Date of birth:

December 23rd, 1921 (Wildon/Styria, Austria)

Date of death:

November 12th, 2005 (Wildon/Styria, Austria)

Nationality:

Austrian (1938-1945, Reichsgau)

Promotions:
January 1st, 1943: SS-Unterscharführer der Reserve;
April 1st, 1944: SS-Oberscharführer der Reserve;
November 9th, 1944: SS-Untersturmführer der Reserve;
May 1st, 1945: SS-Obersturmführerder Reserve.

Career:
?: Panzerjägerabteilung, SS-Division Reich;
?: 4. Zug, SS Panzerjäger-Abteilung 9.

Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes / Deutsches Kreuz in Gold:
Johann Sailer was, according to his own words (his war diary "Kriegslebenslauf") awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on May 4th, 1945. The awarding, supposed to have been the 6th Award by Sepp Dietrich on May 4th, 1945, was recognized by the Ordensgemeinschaft Ritterkreuzträger, during which W.P. Fellgiebel stated the awarding date on May 6th, 1945. The same was claimed for the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold, which Sailer claimed to have been awarded on March 19th, 1945. For both awardings, no evidence has up till now been found in the Bundesarchiv or elsewhere and are being seen as non formal awards.
A soldbuch of Seiler which was discovered, contains entries for these decorations. Experts however revealed that both entries most likely are illegal entries, possibly added later (postwar).

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• Photo 1: Willi Schumacher Collection
• - BERGER., F & HABISOHN, CHR., Ritterkreuzträger aus Österreich und den K.U.K. Kronländern, Florian Berger, Wenen, 2006.
  - FELLGIEBEL, W.P., Elite of theThird Reich, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull, 2003.
  - SCHNEIDER, J.W., Their Honor Was Loyalty!, Bender (R.James) Publishing, 1993.
  - Johann Sailer