Awarded on:

1939

Awarded on:

1939

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

SS-Obersturmführer (Lieutenant)

Awarded on:

October 16th, 1939

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

SS-Obersturmführer (Lieutenant)

Awarded on:

May 25th, 1940

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

SS-Hauptsturmführer (Captain)

Unit:

Chef, 2. Panzeraufklärungskompanie, LSSAH

Awarded on:

October 3rd, 1940

Bronze version

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

SS-Hauptsturmführer (Captain)

Unit:

Chef, 2. Panzeraufklärungskompanie, LSSAH

Awarded on:

August 28th, 1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

SS-Hauptsturmführer (Captain)

Unit:

Chef, 2. Kompanie, Aufklärungs-Abteilung, Infanterie-Regiment "Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler" (motorisiert), Waffen-SS

Awarded on:

December 26th, 1941

Award 41/35

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

SS-Hauptsturmführer (Captain)

Awarded on:

February 6th, 1942

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

SS-Sturmbannführer (Major)

Unit:

Führer, I. Bataillon, SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 2, 1. SS-Panzer-Division 'LSSAH'

Awarded on:

August 25th, 1942

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

SS-Sturmbannführer (Major)

Unit:

Kommandeur, I. Bataillon, 2. Panzergrenadier-Regiment, 1. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler", Waffen-SS

Awarded on:

February 27th, 1943

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

SS-Sturmbannführer (Major)

Unit:

Kommandeur, I. Bataillon, 2. Panzergrenadier-Regiment, 1. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler", Waffen-SS

Awarded on:

March 28th, 1943

Kraas’s Knight’s Cross recommendation reads as follows…

"I would like to recommend the commander of the I./SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 2 'LSSAH', SS-Sturmbannführer Hugo Kraas, for the award of the Knight's Cross to the Iron Cross. SS-Sturmbannführer Kraas has already been awarded the the Iron Cross First Class because of courage before the enemy during the fighting in the west. In Russia, after the heavy fighting in Rostov in which he was involved in as an outstanding Commander, he was awarded the German Cross in Gold.

Kraas, who was in action on the Donez River south of Tschugujev with his Battalion during the recent defensive battles, stood at the focal point of the defensive battles experienced by the Regiment between the 06.02.-09.02.1943. Kraas personally saw to it that the last reserves of his Regiment were gathered in battalion strength on the 08. and 09.02.1943 and, after hard fighting, the enemy forces that had penetrated our lines were thrown back or annihilated. With that Kraas hindered a rollup of our front by 2 Russian Regiments, which were positioned in Gliniza.

During the night of 08-09.02.1943 Kraas recognized the difficult situation facing him, as the Russians had gathered their units in the strength of two battalions in front of our positions. While fighting at the head of his men, he attacked and annihilated them. The success of this attack avoided a situation in which the Russians would have penetrated into our rear area, and therefore saved the Regiment from suffering severe casualties.

In the attack on the northern section of Kharkov during the night of 11.-12.03.1943 it was Kraas's unit that was sent to Alexejewka as the Regiment's forward Battalion. He and his men had the task of penetrating through the unusually strong built-up enemy positions located at the city's edge, and to free the way along the street Dergatschi—Kharkov for the planned action of the III. (armoured) Battalion. Kraas fought in the face of unusually hard resistance until reaching a position 100 metres from the edge of the village of Alexejewka. He lay there during the whole day in the heaviest fighting and could not advance further due to the ascending terrain, which was covered with tall buildings.

Despite the action of the heavy weapons (which were personally directed by Kraas) or the attack troops (which he had sent in) a penetration could not be accomplished. The battle was unusually hard.

Kraas, who was fighting along with his troops in the very front lines, rallied his men again and again to attack. During the night of the 11-12.03.1943 the 2. Kompanie was successful in advancing to positions from the west. Kraas then forced a frontal penetration into the village with the bulk of the Battalion. Kraas fully took advantage of the situation and, at 11:00 hours on 12.03.1943, he stormed the strong enemy positions on the northern edge of the city and completed the breakthrough. This enabled the Regiment to continue the attack into the inner city.

I believe that SS-Sturmbannführer Kraas is worthy of the award of the Knights Cross to the Iron Cross because of his excellent leadership capabilities, his sense of responsibility and his unusually high personal bravery."

