Hermann Richard Heidrich was a German paratroop general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords of Nazi Germany. Born on 27 July 1896 in Lawalde in the Kingdom of Saxony in the German Empire he volunteered for military service shortly after the outbreak of World War I. He entered the Army on 18 August 1914 as a war volunteer with Reserve Infantry Regiment 101. He was promoted to Gefreiter on 17 November 1914 then to Unteroffizier on 18 May 1915 and to Fähnrich on 14 July 1915 before becoming a Leutnant on 20 August 1915 with a patent dated 17 December 1915 later adjusted to 1 September 1915. He transferred to the Royal Saxon 3rd Infantry Regiment König Ludwig III von Bayern Nr. 102 from 11 April 1915 to 30 September 1916 and then served as a platoon and company leader in the Royal Saxon 16th Infantry Regiment Nr. 182 until 15 May 1920. During the war he earned both classes of the Iron Cross and the Wound Badge in Black. After the armistice he fought with the Freikorps in the Baltic region before being accepted into the Reichswehr in 1920 where he continued service in various infantry posts.
In the interwar years Heidrich held a series of assignments in the 10th Saxon Infantry Regiment including platoon leader roles from 1 October 1920 onward. He attended an assistant course at Wehrkreis IV staff in Dresden from 27 August 1924 to 30 September 1925 then served on the staff of the 4th Division. He was promoted to Oberleutnant on 31 July 1925 with a rank date of 1 April 1925. Further postings included platoon leader again in the 10th Infantry Regiment detachment to the II Naval Artillery Battalion and company chief duties. He became a Hauptmann on 1 February 1931 and served as tactics instructor at the Infantry School in Dresden from 1 September 1934 before becoming an instructor at the War Schools in Potsdam and Munich. Promoted to Major on 18 January 1936 with a rank date of 1 April 1935 he took command of the Parachute Infantry Company on 12 October 1937 and then the Parachute Infantry Battalion on 4 June 1938. On 1 January 1939 the entire parachute infantry battalion transferred from the Army to the Luftwaffe becoming the II Battalion of Fallschirmjäger Regiment 1. Heidrich transferred with it as an Oberstleutnant with a rank date of 1 April 1937 and briefly commanded the battalion before moving to the staff of the 7th Flieger Division as operations officer. He left the Luftwaffe temporarily to lead Infantry Regiment 514 of the 294th Infantry Division during the Battle of France in 1940 where he was promoted to Oberst on 4 July 1940 with a rank date of 1 April 1940.
General Kurt Student persuaded Heidrich to return to the Luftwaffe in June 1940 and he formed and commanded Fallschirmjäger Regiment 3 within the 7th Flieger Division. He led the regiment with distinction during the Battle of Crete in May 1941 where his troops dropped southwest of Canea suffered heavy scattering and casualties yet fought through Prison Valley and advanced on the town after relief by mountain troops. For his leadership he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 14 June 1941 as Oberst and commander of Fallschirmjäger Regiment 3 along with the 1939 Clasps to both classes of the Iron Cross on 25 May 1941 and later the Crete cuff title. The regiment continued operations on the Eastern Front near Leningrad in late 1941 before withdrawal for refitting in France. Heidrich was awarded the German Cross in Gold on 13 April 1942 as Oberst commanding the regiment. In August 1942 he was delegated leadership of the 7th Flieger Division and promoted to Generalmajor on 4 August 1942 with a rank date of 1 August 1942. He took full command of the 7th Flieger Division from 1 November 1942 and led it back to the Eastern Front in the central sector around Smolensk Rzhev and Orel.
On 1 May 1943 the 7th Flieger Division was redesignated the 1st Fallschirmjäger Division while refitting in southern France and Heidrich was promoted to Generalleutnant on 1 July 1943. He assumed command of the division on the same date. The division was rushed to Sicily on 12 July 1943 to counter the Allied invasion during Operation Husky and engaged in intense fighting around the Primosole Bridge. After evacuation to the Italian mainland the division under Heidrich conducted its toughest campaigns during the three Battles of Monte Cassino in 1944 where it held mountain defenses against repeated Allied assaults inflicting heavy casualties on American British Commonwealth Polish and French forces. Elements also fought at Anzio-Nettuno and along the Adriatic coast before transferring to the Gothic Line. He received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross on 5 February 1944 as Generalleutnant and commander of the 1st Fallschirmjäger Division and the Swords on 25 March 1944 as the 55th recipient in the same capacity. He was mentioned four times in the Wehrmachtbericht on 9 June 1941 24 December 1943 25 March 1944 and 29 June 1944. On 31 October 1944 he was promoted to General der Fallschirmtruppe with a rank date of 1 October 1944 and on 16 November 1944 he relinquished command of the division to take over the I Fallschirmkorps in Italy succeeding General Alfred Schlemm.
