Alfred Schneidereit

Who was Alfred Schneidereit?

Alfred Schneidereit was an Untersturmführer in the Waffen SS who was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

He was born on the 29 October 1919 at Insterburg in East Prussia. On the 15 November 1939, he joined the SS-Verfügungstruppe and was posted to the 18th Company of Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Regiment.

He was attached to the Guard Battalion in Berlin and did not see active service in the Polish Campaign or the Battle of France.

Then in 1940 he was posted to the 8th Company LSSAH in time for the Balkans Campaign. After the Balkans the LSSAH was moved to the east for Operation Barbarossa where Schneidereit was involved in the battles at Lutsk, Kherson, Taganrog and Rostov. In 1942 - 1943 the Division was sent to France to refit and Schneidereit now in the 8th Company, II./1st SS-Panzer Grenadier Regiment, returned to the Eastern Front to participate in the Third Battle of Kharkov, where Schneidereit was awarded the Infantry Assault Badge in Bronze.

For his part in Operation Citadel he was awarded the Close Combat Clasp in Bronze and the Wound Badge in Black.