1654th Award

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

SS-Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant-colonel)

Awarded on:

October 15th, 1943

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

SS-Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant-colonel)

Unit:

Kommandeur, SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2 LSSAH, 1. SS-Panzer-Division "Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler", Waffen-SS

Awarded on:

January 24th, 1944

Kraas’s Oakleaves recommendation reads as follows…

"I. On the 05.07.1943, during Operation 'Zitadelle’, SS-Panzer-Grenadier Regiment 2 had the task of seizing the bunkers in the Russian positions south of Bykovka and then capturing Hill 234.8, located north of Bykovka. The bunkers were tenaciously defended and well built up, having an approach route saturated with mines. During the night of the 04-05.07.1943 the unit attacked, and after this the Regiment's command posts were pushed forward to the former Russian outposts on Hill 228.8. After the new command post was established, the Regiment prepared to attack the forward enemy lines at 04:00 hours with 2 Bataillonen. The enemy's defensive fire was extremely strong. The Grenadiers fought against the tenaciously defending Russians, and in spite of the enemy's performance they were able to slowly gain more ground meter-by-meter. The enemy's resistance could only be broken with attack groups that annihilated his machine guns, heavy grenade launchers, and anti-tank gun positions in the tank ditches.

During this extremely difficult battle there were heavy casualties. While the units were being reorganized there was a pause in the battle, which enabled the Russians to strengthen their resistance. This crisis was resolved by the decisive personal action of Regimental Commander SS-Obersturmbannführer Kraas. Kraas, operating in the foremost lines in the anti-tank ditches, organized all remaining forces so the attack could be continued, and since the combat engineers that had been subordinated to his battle group were all casualties he personally blew the tank and assault gun crossing over the tank ditches into being. Kraas, himself a member of one of the attack groups equipped mostly only with shovels and hand grenades, then attacked the tanks on Hill 220.5 with his attack groups and smashed them in the shortest time. Only by his heroic and personal example could the advance of the attack be continued.

After Hill 220.5 was taken, SS-Obersturmbannführer Kraas immediately ordered the continuance of the attack onto Bykovka and Hill 234.8 to the north of there. Rallied by the exemplary bravery of their commander, the Grenadiers reached their day's goal despite dogged defense by the Russians. SS-Obersturmbanführer Kraas was the driving force during these attacks. Continuously rushing to the hot spots of the battle with a handful of men he had gathered together, he rallied his Grenadiers to continue on and with them managed to take Bykovka and Hill 234.8 at about 16:00 hours.

The exemplary bravery of SS-Obersturmbannführer Kraas and his decisive action is to be acknowledged, as the Grenadiers accomplished their very important attack goals of the first day of the battle. These were necessary for the continuance of the attack along the entire front of the division.

II. On the 27.12.1943 SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 2, under the leadership of SS-Obersturmbannführer Kraas, was positioned on the open left flank of the division in defense of the wide front from north to east. The Russians were deployed and ready for action with their strong tank and infantry forces near the eastern edge of Starosselje to the eastern edge of Kotelnja, and up to the north of the railway. After the Russians advanced from north to east and back with tanks and active reconnaissance forces, they attacked at about 13:00 hours in regimental strength with the support of 13 T-34s. The attack became mired in the defensive fire of the Grenadiers of SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 2, and 3 T-34s were knocked out. Because of this strong defense, the enemy prepared their infantry and tank forces to advance again on the same day. These forces, which were positioned before the section of the left open flank of SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 2, had the strength of about a corps. They were obviously positioned there to advance in a general southwesterly direction to break through the defensive front of SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 2. After that they could reach and secure the highway between Zhitomir and Berditschev, which would in turn enable them to surround and attack Berditschev itself.

This large attack commenced on the 28.12.1943 at 02:30, with an advance of 15 T-34s carrying infantry. The tanks advanced into the open left flank of the Regiment from Toruvez, however a counterthrust by the Panzergruppe that was subordinated to the Regiment beat back the attack. A further attack by 35 tanks carrying infantry came about an hour later, and this penetrated into the left flank of the Regiment as far as the Regimental headquarters in Volossovo. The Panzergruppe of the Regiment and its anti-tank weapons annihilated 19 T-34s together with their escorting infantry. Many enemy casualties were counted. Regimental commander SS-Obersturmbannführer Kraas personally led a counterattack against the right flank of the attacking enemy infantry with the men of his Regimental staff. During this attack his men were able to annihilate the majority of the enemy infantry.