As commanding general of the I Fallschirmkorps Heidrich oversaw the corps withdrawal up the length of Italy during the final Allied offensive in spring 1945 initially holding positions opposite the British Eighth Army near Imola before retreating northeastward through Ferrara Rovigo Padova and Venice toward the Italo-Yugoslav frontier. He was seriously wounded on 23 January 1945 and taken to a field hospital yet continued directing operations issuing his final order on 1 May 1945 at the corps command post. He gave up command on that date and was transferred to a hospital in Germany. Captured by British forces on 3 May 1945 at St. Christoforo in Italy after earlier contact with American troops he was held as a prisoner of war until his release in the summer of 1945. Weakened by years of continuous combat and never fully recovering from his wounds Heidrich died on 22 December 1947 at the age of 51 in a care hospital in Hamburg-Bergedorf in the Allied-occupied zone of Germany. Among his other decorations were the Iron Cross of 1914 both classes the Saxon Albert Order Knights Cross 2nd Class with Swords the Civil Order of Saxony Knights Cross 2nd Class with Swords the Honour Cross of the World War 1914-1918 with Swords the Sudetenland Medal with Prague Castle Bar the Army Parachutist Badge later exchanged for the Luftwaffe version on 12 December 1943 the Wound Badge of 1939 in Silver and repeated mentions for bravery and leadership throughout his career. He served continuously from 1914 until the end of World War II rising from war volunteer to one of the most highly decorated commanders of the German Fallschirmjäger forces.
Source:
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/
https://en.wikipedia.org/
https://www.tracesofwar.com/
https://grokipedia.com/
https://rk.balsi.de/index.php?action=list&cat=300
https://www.unithistories.com/units_index/index.php?file=/officers/personsx.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20091027052912fw_/http://geocities.com/orion47.geo/index2.html
https://forum.axishistory.com/
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/
https://www.bundesarchiv.de/en/
https://www.geni.com/
https://books.google.com/
https://www.walter-frentz-collection.de/fotoarchiv/personenarchiv-a-z/personen-n-r/
https://www.oocities.org/~orion47/WEHRMACHT/LUFTWAFFE/General/HEIDRICH_RICHARD.html
Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945.
Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1.
Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941–1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II.
In the interwar years Heidrich held a series of assignments in the 10th Saxon Infantry Regiment including platoon leader roles from 1 October 1920 onward. He attended an assistant course at Wehrkreis IV staff in Dresden from 27 August 1924 to 30 September 1925 then served on the staff of the 4th Division. He was promoted to Oberleutnant on 31 July 1925 with a rank date of 1 April 1925. Further postings included platoon leader again in the 10th Infantry Regiment detachment to the II Naval Artillery Battalion and company chief duties. He became a Hauptmann on 1 February 1931 and served as tactics instructor at the Infantry School in Dresden from 1 September 1934 before becoming an instructor at the War Schools in Potsdam and Munich. Promoted to Major on 18 January 1936 with a rank date of 1 April 1935 he took command of the Parachute Infantry Company on 12 October 1937 and then the Parachute Infantry Battalion on 4 June 1938. On 1 January 1939 the entire parachute infantry battalion transferred from the Army to the Luftwaffe becoming the II Battalion of Fallschirmjäger Regiment 1. Heidrich transferred with it as an Oberstleutnant with a rank date of 1 April 1937 and briefly commanded the battalion before moving to the staff of the 7th Flieger Division as operations officer. He left the Luftwaffe temporarily to lead Infantry Regiment 514 of the 294th Infantry Division during the Battle of France in 1940 where he was promoted to Oberst on 4 July 1940 with a rank date of 1 April 1940.
