educated at various Prussian military academies and served in World War I, during which he was taken prisoner by French forces in October 1914. He made numerous failed attempts to escape custody while held prisoner.

He returned to Germany after the war in 1918. He joined the Freikorps and fought against the Spartacist uprising of the German Revolution in Berlin; he later fought Polish forces in the Silesian Uprisings. In the mid-1920s he took over the family estate from his father; he later became a member of the Nazi Party and the Allgemeine-SS.

Strachwitz participated in the Invasion of Poland in 1939 and in the Battle of France in 1940. Transferred to the 16th Panzer Division he fought in the Invasion of Yugoslavia and Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves for the Battle of Kalach in the summer of 1942. He received the Swords to his Knight's Cross for his actions in the Third Battle of Kharkov. He then fought in the Battle of Kursk and the German retreat to the Dnieper. While commanding a battle group in the Battle of Narva in early 1944 he was awarded the Diamonds to his Knight's Cross on 15 April. In 1945, he surrendered to US forces and was released in 1947. He died in 1968 and was buried with full military honours.