Date of birth:

December 31st, 1920 (Danzig/West Prussia, Germany)

Date of death:

October 12th, 2016 (Berlin, Germany)

Nationality:

German (1933-1945, Third Reich)

After the war, Artur Becker changed his name to Arthur Becker-Neetz.

Promotions:
July 1st, 1940: Unteroffizier der Reserve;
January 16th, 1944: Leutnant der Reserve.

Career:
April 4th, 1938 - March 27th, 1939: Dantziger Arbeitsdienst;
July 3rd, 1939: Landespolizei-Regiment I, Danzig;
?: Danziger Infanterie-Regiment 1;
October 15th, 1939: 6. Kompanie, Infanterie-Regiment 243;
August 14th, 1940: 7. Kompanie, Schützen-Regiment 394, 3. Panzer-Division;
?: Reservelazerett III, Frankfurt am Main;
May 25th, 1943: 4. Kompanie, Panzer-Grenadier-Ersatz- und Ausbildungs-Bataillon 3;
August 6th, 1944 - November 23rd, 1944: 14. Fahnenjunker-Lerhgang der Panzertruppen, Wischau;
?: Scharfschützen-Lehrer, Dänemark;
May 8th, 1945 - September 4th, 1945: British POW.

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Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

June 24th, 1940

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

July 6th, 1940

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

July 20th, 1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Unteroffizier (Junior Officer)

Unit:

Gruppenführer, 7. Kompanie, II. Bataillon, Schützen-Regiment 394, 3. Panzer-Division, Heer

Awarded on:

August 25th, 1941

The following wartime excerpt describes why Becker was awarded the Knight’s Cross…

“Unteroffizier Becker showed great prudence during the engagement near Lykowo on the 15.07.1941. By doing so he had a major share in the defense against strong enemy attacks along the southeastern front of Mogilev and in the prevention of his own Kompanie’s annihilation. After the Kompanie commander had fallen he went on to motivate his men through the combat against a much larger enemy force in the difficult forest terrain despite being wounded himself. His Bataillon was only able to absorb the strong enemy breakthrough attempt here on account his independent actions.”

During this time Becker’s Bataillon was serving as flank protection. In the fighting described in the text the Kompanie lost all of its officers in addition to the commander, and Becker thusly took over the Kompanie’s leadership on his own initiative. In the subsequent combat he pulled off a particularly successful counterthrust and later prevented the encirclement of his Kompanie and its attached units despite being badly wounded by a headshot.

• Photo: Death-cards.com
  
• - FELLGIEBEL, W.P., Elite of theThird Reich, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull, 2003.
  - THOMAS, FRANZ & WEGMANN, GÜNTER, Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht 1939-1945, Biblio-Verlag, Osnabrück, 1987.
  - Die Ordensträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht
  - Knightcross card
  - Ritterkreuz Archiv, IV, 2016