142 Large Presentation Award Document for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Awarded to Captain Helmut Hudel, Commander, 1st Battalion, Panzer Regiment 7, 10th Panzer Division, Army Group Africa.
Large formal Presentation Document is dated 2 April 1942 and features facsimile signature of Adolf Hitler.
The text of the document is rendered in hand-done calligraphy on large double paged folded parchment. The recipient's name as well as the national eagle are rendered in raised gold lettering. Document features both felt strips.The Oak Leaves "mappe" is crafted from fine-grained antique parchment and is surmounted by a fire gilt national eagle clutching a wreathed swastika. The inner edge of the"mappe" features intricate hand-gilded interlaced ornamentation. The bottom edge of the base features a gold embossed artist's signature "FRIEDA THIERSCH".
Important and impressive historical presentation document awarded to a mos tfamous panzer commander.
Two years later he was appointed to the staff of the Kriegsschule at Potsdam, remaining in that post until 1940 and missing the campaign in the West. On completion of his posting he rejoined Panzer-Regiment 7 in time to take part in the opening phases of Operation Barbarossa on the central sector of the Russian Front, seeing particularly heavy combat around Minsk and Smolensk. In early 1942 Hudel's division was badly battered in heavy fighting against the Soviet winter counter-offensive. Hudel, by now a company commander with the rank of Hauptmann, was temporarily attached to a Kampfgruppe from 20. Panzer-Division. He showed such determination, skilled leadership and gallantry in heavy fighting around Viazma that he was recommended for the Ritterkreuz (Knight's Cross), and the award was made on 27 May 1942. That month the mauled 10. Panzer-Division was withdrawn from Russia for rest and rebuilding near Amiens in France.
In November 1942, the 10th Panzer Division was equipped with 159 modern tanks and deployed to Tunisia to counter the powerful Allied forces in Algeria and Morocco. The division was immediately in action and Helmut Hudel, who now was in command of the 1st Battalion of the 7th Panzer Regiment, immediately launched the first counterattack against the dangerous enemy motorized forces. Placed in command of Task Force Hudel (with about fifty tanks), he launched a counterattack with considerable skill (together with Task Force Lüder, also equipped with three tanks VI Tiger I), defeated in the battle of Tebourba in December 1942, the Anglo-American forces and blocked the enemy advance. The front was temporarily stabilized. As leader of the Hudel Task Force, he contributed significantly to the success of the Battle of Tebourba, which cost the Allies 134 tanks from 1st to 4th of December 1942.
On the 1st of December, General Nehring initiated a pincer movement under the command of the 10th Panzer Division, while General von Broich took command of the German troops engaged further north Mateur and west of Bizerte. The German counter-offensive began with great success: the paratroopers of Colonel Koch managed to link-up with elements of the Barenthin Blöcke Tebourba and move further west to block the road between Tebourba and Majaz al Bab thus, cutting off Allied forces.
In the north, the two armored task forces under the command of Hudel and Lüder, maneuvered quickly and seized the first objective of Chouiqui. The shock and surprise achieved during the attack resulted in allied forces suffering heavy losses of tanks; the 1st Battalion of the 1st U.S. Armored Regiment and the 17/21 Lancers British were easily bypassed by German tanks and easily exposed to enemy direct fire, unable to effectively respond. After this first victory, Captain Hudel and Major Lüder continued to repulse strong Anglo-American attacks against Tebourba. On the 3rd of December, after serious losses and difficulties, Allied forces began to withdraw, abandon Djedeida to avoid encirclement. During the night, German tanks completed their maneuver and returned to Tebourba attacking through the withdrawing Anglo-Americans. The Anglo-Americans managed to avoid destruction through the intervention of the US paratroopers. The paratroopers opened a route along a trail along the banks of the Medjerda and evacuated the enclirlecd forces however, most of the mechanized vehicles and heavy material had to be left behind.
On the 5th of December, Task Force Hudel and Lüder, equipped with better tanks more experienced and trained crews, captured more than a thousand prisoners and destroyed over 50 enemy tanks since the beginning of the battle; the British 11th Brigade and their supporting attack were decimated during the first phase of fighting. The Allied Command quickly reorganized its forces, reinforcement and replaced losses and quickly returned to the offensive. Reacting to Allied movement, General Nehring quickly maneuvered his forces, taking advantage of his favorable position, moved south of Medjerda anticipating Allied attacks toward Majaz al Bab.
At Djebel el-Guessa, an attacking element from US Combat Command B surprised German elements but, was quickly repulsed by quick thinking German Battle Groups. This series of Allied setbacks, eventually led to orders from Allied Commanders to consider another plan of withdrawal: General Charles Allfrey recommended that his forces withdraw from their positions west of Tebourba and fall back to sector 290, link-up with General Anderson forces and withdraw West of Majaz Bab; Eisenhower rejected this pessimistic plan, but the main element of the plan, withdrawing to sector 290, was approved by Eisenhower as German forces withdrew.
The final defeat of the Allies occurred on the 10th of December.