General Kurt Student persuaded Heidrich to return to the Luftwaffe in June 1940 and he formed and commanded Fallschirmjäger Regiment 3 within the 7th Flieger Division. He led the regiment with distinction during the Battle of Crete in May 1941 where his troops dropped southwest of Canea suffered heavy scattering and casualties yet fought through Prison Valley and advanced on the town after relief by mountain troops. For his leadership he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 14 June 1941 as Oberst and commander of Fallschirmjäger Regiment 3 along with the 1939 Clasps to both classes of the Iron Cross on 25 May 1941 and later the Crete cuff title. The regiment continued operations on the Eastern Front near Leningrad in late 1941 before withdrawal for refitting in France. Heidrich was awarded the German Cross in Gold on 13 April 1942 as Oberst commanding the regiment. In August 1942 he was delegated leadership of the 7th Flieger Division and promoted to Generalmajor on 4 August 1942 with a rank date of 1 August 1942. He took full command of the 7th Flieger Division from 1 November 1942 and led it back to the Eastern Front in the central sector around Smolensk Rzhev and Orel.
On 1 May 1943 the 7th Flieger Division was redesignated the 1st Fallschirmjäger Division while refitting in southern France and Heidrich was promoted to Generalleutnant on 1 July 1943. He assumed command of the division on the same date. The division was rushed to Sicily on 12 July 1943 to counter the Allied invasion during Operation Husky and engaged in intense fighting around the Primosole Bridge. After evacuation to the Italian mainland the division under Heidrich conducted its toughest campaigns during the three Battles of Monte Cassino in 1944 where it held mountain defenses against repeated Allied assaults inflicting heavy casualties on American British Commonwealth Polish and French forces. Elements also fought at Anzio-Nettuno and along the Adriatic coast before transferring to the Gothic Line. He received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross on 5 February 1944 as Generalleutnant and commander of the 1st Fallschirmjäger Division and the Swords on 25 March 1944 as the 55th recipient in the same capacity. He was mentioned four times in the Wehrmachtbericht on 9 June 1941 24 December 1943 25 March 1944 and 29 June 1944. On 31 October 1944 he was promoted to General der Fallschirmtruppe with a rank date of 1 October 1944 and on 16 November 1944 he relinquished command of the division to take over the I Fallschirmkorps in Italy succeeding General Alfred Schlemm.
As commanding general of the I Fallschirmkorps Heidrich oversaw the corps withdrawal up the length of Italy during the final Allied offensive in spring 1945 initially holding positions opposite the British Eighth Army near Imola before retreating northeastward through Ferrara Rovigo Padova and Venice toward the Italo-Yugoslav frontier. He was seriously wounded on 23 January 1945 and taken to a field hospital yet continued directing operations issuing his final order on 1 May 1945 at the corps command post. He gave up command on that date and was transferred to a hospital in Germany. Captured by British forces on 3 May 1945 at St. Christoforo in Italy after earlier contact with American troops he was held as a prisoner of war until his release in the summer of 1945. Weakened by years of continuous combat and never fully recovering from his wounds Heidrich died on 22 December 1947 at the age of 51 in a care hospital in Hamburg-Bergedorf in the Allied-occupied zone of Germany. Among his other decorations were the Iron Cross of 1914 both classes the Saxon Albert Order Knights Cross 2nd Class with Swords the Civil Order of Saxony Knights Cross 2nd Class with Swords the Honour Cross of the World War 1914-1918 with Swords the Sudetenland Medal with Prague Castle Bar the Army Parachutist Badge later exchanged for the Luftwaffe version on 12 December 1943 the Wound Badge of 1939 in Silver and repeated mentions for bravery and leadership throughout his career. He served continuously from 1914 until the end of World War II rising from war volunteer to one of the most highly decorated commanders of the German Fallschirmjäger forces.
Source:
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/
https://en.wikipedia.org/
https://www.tracesofwar.com/
https://grokipedia.com/
https://rk.balsi.de/index.php?action=list&cat=300
https://www.unithistories.com/units_index/index.php?file=/officers/personsx.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20091027052912fw_/http://geocities.com/orion47.geo/index2.html
https://forum.axishistory.com/
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/
https://www.bundesarchiv.de/en/
https://www.geni.com/
https://books.google.com/
https://www.walter-frentz-collection.de/fotoarchiv/personenarchiv-a-z/personen-n-r/
https://www.oocities.org/~orion47/WEHRMACHT/LUFTWAFFE/General/HEIDRICH_RICHARD.html
Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945.
Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1.
Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941–1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II.
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