After this unsuccessful attack that claimed many Russian casualties, the enemy tanks pulled back to the railway to regroup. Their new plan was to attack at 12:30 with two regiments supported by 40 tanks and also with an additional force of two regiments and 20 tanks from the north and east out of the area between the villages of Sehubarovka, Toruvez, and Jusofovka to Staraja-Kotelnja. Even though the Division and Korps both expected the Regiment to be forced to pull back to the southern bank of the Guiva river, SS-Obersturmbannführer Kraas was able to hold up the enemy by building a new main fighting line directly south of the street intended to be used by the attacking Russian forces.

Through this decision, his personal action during the build-up of the main fighting line, and his decisive involvement during the defense of this attack, SS-Obersturmbannführer Kraas avoided the encirclement of his Regiment and the heavy weapons under his command.

Meanwhile, the Russians achieved a breakthrough on the left flank of the regiment. SS-Obersturmbannführer Kraas led the men of his regimental staff and some Panzers in a counterattack; 7 enemy tanks were knocked out. After successfully defending against an infantry attack, the Russians pulled back with the mass of their tanks to the northwest.

In the meantime, a divisional order arrived to retreat to the new security line south of the Guiva river. The carrying out of this order became difficult because the bridge foreseen to be used by the Regiment for getting its heavy weapons over had been destroyed.

Despite constantly increasing enemy pressure and strong fire of enemy tanks and rockets from the east and north of the crossing, SS-Obersturmbannführer Kraas successfully brought over all heavy weapons to a crossing farther to the west under the escort of Panther tanks (which were driving parallel to the Russian lines). It is without question that the decisive and meaningful leadership of SS-Obersturmbannführer Kraas, who himself was the last to remain on the bridge, must be credited for the fact that the fighting portions of his staff, vehicles and heavy weapons did not fall into enemy hands (or, better said, were not surrounded by them).

During the evening of the 29.12.1943 the enemy occupied the new main fighting line with tanks and infantry and won a strong bridgehead position over the Guiva river. From this strong bridgehead the Russians attacked the positions of SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 2 with strong infantry forces and 20 tanks on numerous occasions during the late morning hours.

Fully utilizing a ravine northwest of Voroschino, the opponent attacked the village directly with tanks, and the first waves of enemy infantry managed to push their way into the northern sector of the village. This caused a battle crisis, as portions of I. Battalion pulled back to the village following the death of its battalion commander and almost all of its NCOs, while the enemy went directly to the west and around Voroschino, thereby bypassing our positions and advancing to the south. In this critical situation, SS-Obersturmbannführer Kraas pulled together all available forces: messengers, signals men, radiomen, drivers, medics, etc. Himself armed with a machine pistol and later a machine gun, he advanced with them, and along the row of houses to the north and northwest he threw back the enemy units that had broken through. He then built a new main fighting line directly on the edge of the village. All further enemy attacks were beaten off, and with that an orderly withdrawal was secured for the entire Regiment before the coming sunset.

By holding this village and inflicting an extraordinary amount of casualties upon the opponent during the defensive fighting of the previous day, SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 2 depleted the spearhead of the Russian tank army heading to the southwest that held the majority of its attack forces. This action also enabled the withdrawal of all elements of the Division to the new main fighting line northeast of Berditschev and enhanced their ability to establish positions there.

Under the leadership of SS-Obersturmbannführer Kraas, the SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 2 either captured or destroyed the following:

- 91 enemy tanks (almost all these T-34s), of which 29 were knocked out in close combat
- 63 anti-tank guns
- 15 cannons
- 36 trucks
- 49 hand-held anti-tank weapons
- 118 machine guns
- 31 mortars
- 3 aircraft
- 6 field Kitchens
- 8 limbers (horse-drawn artillery ammunition wagons)
- 29 horse and carriage teams
- 3,200 enemy dead
- 900 prisoners.

SS-Obersturmbannführer Kraas has proven himself as a fighter, instructor, and leader at all times and in the highest manner. His personality, courage, decisiveness and composure are exceptional and remain a shining example for his men. I hold SS-Obersturmbannführer Kraas as worthy of the award of the Oakleaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross because of his excellent leadership and his fighting spirit, as well as his exemplary personal bravery and ability to remain unshakable."

375th Award

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

October 15th, 1944

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)