A group of 30 German medium tanks with two Tiger tanks, taking advantage of the favorable situation, advanced to three km from Majaz al Bab but, was stopped by effective Allied artillery fire and was forced to withdraw. Additionally, the German Task Force was exposed because the terrain was made hard to maneuver by swampy conditions brought on by heavy rains and the danger of a counter attack on the flanks. However, this apparent success turned into a disaster for the Allies because of their inexperience and lack of foresight of Combat Command B. As darkness appochaed, rumors of a new German tank attack startled the "Green" Americans. The Americans decided to withdraw and due to the poor terrain and bad planning, the withdrawal completely disintegrated leaving 18 tanks, 41 cannons and 130 motor vehicles abandoned in the mud.
After this final disaster, this American armored unit was completely destroyed and the Germans were able to further consolidate their positions in the bridgehead of Tunisia after the total success of their counterattacks at Tebourba and Djedeida. The Allied Task Force had to reorganize and delay any future operations. A new plan was developed to launch a major offensive toward Tunis before December 16, this had to be postponed until December 24. The actual attack turned into a slow offensive against the well prepared German positions along Long Hill. Due to the much stronger German units, 10th Panzer Division and the 334th Infantry Division had finally completed its deployment, the results were very disappointing.
On 24 December 1942, generals Eisenhower and Anderson, aware of the growing difficulties and the need for a general reorganization of forces and plans, decided to stop the offensive for good thus, ending the Anglo-American effort to throw the Germans into the sea. The Germans, initially inferior in number, won the race to Tunis.
Aftermath:
During the Battle of Tebourba, the Anglo-American forces suffered heavy losses; Combat Command B and the 11th British Infantry Brigade were decimated with more than 130 Allied tanks destroyed or abandoned on the battlefield and more than 1,100 Allied POWs.
Allied air forces lost at least 47 aircraft lost to air-to-air combat. The German Luftwaffe was able to maintained local air superiority. German losses were limited and the armored units showed clear tactical superiority commanded by qualified and experienced leaders such as Nehring, Fischer and experienced junior officers such as captains Hudel, Nolde and Major Lüder. German forces inflicted heavy losses on the inexperienced Allied armoured forces.
After this first victory, Hudel's Armored Mechanized Battalion (now part of the Battle Group Gerhardt) was always on the front line and the captain again took part in the spectacular victories against the inexperienced American forces in Sidi Bou Zid and Kasserine in February 1943. But, he finally culminated during the Medenine offensive on the Mareth front. In the weeks that followed, Captain Hudel continued to fight valiantly with the few remaining tanks he had, but the overwhelming supremacy of the Allies forced the Axis forces to slowly fall back to an increasingly narrow bridgehead.
On 2 April 1943, Captain Hudel received the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his leadership and bravery in Tunisia. As one of the best tank German commanders, he was evacuated in the final days of combat in Tunisia to avoid being taken prisoner. Many experienced leaders and other specialists were evacuated while most Italian-German forces, including the remains of the 10th Panzer Division, were forced to surrender on 12 May 1943.
In Italy and on the Western Front:
Fortunately, Helmut Hudel returned home and, along with other young and capable tank officers, was reassigned to one of the new heavy tank battalions equipped with the fearsome Tiger tanks. Hudel took command of 508th Heavy Tank Battalion which was deployed to the Italian Front at the end of 1943 after a period of equipping and training, a country that was not particularly suitable for these heavy and less mobile armored vehicles.
Heavy Tanks of the 508th Heavy Tank Battalion in Italy 1944:
Helmut Hudel, now with the rank of major, led his Tigers in February 1944 in the counter-attack on the Anzio front, but the results were disappointing; Hudel's tiger, which suffered serious mechanical problems and damage caused by Allied Naval gunfire, suffered many losses and achieved limited sucess. During the German withdrawal after the Allied breakthrough on the Cassino front, Major Hudel's battalion had to give up most of their armored vehicles due to technical problems. Despite some success with almost no equipment, Hudel was criticized and called home (end of 1944) to take over the replacement and training battalion of the Grossdeutschland Division, a non-operational unit.
After his time in a rear echelon unit, Helmut Hudel was sent back to the front in February 1945 and entrusted with the leadership of the Panzer-Lehr-Regiment, the tank element of the famous Panzer-Lehr-Division, involved in the difficult battles on the Western Front. The Major took part with his tanks in the fierce battles against the British troops in the Reichwald of the Rhineland and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy units. In March, the Panzer-Lehr-Division was finally withdrawn to try to counter-attack in the Remagen sector and prevent the American breakthrough at the Remagen bridgehead.
Hudel was appointed commander of a so-called tank group, which was equipped with a large number of heavy armored vehicles. He launched several counter-attacks, but could not stop the overwhelming number of enemy forces he faced. Panzergruppe Hudel then fell back into the Ruhr area and remained encircled with the entire B-Army group in the large Ruhr pocket. The division, reduced to only 15 tanks, took part in the last battles in the pocket, which ended on 17 April 1945 with the surrender of all German troops. Major Hudel was captured along with with his troops and the last element of the Panzerlehr in the Ruhr area.
After the war Helmut Hudel retired to Frankfurt, where he died in 1985 at the age of 69.
Document shows light wear/age with hardly visible spotting. The fire gilding of the national eagle shows minor oxidation yet is fully intact and uncleaned.
Rare and important presentation document to a famous and brave Panzer Commander. The presentation of the Oak Leaves recognizes a special degree of bravery and represent one of the highest levels of the Knight's Cross to the Iron Cross.