Franz Budka

Who was Franz Budka?

Franz Budka was an Obersturmführer in the Waffen-SS during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II.

Franz Budka was born on 18 August 1920, in Vienna. During World War II he was the commander of the 1st Company, SS Fortress Regiment 1 which was involved in the 82 day Siege of Breslau. Franz Budka positioned his men in the cellar of a destroyed building in Augusta Strasse. While the entire structure above them continued to burn, the men of Budkas company repelled many attacks inflicting heavy losses on the Red Army. The Red Army managed to take control of a building nearby and Budka launched an immediate attack against them, re-taking the building and inflicting heavy casualties on the Red Army soldiers, with only a few managing to escape. His company resisted every attack by the Red Army for which he was awarded the Knight's Cross in April 1945. He committed suicide during an attempted breakout from Breslau on 6 May 1945 - after being seriously wounded after stepping on a mine, he shot himself.